Like Dandelion Dust (Paperback)

by Karen Kingsbury (Author)
Key Phrases: dandelion dust, other mommy, work trip, Allyson Bower, Molly Campbell, Rip Porter (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
'A grave and beautiful story, exquisitely composed and cut to a jewel-like fineness' DAILY TELEGRAPH *'A gem of a novel' TAMSIN HARGREAVES

Product Description
Bestselling author Karen Kingsbury delivers a powerful new novel about two parents' love for their child and the surprising lengths they will go to keep their family together.

Jack and Molly Campbell enjoyed an idyllic life in their small hometown outside Atlanta with their adopted 4-year-old, Joey. Then they receive the phone call that shatters their world: a social worker delivers the news that Joey's biological father has been released from prison and is ready to start life over--but with his son. When a judge rules that Joey must be returned to his father, the Campbells, in a silent haze of grief and utter disbelief, watch their son pick a dandelion and blow the feathery seeds into the wind. Struggling with the dilemma of following the law, their hearts, and what they know to be morally right, the Campbells find that desperation leads to dangerous thoughts. What if they can devise a plan? Take Joey and simply disappear...LIKE DANDELION DUST.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Center Street (June 15, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1931722854
• ISBN-13: 978-1931722858
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #310,152 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Like a Good Meal in a Surprise Place, July 5, 2006

By	Samuel B. White "Tuttle" (Lawton, OK) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Neither this book's cover nor the copy on the back enthused me to read it. I'm a guy and am drawn most to books that promise some excitement, whether that be through physical action or (preferably) a mind-thumping, heart-racing thriller. So this book sat on my desk for two weeks and I regarded it much as I might have a vulture that was sitting there, rasping, "Read me." I wound up taking it to Boy Scout camp (I was a sponsor) where I ...
read it in one day!! In fact, I almost finished it before lunch.
Now, some people make a determination between writers and storytellers. Those who do so generally praise writers more. I prefer a good storyteller, myself; because good writing--even great writing--doesn't hold my interest if there's no story there. Kingsbury is a simple writer and a GREAT storyteller. (Notice: I didn't say "but a great writer"; to write simply is a gift many writers don't have--and which modern publishing sometimes frowns on.)

The Story
Molly and Jack Campbell have everything. Great house in a fancy neighborhood, high-paying job, and a beautiful little boy named Joey. Things just absolutely couldn't get any better.
Until it's discovered that Joey's birth mother forged the signature of Joey's birth father, so the adoption was a fraud. Joey has never known anyone else as his parents, but suddenly he's being thrust into a volatile household of people he's never met and, especially, a father who doesn't know how to show love without violence.
Molly and Jack begin to explore every option they have for keeping Joey, even some fraud of their own. Hovering around the edges of all this drama is God. Joey believes in Him, Joey's cousins believe in Him, even Molly and Jack claim to believe that there is a god, but will they trust him to work this out? Can they give up their son to save their son?

The Writing
As I stated above, Karen Kingsbury is a great storyteller. After my initial reaction to the cover, discovering what was on the inside was like going to a restaurant that appears to serve only your least favorite food, only to discover they make your favorite dish to perfection.
Like a good meal, I walked away not just satisfied, but happy. I was pleased with how the story had carried me along and how it had been resolved.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Deeply moving story about parents and children, August 4, 2006

By	Christina Lockstein "http://christysbookblog.... (Oconto Falls, WI USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Like Dandelion Dust by Karen Kingsbury is a fabulously written story. Jack and Molly Campbell have the perfect life with their adopted son Joey. Until Joey's biological father Rip decides he wants his son back, and the courts agree with him. How far will Jack and Molly go to protect their son from his abusive father? I hadn't read anything by Kingsbury before, and I now sincerely regret that decision. She knows how to craft a story filled with emotion and drama without going into melodrama or stereotypical characters. Her descriptions of characters' actions make each scene come alive in a way few authors can. I was moved to tears at least twice during the book. And while the book has a Christian message, it's never pounded down the reader's throat, but the way God affects each person by the end of the story is profound. This is a deep emotional novel with the message that God is in control, and we need to have the faith of a child to trust him.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not her best ..., July 28, 2006

By	Ane Mulligan "writer and reviewer" (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I'm a devoted Karen Kingsbury fan. I've read many of her books and loved them all. All but this one. While it still has her wonderful writing and deep characters, the overall feeling of the book is depressing. It's heavy ... dark. Yes, it has a happy ending, but it's slower than her other books.

Digging deep into the psyche of the characters, she portrays them well, but I found myself skimming and turning pages to get to the action. Will I read another Kingsbury book? You bet. But this one is not a keeper in this reviewer's opinion.