Author: Catherine MacDonald

ISBN: 1-932993-34-7

The following review was contributed by: Penny Watkins:  CLICK HERE  to read more of Penny's Reviews.

Melinda Powell is a successful lawyer in Boston.  She has a good life and she likes who she is, where she is and what she does.  She recently bought her own home, and she’s on track to make partner soon.  Melinda worked hard to escape her Nevada ranch upbringing and get where she is today.

And then her father dies suddenly and unexpectedly, and her life changes overnight.  She goes back to Nevada to help her mom bury her dad and to sort out her dad’s estate.  What she learns rips her childhood memories apart and forces her to grow up; to become the adult in her family.

Melinda discovers that her dad was a philandering gambler and has left her mother destitute.  Melinda’s mom is too tired and withdrawn to manage things, so Melinda takes responsibility for her mom’s finances, and eventually realizes that they have to sell the ranch.

Melinda’s aunt, Dawn, and her grandmother, Maggie, are there for her to lean on.  She has family to support her here in Nevada.  When she runs into her old high school sweetheart, Craig, he becomes a comfort and support, too.

Melinda realizes that her mom needs her, and so does her grandmother.  And that she needs them.  She begins to find herself, and her soul.

Coming Home leads the reader to look inside herself and think about where she has come from and realize that maybe she hasn’t moved so far from her roots after all.  There is an emotional restraint to the writing that allows the reader to look objectively at Melinda’s journey—and her own.

The book is well-written by someone who clearly knows Nevada ranch life.  It’s a great read.