Book Review: The Heart Leads Home by Sydell Voelle

Posted on July 14, 2017

Impressions

I love the weaving of subtle and sometimes in your face nuances of emotions. The author relates well the drawing together of a family seemingly made in heaven.

The story illustrates how life’s painful and shame-filled appearing lesson creates a strong person. The burden of being the keepers of moral fortitude seems ordained to be the burden of women. In this story, Sarah’s need to break free from the norms of being a PK cost her dearly. And in my opinion, this noisome guilt held too much sway of her self-perception of a “good” woman. The rich colorations of Sarah’s burden of guilt are easily understandable and the reader can’t help but yearn for her release.

The blending of the relationships between the characters Carly, Sarah, and Rich is seamless and good reading. Those needful emotional processes necessary to move into an understanding of mutual need is told brilliantly in this work. Rather than dramatic epiphany, there’s an emotional dawning of shared belonging.

This story is a perfect ménage of emotional reactions from father to daughter, from daughter to Sarah and of course, the creation of Rich and Sarah’s love that binds. The writer makes it all come together like a beautifully woven tapestry.

The storyline is so sublimely vanilla in its characterizations I was surprised to discover the submerged anger in the daughter Carly. The scenes involving her need for acceptance and friendship came across true and real.

The author makes it happen in a surprisingly gentle way. It’s not only the heart that leads home but also the strength of honesty and integrity.

Story/Plot/Conflict

A lifetime of doubts fueled by guilt from her past sees Sarah returning home to settle her grandmother’s estate. Everything…every nuance that wracks her with emotional pain returns demanding assuaging and resolutions.

But the outcomes come warm to the heart. Running from the confining morals of the church merely delivers her into the arms of new love and a welcoming acceptance that the church is where she belongs, in a small town where she began her life.

Sarah becomes a true heroine and finds her life’s dreams fulfilled in the most unexpected ways.

Main Characterizations

Sarah Pendleton’s life has delivered its cruelties to the beautiful runaway that returns home a lovely but lonely woman. Her heart is cold and loveless, but a little girl and her preacher father ignite a love in Sarah she thought could never be.

Rich Stevens is the handsome young preacher who is widowed with a loving and lonely little girl. He thought loving another woman impossible until he meets Sarah.