Book Description Review Starred review. Pearson’s excellent debut explores forgiveness and the burden of secrets. Helping Granny B repair her relationships and come to terms with the past gives Evelyn the strength to work on her own family. Pearson’s saga is enjoyable and uncomfortable, but also funny and persistent in the way that only family can be. — Publishers WeeklyBeatrice Agnew has spent her life living for others. At 15, she became a mother, and then a single parent after her husband left her a few years later. Beatrice did what she had to do for her family to survive, relying mostly on the Lord and herself. So when she receives a devastating diagnosis and the news that she only has a few months to live, she decides that she will embrace death on her own terms. Part of that embracing is saying to her children what’s in her heart, so she calls on her granddaughter, Evelyn, to help write and deliver the letters. But with those letters is another, one that’s been a long time coming. Pearson delivers a poignant debut that explores the faith of one African American family. Though it is perhaps overlong, the writing is strong, and the story is engaging, and readers will be pleased to discover a new voice in southern inspirational fiction. Libraries with Christian-fiction collections will want to add this novel to their shelves. — BooklistA contemporary fiction masterpiece with well developed, realistic characters, and authentic dialog. . . . Do not miss this one. — Christian Fiction AdvisorRobin W. Pearson’s first novel, A Long Time Comin’, brings us to contemporary North Carolina, where Beatrice Agnew has just found out she is dying of cancer. Surprisingly, she’s not upset by the news. Life has always been terribly hard and unfair for Beatrice, so why be upset now? What does make her angry, however, is that her granddaughter, Evelyn, has come uninvited to help Beatrice mend fences with the rest of the family. Beatrice’s seven children might be successful now, but there was no room for love in the Agnew household while they were growing up poor and fatherless. Beatrice wants no part in this little reunion, because dealing with the past means digging up old secrets. She believes that her choices were forced by circumstances that her granddaughter could never understand. But Evelyn and Beatrice have more in common than they realize, as Evelyn is struggling with her own marriage and possible motherhood. Together, the two women confront pain and secrets and try to move on without any regrets. — BookPageRobin W. Pearson’s debut novel is a multi-faceted tale that will have readers turning it one way and another to get the best glimpses of its many lessons and messages. There are the mother-daughter relationships throughout as three generations of women struggle to come to terms with their lives and decisions. The novel moves back and forth in time as it reveals the layered secrets held tight by Granny B that have threatened her family and her own peace. The story also moves between characters and their stories, all blending to offer an entertaining and thought-provoking read. Readers will cry, laugh, sigh wistfully, and even rage a little at this moving story. A wonderful tale of love, family, secrets, relationships, and forgiveness that will teach us all how to live well in the midst of real life. — The Banner Read more Review A stunningly beautiful story. . . . The lyrical weaving of family narratives, past and present, is masterful―certainly to be compared with writers such as Sue Monk Kidd and Barbara Kingsolver. . . . Buy this book. It gripped me . . . from page one. — Janet Holm McHenry, author of the bestseller PrayerWalk Read more Customers Review: Robin’s debut novel is beautiful. It’s a journey through the complex lives of flawed and interesting characters who made me laugh, cry, and shake my head. Granny B, Evelyn, Lis…these people came to life on the page. I cared about their stories and cared about them. The characterization is flawless; and Granny B alone makes this story a modern day classic. She’s no nonsense and timeless. If she were real, I’d make it my mission to get kicked out of her house at least once. That’d mean I’d at least met her, which would be a win. Robin took her gift of writing and crafted a treasure in A Long Time Comin’. This one won’t just sit on my shelf and look pretty; I will read it again. And again.
Robin Pearson invites the reader to sketch a picture of her characters’ souls with the colored pencils of her words. Each one–Evelyn, Mama, Granny B., Yolanda… shares the same pain and hope and desperation and love as my own. Granny B.’s family is as tangled up as her daily routine is simple–the tangles and simplicity forged firmly through decades of fiercely guarded despair. And then, there’s grace. Wow. I didn’t want this book to end. Every page was a feast, a fight, and a victory for faith and family. Thank you, Robin! A beautiful gift you’ve given us.
I rarely give give stars, but this book works on so many levels, heart warming, surprisingly, with a fascinating look at family, love, and relationships. I found the book very real and highly recommend it.
A Long Time Comin’ isn’t the type of story you rush through to find out how it ends. It’s the type of story you savor. I loved the way the author dug deep to explore themes like regret and grace. These characters were beautifully drawn—real and raw and authentically flawed.
Many thanks to the author for peeling back the layers and allowing us readers to see the depths of the characters’ reasoning for the decisions and consequences in their lives. Robin is a master story teller and I would definitely recommend this book to my fellow Christian fiction writers!Sincerely,Diana R. Williams
This book was not afraid to be honest and real about family relationships. I loved it.
Evelyn Lester is trying to figure out if she wants to save her marriage. She discovered that her husband has been having an emotional affair with a subordinate at work. Once discovered, he quickly dissolved the relationship and is trying to show Evelyn that he wants to keep their marriage alive. To complicate matters, she just found out she is pregnant, which is making the decision that much more difficult. She decides to take some time away and goes to stay at her mother’s home. Shortly after arriving, she learns that her grandmother, known as Granny B, has leukemia and has decided not to pursue treatment. Granny B has had a rough life herself raising seven children without having a husband present. She became a hard woman and even harder on her children. Even so, her children have become very successful professionally, but they all harbor secrets from the past and present. Evelyn begins spending more and more time with Granny B and each begins to unburden their secrets to the other. Before long, they devise a plan to help Granny B close out her grievances before she passes on from this life.This was really an incredible debut novel. There is a lot of pain displayed throughout this book caused between family members. But deep down, people begin to realize how alike they are, which can be why the pain is caused. And do we ever really understand each other’s circumstances to judge? As it is said, Remove the log in your own eye so that you can see the speck in your neighbor’s eye more clearly. That is part of the message of this book. Everyone seemed to think they knew what was best, but no one knew the whole story.The local North Carolina dialect written throughout the book made me feel like I was there. The letters written showed the education that some of the characters received made it very believable. Sometimes it is easy to take for granted how things were in the past because some of the readers never experienced it. Pearson did a great job with this story. Terrific novel to kick off the new year!I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.
Granny B has lived a lifetime with her secrets when her favorite granddaugher and namesake, Evelyn, arrives and is determined to dig into her Granny’s past. The fact is, Evelyn is holding close to a mighty big secret of her own. Now Granny B is a rather prickly person, and her Evelyn is similar in personality. Can you picture these two colliding? I can definitely relate to a prickly grandmother because I had one of those myself, and it’s nearly impossible to please that type of personality. Although Granny B and Evelyn are a handful, it is a very enjoyable book that is very southern in dialect and verbage. The author also makes it incredibly easy to visualize the clothes hung out on the line and to smell the greens cooking. I was impressed with how well the author handled the large family without confusing the reader. It is such a layered novel with hope, healing and the love of family at the forefront weaving in with a very strong faith thread.Note: This is book one in a planned three part series. Book two will arrive in the Spring of 2021. I definitely plan to pick that one up.I borrowed a copy of this book at my local public library and I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 Code of Federal Regulations, Part 255, Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. |
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