Flying Home

by Rachel Ann Nunes

Twenty-three years ago, Guenter and Karyn Schrader were killed in a plane accident in India, leaving their four-year-old daughter and orphan. Now grown, Liana is plagued by questions about her parents and her own inability to form a romantic relationship with a man she's starting to care about. Adopted by her mother's sister, she has always felt like an outsider in the family, and her disjointed memories--and nightmares--of the past make it impossible for her to bridge the wide gulf. But when Liana travels to India in search of answers, she makes a shocking discovery at her parents' gravesite. Confused and uncertain about where her heart is leading her, Liana begins yet another search to uncover the secrets from her past.

Genres: Lds Fiction, Romance, Fiction, Lds, Christian Fiction, Adult, Novels

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Rachel Ann Nunes (pronounced noon-esh) learned to read when she was four and by seventh grade knew she was going to be an author. Now as a stay-at-home mother of seven, it isn't easy to find time to write, but she will trade washing dishes or weeding the garden for an hour at the computer any day! Her only rule about writing is to never eat chocolate at the computer. "Since I love chocolate and writing," she jokes, "my family might never see me again."

Rachel has over sixty published books, including the popular Ariana series and the award-winning picture book Daughter of a King. She enjoys hiking, swimming, spending time with her family, reading, and visiting far off places.

For more information or to join her e-mailing list, visit http://www.RachelAnnNunes.com.

Reviews

[Snoopsnoop · Rating 1 out of 5]

Hmmm---the overall storyline was good--but elements in this book were quite disappointing to me. Things such as pre-marital sex that were treated lightly. If this was published by a standard publisher I would have expected this but it is published by Shadow Mountain--a division of Deseret Book. Sadly, Shadow Mountain's books do not have the same high standards and several have been disappointing to me.

The story talks of love, of healing, of forgiveness given too late. oh, another portion that irked me. One character pines for the man who fathered her child but she married another man who treats her like a queen but she still wonders if she made the right choice!!! ARGH!!! okay, the more I think of it, I have to drop the rating. Is it horrible? Nope. Would I recommend it to another, nope!

[Shauna · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were parts I really liked, and then there were times I was less connected. The story itself was good (I'm always a sucker for a good adoption story), predictable enough, but with a few twists along the way. Then there was the writing--at times it was flowing and riveting, but other times it became too careful, too deliberate, and I fell out of sync. I also had a real problem with one part of the story--the journal entries. Although I liked how the journal stories were revealed slowly at first, it became utterly unrealistic to think that Liana wouldn't have just devoured the whole thing in one sitting, or at least on the incredibly long and tedious flight home--sure she was distracted by other problems, but it would have taken, what, an hour tops?, and it revealed her whole history. And even assuming that she had the forebearance to put it off beyond that time frame, I can not be convinced that she would still drag out reading it for weeks beyond. Sure, it worked for the storyline, but I just found it so unrealistic that it was distracting.

[Cydnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up from a clearance table because I enjoyed a previous book by Nunes, Eyes of a Stranger. Thanks to another review on Goodreads I discovered that it is a follow up novel to Flying Home! Both books stand on their own, but knowing that now, I would recommend reading them in that order.

Liana was orphaned and adopted by her maternal aunt & uncle when she was four-years-old. She has never allowed herself to fully feel or show love to anyone based on the underlying fear that if she does they will leave her as well. This has made her an emotional hermit [or 'ice maiden' as her co-workers have named her:] and a workaholic - her job as an accountant gives structure and purpose to her life, numbers are dependable....

Good likable characters, the story was believable, and the story ended in a different place than I had expected.

I would recommend this to anyone - not afraid of possibly weeping!
[Okay, so I'm a crybaby!:]

[Linnae · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liana has always known she was adopted by her American aunt and uncle, after her parents died in a plane crash in India when she was 4. What she doesn't have a handle on yet are the issues of feeling like an outsider in her adopted family--still--and learning more about her past, as her mother and aunt were estranged for many years before she came along. Perhaps all that is why she can't seem to form any attachments to men now, even Austin of the midnight-blue eyes.

I liked this one best so far of Nunes' work. The romance was done with a bit of lighter hand, allowing the characters themselves to take center stage more.

I agree with another reviewer who mentioned an issue with the journal entries. Why couldn't Liana have read through her mother's entire journal very quickly and found out her whole past? She had a whole plane ride home from India--even with a lot else on her mind, it wouldn't have taken that long.

[Janyse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, so I was all prepared not to like this and to just put it in the category of "LDS Chick Lit." As I read, I enjoyed the stories, enjoyed the characters, and then convinced myself that it was heading for the big cliche ending I could see. Instead, I was delighted that several events took place in the story that made it realistic and so not cliche. That'll teach me.

It's the story of Liana who has been raised by her aunt, uncle and cousins after her parents are killed in a plain crash in India. Liana searches for who she is, who her parents were and how she fits in with the only family she has really ever know. She begins work for Austin who has his own fair share of demons and the two work together to heal themselves. More than that would spoil the satisfying ending.

[Dorry Lou · Rating 4 out of 5]

I gave this book 4 stars because there were several unexpected twist & turns. It was an adoption story of Liana whose parents had been killed in India 23 years before and she came to America to live with her aunt & uncle. It is a story of forgiveness and healing and Liana trying to find out just who she really is. She has spent so much of her live fighting those who love her. She makes a statement in the book about how her mother(the adopted one) was not the best mother, yet she would not trade her.
When she makes a trip back to India to see if she can find something more about her real parents, her whole world flips upside down when she goes to the cemetery and finds an unexpected stone there. I enjoyed the book very much.

[Melody · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, though I kept waiting to see where the church would come into it, and it never did... I also felt like there needed to be more at the ending, so I am hoping for a sequel...
Rachel is a favorite of mine, I have read everything by her. I related a lot to Liana, so maybe that's why I enjoyed it more than I normally would have, because of my issues these days on wanting to let people in... So I can totally see where she was coming from in wanting to protect herself... I think I'll re-read this one in a few years and see just how much I have hopefully changed... This book has given me a lot to think about...

[Sariah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Normally I don't really like to read what I call "Mormon fluff", and while I don't think Nunes is a bad writer, I always found her to be a little too much romance and cheese for my tastes. This was a nice departure from what I expected, and I'm really happy to have received this as a birthday gift from my in-laws. The story is an emotional, yet very predictable one. I felt like the characters had so much more to them that could be explored, but I liked them and felt connected to them. There was no mention of the LDS church, but everything was clean (of course). I did like the underlying theme of unconditional love, forgiveness, and family. It was a nice, easy, quick read.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

the things I read to find a book for my daughter!!! I know in a few years she will LOVE this, because I know I would have loved it as a teenager. But as an adult this was difficult to get thru! I didn't feel for the characters and I got tired of the poor me attitude that they were having when they had wonderful lives. I had the twist figured out within the first 50 pages, and the tragedy that happens was too obvious. I need a little more shock to get me into tears.

I'm glad that I did pick this one up for super cheap while at Deseret Book. Now on to some of the other clearance books I got there!

[Aimee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just finished this book and I really liked it! It is about a girl who for most of her life can't really bond with people. Her parents were killed in a plane crash when she was 4 years old and she was sent to live with an Aunt, Uncle, and 2 cousins. She grew up very loved, but she always feels as though she just doesn't "fit". She finally finds the time and the courage to find out about her past, so that she can really figure out who she is. It is an LDS author, and I was surprised the local library had it!!
Enjoy!

[Lacey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoy Rachel Ann Nunes. She is a pleasent author. For some reason this story was a little hard for me to get into, and stay really focused in. Don't get me wrong, it was a good story, and more unique then what I typically read. But it was just wasn't my favorite. It is still a good story. It had a couple of exciting twists to it, that made me want to keep reading to find out what happened. There were still some questions that I felt were left unanswered at the end of the book. Overall, it was a pleasent book.

[Darlis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a pleasant novel. Since my daughter is adopted, I was a little nervous about it, but the circumstances are entirely different so I just read it as a "mind mush" romance novel. Not much description of the interesting places Liana goes to or emotions she feels, but it was fun to read. Also, there is not enough "churchy" stuff in there. I wonder why it is describes as Christian fiction is some advertisements and reviews.

[Kelley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a bit embarrassed to admit how much I liked this book. A friend gave it to me as a "sorry you're so sick" present while I suffer through morning sickness. I'm usually not a romace kind of a girl, but I read it in 2 days! It was a quick, fun read with an interesting twist in it. I say, read it - especially if you're looking for a repreive from throwing up.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brad got me this book for my birthday. It was an interesting story of adoption. The girl grows up with her Aunt and Uncle as her parents. She knows this all along and has trouble feeling like she fits in. When she finds out the truth about where she came from, she is able then to build relationships that before had been so hard for her. And of course, she gets the guy in the end!

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Liana is sent to America to live with her aunt after her parents are killed in a plane crash in India. Her parents had been working in a medical clinic in India for a number of years. Liana is now grown up and returns to India but what she finds there turns her world upside down and make hers ask who am I.

[Teri · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was easy to figure out without even reading the end first. I almost rated it a two because it lacks the kind of beauty I think a story which occurs in the Nevada desert, a wide open range in Wyoming and the busy center of Calcutta could have in the narrative description. It was okay - not included on my would read again list.

[Jeannie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Heartwarming adoption story. One of my favorite parts in the book is this quote: "My mother was not a good mom, and yet I find I would not trade her for any other. That's what love is, I guess. A risk. Not a guarantee of happily ever after. But it is worth it-even when it's followed by tradgedy."

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was a quick grab while i was in the bookstore one day. Happy to find a nice little fun read. I enjoyed the character development, and the story line. The relationships between the characters were interesting and realistic. Easy read that kept the pages turning.

[Kristi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like some of this authors books, this was just not one of them:/ there were parts I loved but it felt rather reaching and slow at too many parts for me! Took me over a month to get past the first few chapters!

[Sheree · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good book - I could hardly wait to see how it ended. No religion in it so anyone would enjoy it. I'm going to share it with my coworker from India. Thanks Charity for a wonderful Christmas gift! I loved it.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book! It was a fun easy read that let me escape into another world for a little bit. It was not anything I could really relate to, but it was interesting just the same. I think that the author did a really good job, I liked the way she wrote it was a refreshing change.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

My friend mentioned that she loves reading Rachel Ann Nunes' book, so I saw this at the library the other day and decided to give it a try. I thought it was a great story. A few things seemed predictable, but then weren't exactly as I thought they'd be. It was a fun read.

[Cara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked that this book wasn't too cheesy coincidental like a lot of LDS fiction tends to be. I thought for sure she was going to tie 2 characters together that she ended up connecting, but not in an awkward that's impossible way.

[Marianne Stehr · Rating 4 out of 5]

although this book is nothing like I thought it would be, I found it a heartwarming read. The characters are well thought out and the book drags you in, the diary entries take you back and forth in time.

[Camille · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a quick and easy read, kept me entertained, though I did get a bit bogged down by the stubborn nature of the main character. After a while it would've been nice if she could just let some things go!

[Monica Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was an ok book. I had a hard time with the main character, in very simple terms, I thought she was bratty. I might give Rachel Nunes one more try, there are many who adore her novels. They meet the criteria for clean content, but seem to lack in character development.

[Brittany · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good but not great. ONe of those stories that you crave a little more depth - a little more character growth. I would still recommend it though - it was clean and has an interesting story line. I read it in just a couple days.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable book. My favorite of Nunes' recent writing. (Grade: B)

2/24/2015 update: I still really enjoyed this book, but I wish there was a religious element to the story. I was surprised that there wasn't.

[Veronica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think that it started out kind of slow. By the end I did enjoy it. I like her Hunnington family stories better. I think thi sone might have a seqel too but time will only tell.

[Cindy Rinker · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you love romantic/mystery novels this is the book you want to read. It was an amazing story. Rachel has done it again.