A Crooked Path

Eden Plain #2

by Annette Smith

Driven by the need to provide for his mother and his siblings after the family was abandoned by his father, Manny Ortega left his native Mexico for Texas when he was fifteen years old, and now, in his thirties, Manny works for rancher Owen Green, a cranky old man who is also seriously ill, but despite Manny's selfless care of Owen, hidden issues of racism threaten to sever the relationship when Owen's daughter, Chaney, comes to visit. Original.

Genres: Fiction

260 pages, Paperback

First published September 14, 2007

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads catalog with this name. This entry is for Annette ^2 Smith.

Annette Smith, a writer and home health nurse, is the author of A Town Called Ruby Prairie and other inspirational works.

Reviews

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

More like 2.5 stars. The book was fine, not amazing but fine, until about 50 pages from the end (total estimate; I have since returned the book so I can't check). Annette Smith actually does a pretty good job of building the relationship between Manny and his employer, Mr. Green, but when it comes to the romantic relationship in the book, there is almost zero development, resulting in a completely unbelievable and cringeworthy conclusion. Also, the falling action AND conclusion took up only about a page and a half. That's ... not how it is supposed to work. Perhaps Smith spent too many pages (in her mind or the publisher's, or whatever) developing the characters of Manny, Mr. Green, and Karen, and then realized she had to wrap up the story and the character of Chaney in fewer pages. It's a bummer because I've enjoyed another novel of hers in the same "series" (not so much as series as they just take place in the same town and have some character cameos, but not much overlap). It just really goes to show how a sloppy ending can ruin an entire novel.

[Melissa (Vacation Mode) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This female author is superb at writing from a male point of view. Interesting book about a Mexican immigrant who works on a Texas ranch. Ending very abrupt.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Title: A CROOKED PATH
Author: Annette Smith
Publisher: NavPress
September 2007
ISBN: 978-1-57683-996-6
Genre: Inspirational/contemporary

Manny Ortega’s father abandoned his family when Manny was only twelve years old. When Manny was fifteen he left Mexico for Texas, driven by the need to provide for his mother and siblings. Many years later, Manny lands a job working as a ranch hand for Owen Green.

Over the years, Mr. Green gets worse and his sister comes to take care of him. But when the unexpected happens, Manny finds himself forced to do things he never dreamed of doing. Owen and Manny develop a friendship of sorts, one that is threatened when Owen’s daughter, Chaney comes to visit.

Can Owen and Manny salvage their relationship, or will Manny lose another father figure?

A CROOKED PATH is a moving story. I’ve heard good things about it and wanted to read it for myself, so that is why this review is so long after publication. I had to wait for time to read it. Written in first person, I got to know Manny very well and I grew to care for him. I also loved Mr. Green’s sister.

This is a good story, one that moved me to tears once in awhile. It deals with the subject of racism and how Texans view the Mexicans. Discussion questions are included at the end of the book. $12.99. 270 pages.

[Crystal · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked up this book because it looked like it had to do with immigration issues. I found the story somewhat interesting, but it seemed that the inner thoughts of the main character were awkward. It was not very believable. It read very much like a woman was attempting to tell a story from a male point of view, but was falling short.

[Brittany | BrittanyIsBooked · Rating 2 out of 5]

The topic at hand was interesting and the book itself became difficult to put down after a short amount of time. However, some of the more controversial issues of the book were very rushed and didn't leave anything to the imagination. Personally, I prefer suspense and lingering questions and this book had neither.

[becky bristol · Rating 3 out of 5]

story is intriguing. at 100 pages and am curious were the story line goes from here but have dreams about the characters so either i am sleep deprived or the characters are that compelling.

[Trish Boese · Rating 5 out of 5]

5* One of my favorite books! A book about true love, not lust.

[Dawn Wells · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good subject matter.

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad book. Easy reading to for relaxing.