Homeward My Heart

Daughters of Fortune #4

by Judith Pella

The "war to end all wars" is over, but the Cold War is just beginning. Cameron works as a foreign correspondent for her father’s newspaper while she continues to try to obtain a Soviet visa in order to join her husband, Alex, who is not allowed to leave Russia. Blair is in Washington D.C., where husband, Gary, works for the State Department. Jackie is in California, struggling to cope with widowhood and single motherhood. All three are experiencing private heartaches that severely test their faith when Cameron’s visa is suddenly approved. Blair and Jackie decide to join her in a clandestine search for their stepbrother.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Christian Fiction, Christian, Romance, Fiction, World War II, Adventure

464 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2004

About the author

Judith Pella is a bestselling, award-winning author whose writing career spans two decades. Her in-depth historical and geographical research combines with her skillful storytelling to provide readers with dramatic, thought-provoking novels. She and her husband make their home in Scapoose, Oregon.

Reviews

[Suey Nordberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this series (anything by Pella is good for me!) .. but here's a glimpse of why.

1. This is a 4-volume series set during the years of WW2 - a weighty coverage of the war.
2. The main characters are three sisters (having three daughters, I relate!)
3. Sister 1 is in Russia (foreign correspondent), Sister 2 is in the Philippines (chasing her army husband), and Sister 3 is in California (dealing with the prejudice of marrying a Japanese American).
4. The book unfolds the war in places I haven't thought about much, especially the Philippines, but also Russia.
5. A true historical fiction book helps me learn, and this one definitely did.
6. The faith walk of each character is different, but all of them grow and learn to trust despite harrowing circumstances.
7. The book feels relevant as the world is lashing out against prejudice. A different era, but the same human sin.
8. I really liked these characters and kinda miss them now that the book is over!

If you would like a Christian historical fiction saga, I can definitely recommend this series!

[ClaraBelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved this book! I just love the Hayes sisters: Cameron, Jackie, and Blair. My favorite one is Jackie and so I mainly read it to hear about her new love story after the death of her Japanese American husband in WW2.
Rating: 3 stars
Recommend: for older readers, ages 17+
Warning: some instances of racism, interrogation, and drug addiction. A minor plot revolves around a affair and illegitimate child born of it being revealed.

[JLynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fourth book of the series. Not my favorite of the series due to content (my personal preference is reading only happy books). Book was well written though. To avoid unhappy content, read only book one and two then just read a spoiler to find out Cameron ended up with Alex, Jackie ended up with Robert, and Blair ended up with Gary

[Cathy Bryant · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series is well researched. Besides the intrigue and romance, I learned a lot about the time. After reading this series, I decided that Judith Pella is one of my favorite, must read authors.

[Tinstamp · Rating 5 out of 5]

******ACHTUNG, KANN SPOILER ENTHALTEN!*****

Im Abschlussband der Sturmzeitentetralogie befinden wir uns in der Nachkriegszeit. Wie schon in den Vorgängerbänden schließen die Bücher lückenlos aneinander an.

Alle drei Hayes-Schwestern sind in die USA zurückgekehrt und versuchen ihr Leben wieder aufzunehmen. Blair und Gary leben in Washington, nachdem Gary eine Festanstellung im Pentagon erhalten hat. In ihrem Leben fehlt es an nichts, außer an Kindern. Doch der ersehnte Nachwuchs stellt sich nicht ein.

Cameron feiert ihren ersten Hochzeitstag alleine, ebenso Alex. Ihre Ausreise- bzw. Einreisebewilligungen werden immer wieder abgelehnt. Dazu trägt auch die neue Spannung zwischen den beiden Supermächten bei, die immer größer wird. Die Aussichten auf eine gemeinsame Zukunft sehen düster aus....

Jackie sollte sich langsam wieder nach einem Partner umsehen, ist die Meinung ihrer Mutter und auch ihrer Schwiegermutter. Doch die Amerikaner sehen in den Japanern noch immer ihre Feinde und das fremdländische Aussehen ihrer Tochter ist nicht unbedingt ein Vorteil. Doch Jackie ist auch noch nicht bereit einen neuen Mann in ihr Leben zu lassen und die potentiellen Bewerber tragen auch nicht wirklich dazu bei, sich neu zu verlieben.

Alex erhält in der Zwischenzeit ein verlockendes Angebot, um endlich an eine Ausreisebewilligung zu kommen und lässt sich auf einen Deal mit einem zwielichtigen US-Geheimagent ein. Doch Alex Unternehmungen bleiben nicht unentdeckt und er wird festgenommen. Sein Schicksal ist somit besiegelt....
Als Cameron diese Neuigkeit erfährt, setzt sie alles daran endlich nach Russland zu gelangen und Alex herauszuholen. Das "wie" ist ihr noch ein Rätsel, aber sie muss einfach vor Ort bei ihrem Mann sein. Durch eine unverhoffte Hilfe bekommt sie die langersehnten Papiere und reist sofort nach Moskau. Blair und Gary lassen sich in die Botschaft nach Moskau versetzen, um Cameron beizustehen und auch Jackie hat sich dazu entschieden Cameron zu helfen. Überraschender Weise erhält auch sie eine Einreisebewilligung und geht nach Moskau. Diese "Zufälligkeit", dass plötzlich alle drei Schwestern einreisen dürfen, nachdem Cameron vorher jahrelang erfolglos darum gekämpft hat, war mir etwas zu unrealistisch. Dies stellt aber das einzige Manko am Buch dar.

In Russland treffen wir auf einige alte Bekannte und bangen mit Cameron und ihren Schwestern um das Leben von Alex. Aber auch Semjon kommt wieder ins Spiel und bringt noch mehr Schwung in die Geschichte, genauso wie zwei plötzliche Verehrer von Jackie.

Der Großteil des Romans spielt diesmal in Moskau. Der Autorin gelingt es wieder meisterhaft die Zeit des Kalten Krieges zwischen Amerika und der Sowjetunion darzustellen. Die Hoffnung, dass nach dem Ende des Zweiten Weltkrieges die Normalität wieder einkehrt, zerschlägt sich sehr rasch. Cameron entdeckt schnell, dass die Spitzeleien und die Überwachung noch härter durchgeführt werden, als bei ihrem letzten Besuch. So sieht sie anfangs auch überhaupt keine Chancen an Alex ranzukommen.

Der Schreibstil ist gewohnt bildhaft. Die Figuren sind mir schon im ersten Band ans Herz gewachsen und sind so real und liebenswert, dass ich nun einen richtigen Abschiedsschmerz verspüre, diese nun gehen zu lassen. Zum Abschluss der Tetralogie rund um die Hayes-Töchter kann ich nur sagen, dass ich diese Reihe jedem empfehle, der Familiensagen, die im Zweiten Weltkrieg spielen, liebt. Die Bücher sollten aber unbedingt der Reihe nach gelesen werden!

Fazit:
Ein krönender Abschluss der Tetralogie rund um die Hayes Töchter, der mich insgesamt total überzeugt hat. Natürlich ist nicht jeder Band der Reihe gleich stark, aber ich habe die 5 Sterne immer sehr gerne vergeben. Mit einem lachenden und einem weinenden Auge verabschiede ich mich von dieser Reihe, die einen ganz besonderen Platz in meinem Bücherregal einnehmen wird.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This morning I had 50 pages left and thought, I’m finally going to finish this book and this series. It took less than an hour moving fast paced with the last plot line. That sums up how I feel, I kind of just wanted to be done even though I mostly enjoyed it.
Overall thoughts were the same as before. The series is about Cameron and everyone else is a side character and plot. It was a real disservice to a well done character like Blair to have nothing to do other than support Cameron and help move her story along.
I did enjoy the plot going beyond the WWII years and going into the conditions in Russia and the attitudes of Americans leading into the Cold War.

[Val · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much faster read than the other books, but still lots of detail.

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the ending to this series.

[Edward L · Rating 5 out of 5]

This the final book inthis series was a page turner. What I really liked about all four books was the Christian background of how all the main characters came to faith.

[Dorothy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the exciting ending; I figured that the things happening would happen but sure didn't expect them to happen the way they did.

[Jayla Brook Bowling · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shew, im so sad this book series is over. I loved escaping in these books 10/10

[Piper · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the last book of the series and takes place after the war has ended. Most of the book takes place in Russia and while it's not my favorite setting, I still really enjoyed this book. In a lot of series the first book is the best and they all go slightly (or quickly) downhill from there. This series felt like she wrote one long book and then broke it into four parts. The story felt seamless and I loved that about it. Overall it was really well written except for a few minor things. The romance never felt like it took over the story but instead complemented it. The sisters all deal with difficult things and loss and although the story ends with all the loose ends tied up you know they will be dealing with the aftermath of their experiences for many years to come.
I would highly recommend this series.

This book was reviewed on the Literary Club Podcast episode 84
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1984185

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed all four books in this saga. One reviewer says a woman would never have been allowed to cover news in that country at that time. I thought we all knew when we read fiction and Historical Fiction that we want our imagination to be able to break the rules, while following other details of the age. It is always joyful for a Christian to read books that might be less than a secular story in that we can escape some of the evil in the real world. Showing the Holy Spirit working in people's lives that change through knowing Christ, it is encouraging and inspirational! I love these books...Go Pella, Phillips and others~

[Rachelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

i was a little disappointed in this final book! after 4 volumes i was expecting a little more. i like what they were doing after the war and trying to get their lives back together. What i had a problem with was the part about Alex getting captured and his escape. While his capture and torture is real, his escape and recovery from his tortured drug addiction seemed glossed over for me. i wanted MORE. it had to be terribly hard, but it seemed like he got over it just fine. hmmmm....

[MaryHelen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The final book in the "Daughters of Fortune" series by Judith Pella was also excellent. I'd recommend this four-book series to anyone who enjoys reading. It is a family saga during the WWII years that encompasses the Eastern European front (Russia), the Pacific Front (Phillipines), and the USA - historical as well as entertaining material.

[Mary Yoder · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a very good ending to a fantastic series. It lacked the excitement that all the rest of them had, with a little more drama, but I guess that's what was needed to finish the story. A great piece!

[Brooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this book was a good tie up for the series. I only have great things to say about Daughters of Fortune. I can't wait to reread them soon. I would highly recommend them.

[Jencey/ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought the last book was okay but not as good as books 2 and 3.

[Jill Lejcar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Books 3 and 4 in the series were great - I couldn't put this one down until all the loose ends were wrapped-up. Books 1 and 2 were good, but the action really picked up in 3 and 4.

[Rachel Thomson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A satisfying finish to the series, mostly in the resolution of Cameron's relationship with Alex -- although the Jackie storyline engaged me more than I thought it would.

[Melyni · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series of adventure and romance during WW2 was good and would recommend it to just about and hopeless romantic. It's a fun read especially when you are looking for something in that criteria.

[Lowell · Rating 2 out of 5]

The plot is too unlikely; but then again, I guess miracles do happen. All of the loose ends tie up very conveniently.

[Marcie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like how this series ended though it did seem a little too fairytale to me.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

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