Stealing Home

Baseball Novels

by Allison Pittman

Four individuals, each living in haunted isolation, and each harboring a secret passion come together in this novel by Christy Award finalist Allison K. Pittman.

It’s 1905 and the Chicago Cubs are banking on superstar Donald “Duke” Dennison’s golden arm to help them win the pennant. Only one thing stands between Duke and an unprecedented ten thousand dollar contract: alcohol.

When sportswriter David Voyant whisks Duke to the one-horse town of Picksville, Missouri, so he can sober up in anonymity, Duke bides his time flirting with Ellie Jane Voyant, his unofficial chaperone, who would rather hide herself in the railway station ticket booth than face the echoes of childhood taunts.

Ned Clovis, the feed store clerk, has secretly loved Ellie Jane since childhood, but he loves baseball and the Duke almost as much--until he notices Ellie Jane may be succumbing to the star’s charm.

Then there’s Morris, a twelve-year-old Negro boy, whose only dream is to break away from Picksville. When Duke discovers his innate talent for throwing a baseball, Morris might just have found his way out.

Providence brings them together. Tragedy threatens to tear them apart. Will love be enough to bring them home?

Genres: Christian Fiction, Historical, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Christian Romance, Christian Historical Fiction

352 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Allison Pittman is the author of For Time and Eternity, Stealing Home, the Crossroads of Grace series, and her nonfiction debut, Saturdays With Stella. A high-school English teacher, she serves as director of the theater arts group at her church. She is also the co-president of a dynamic Christian writers group in the San Antonio, Texas area, where she makes her home with her husband and their three boys.

Reviews

[Jocelyn Green]

I gravitate toward heavier reads, both in my fiction and nonfiction choices. So let me tell you, after immersing myself in heartbreak with some recent reads, I was ready for something lighter. Or at least, for something that deals with serious issues with a gentle hand. Stealing Home was the perfect read for my mood. The small town setting in no way limited the major league character transformation. ⁠I was surprised by the ending, but I've made my peace with why it had to be that way. I appreciate that not everything wrapped up neatly in the end with a shiny bow, but that corners were turned, and there was definitely hope, which was resolution enough.
⁠

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Picksville, Missouri, is a small town intent on unchanging and steeped in tradition until a whirlwind arrives, shaking up the status quo and forcing the townspeople to re-examine their tightly held beliefs and prejudices. That whirlwind is Duke Dennison, a star baseball player forced into rehab for alcoholism, and staying sober in Picksville is Duke's last hope of salvaging a career damaged beyond recognition by his reliance on drink. The charismatic baseball player's presence in her father's home rocks Ellie Jane's carefully ordered, safe world to the core. Since a childhood incident marked her as a social pariah, the spinster ticket-taker packed her dreams away and settled into a life of social obscurity, insulated from the pain of hope and emotional risk. Ned Clovis, the deaf feed store owner, has loved Ellie Jane from afar since childhood, but it's not until his sports hero comes to town that he dares to dream of stepping outside the isolation of his cotton-wool wrapped comfort zone and vying for her favor. And Morris, the enterprising black youth whose only dream is to leave Picksville, until Duke discovers his hidden talent for baseball and gives the boy a dream of a life beyond his wildest imaginings. Through Morris, Duke begins to rediscover his passion for the game, pure and unsullied by the trappings of fame and addiction. As interest in the game dissolves barriers between class and individuals, will those who've fought so hard to maintain the integrity and safety of their isolated existences grasp the life-changing truth found in the axiom birthed from America's love affair with another sport (football) - "it's not whether you win or lose, but how you play the game"?

Stealing Home is a nostalgia lover's dream, a gorgeously realized slice of Americana, shot through with life-changing truths and the type of triumph and heartbreak as can only be found in small town community - where neighbors, whether you like them or not, are extensions of your family. If you love films like The Music Man, this is the novel for you. Pittman sprinkles her story with delicious period detail, from the local diner's food and environment to Ellie Jane's clothing to newspaper clippings chronicling Duke's rise and fall. Their is a treasure trove of minutia within the novel's pages, that envelope you in Pittman's narrative until the remnants of a long-forgotten time flicker to life like the images captured in the earliest motion pictures.

Seamlessly alternating between her four main characters (third-person for Duke, Ellie, and Ned, and first-person "journal" entries for Morris), Pittman paints a vivid picture of a small town on the cusp of change, brimming with possibility that overflows when "America's pastime" takes over the town's consciousness. While Pittman excels at world-crafting, it's her characters that will burrow their way into your soul and will break your heart with their shattering, heartfelt authenticity. Ellie, Ned, and Duke, especially, each possess closely-guarded secrets and hurts that have been allowed to define their lives, and it's only as each individual slowly, carefully, gathers the courage to step out in faith and chip away at the walls that separate them do they each discover the freedom found in being truly known and loved just as they are. Morris is perhaps the most clear-sighted of the group - though his skin color sets him apart, he possesses a heart and a great capacity for vision and kindness that elevates and has the potential to unite an entire community.

Dividing the storyline into nine "innings," mirroring the baseball theme, is a gimmick that could have backfired - but Pittman's structure and narrative embrace the theme and beautifully mirror the game that unites these fragile lives, hungry for the chance to matter. Stealing Home strikes just the right balance between baseball and turn-of-the-century charm. It is a beautifully crafted novel that, like the game at its heart, is full of highs and lows and shattering heartache - only Stealing Home isn't the story of a game, it's the story of lives bravely lived, where hope is found in surrendering to the enternal promise of redemption and second chances.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love how this is really a story about community and bonding together in hard times. It appears to be a baseball book, but it's for fans of baseball and those who aren't too. I do love this book.

Also, my friend is the cover model, and she's gorgeous! Yay! :)

[Kelly_Instalove · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grade: A+

“Don’t worry. This is baseball. There’s always a second chance.”

My full review is really long, so here's a few highlights. Actually more than a few, because I highlighted approximately half the book.

In summary: Allison Pittman knows her history and her baseball, and she understands the elusive art of "show, don't tell." And her handling of the faith messages absolutely BLEW ME AWAY.

The set-up

Picksville, Missouri – March 1905:

Dave was sending her a man. And he was coming on the two-o’clock train.

The setting

Just envision Picksville as a Missouri version of The Music Man's River City, Iowa:

...If she were to run into any of these same people in the town square, while running errands in the Picksville shops, they might walk right past her or make a quick detour into the butcher’s shop. But here, if they wanted her to slide that ticket through the little archway cut into the glass, they’d have to engage in a bit of conversation.

With some Field of Dreams mixed in...

...The normally terse transactions through the dome-shaped hole in her ticket booth window blossomed into questions about the field — when would it be completed? Who would play there? Was Mr. Dennison planning to bring the entire team to town?

Duke built it, and the people came:

...The old men on Duke’s team seemed to step out of their graying skin and recapture some of the vigor they must have had when they were the life force of the town — before desks and shops and farms took their hearts.

The story-telling and atmosphere and characterization

The author gives us revolving POVs of the four main characters, with the occasional interstitial backstory or scene-setting in the form of telegrams, newspaper articles, church bulletin announcements, etc.

You’re probably cringing, because we all know when that framework doesn’t work, it takes the whole story down with it. But, boy howdy, Pittman pulls it off, and she really knows how to do the “show, don’t tell” thing:

Duke: "They don’t trust a drunkard to get a hit. If my judgment’s off by this much,” Duke held up his hand and closed one eye, pinching Miss Elijah Jane Voyant’s head between his thumb and forefinger, “I won’t be able to pull a double play.”

Ellie Jane: "Good heavens, Mr. Dennison.” Ellie Jane brought a hand to her breast, as if to still a pounding heart. “I think it’s a good thing you have your celebrity to save you from your dismal flattery.”

Ned: "I want to take the field with Cy Young and Cap Anson.” Ned gave a little punch to each signed letter, his fingers moving deftly with each transition. “I want my face on a card in a package of Old Judge cigarettes.” For added effect, he assumed the slouch he’d seen the older boys take on when they stood outside the dormitory and smoked under the gaslight. “And finally,” he said, allowing a dramatic pause, “I want dozens of beautiful girls lined up to give me kisses after the game.”

Morris: It’s a whole page of pictures of white boys wearin striped shirts. They all look like miniature Mr. Dukes without the moustache, standin with their arms on their hips and their chests puffed out. Like they had some kind of power. I look at that and figure that’s why Mr. Duke is always tellin me to stand up straight like my mama hasn’t ever told me to.

One more Ned: His eyes bored into the back of Duke Dennison’s neck. He’d seen a magician once — one of the many diversions an adventurous boy in a big city could find — who had made his beautiful, scantily clad assistant disappear in a puff of smoke. If Ned’s eyes held half the power of that magician’s wand, Duke would be nothing more than a pinkie ring left spinning on a pew.

The romance

The best inspie authors — Deeanne Gist, Julie Klassen, Siri Mitchell, and now I’m adding Pittman to my list — create swoon-worthy heroes and HEA-worthy heroines, and give them all the flirting and passion and unrequited love required for even the most jaded romance readers.

“It matters because I love you, Ellie Jane.”

“You do?” She pulled her hand away and tried her best to look irresistible.

Apparently, she succeeded.

His kiss was soft and warm, gentle and chaste against her lips. She felt a certain heat spreading through her body — not the rolling explosion that rocked her the night she kissed Duke, or even the electric current from a few minutes ago, but a slow, steadily growing fire, melting her from within. Every bone turned to wax, dripping down inside, hardening into a relentless ball at her core, then starting all over again.

It ended too soon, in the middle of a melting moment. When Ned drew his lips away, she kept her eyes closed and tried to follow, opening them only to find that he stood tall above her, looking down with eyes that, even in the growing shadows, held flickers of all that had nearly consumed her.

“I’ve waited six years to do that,” he said.

“Why?”

“Because I couldn’t even get you to look at me.”

“No,” Ellie Jane said, harnessing all those lonely years behind her question. “Why did you wait?”

He bent low and placed one more quick kiss on her lips. “I didn’t have a choice.”

That *thud* you heard was my Kindle hitting floor. Again.

The baseball bromance

I know that “bromance” isn't the most appropriate term for this subheading, but I couldn’t think of anything that describes the relationship that evolves between Morris and Duke. Morris isn’t just a rookie player without a coach, and Duke is much more than a paternalistic mentor to the lonely boy.

...Now so far this has turned out to be a million dollar day and I can’t even think of anything that would make it better. Then Mr. Duke comes down off that front porch and he’s smilin bigger than a quarter moon. Come back here, he says, and I open the gate and follow him to the backyard. Then he says, Here you are, and hands me a brand new glove.

Eventually, Duke decides it’s time to take his new protégé public, so he recruits Ned to be the first witness to Morris’s phenomenal talent.

...The minute the ball left the boy’s hand, Ned saw nothing but the gray leather orb barreling right down the line. As it came closer and closer, he tensed for impact. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the bat cut through the air, but just a breath too late because the ball was now cradled safely in his glove, and the bat dangled uselessly in Duke’s hand. Ned had never seen a man so proud to swing a strike.

Morris obviously needs a bigger playing field, which leads to Duke laying out base paths in the vacant lot next to the train depot. He builds it, and the people come.

And I can't tell you what happens after that because, you know, SPOILERS. Let's just say you'll need to have a BIG box of kleenex handy.

The faith messages

In a recent contemporary inspirational I read, the hero is basically shamed into going to church, and then he Sees The Light when he cracks open the Good Book for the first time and a Magical Bible Verse pops out and smacks him on the head. Not so much in this book.

Saturday afternoon means one thing. Church. There’s no way my mama’s gonna let me skip out on it to play baseball. So I tell him the problem — nothin about the money just about church.

He looks real surprised and says, On a Saturday?

I say, Yeah. We’re Adventists and that’s when we go. Every Saturday, four o’clock.

...Mr. Duke laughs and says that’s why he never went in for church — might interfere with his baseball.

I tell him there ain’t any reason why a fellow couldn’t have both but if he had to choose well baseball couldn’t ever offer up the kind of promises the Lord can. What kind of hope can you have in a game?

He picks up the ball and tosses it from hand to hand a few times before he talks again. He says when he was just about my age he had nothin to give him any kind of hope.

I say, That’s a shame because God and baseball was both around back then.

He says his old man never would’ve let him have either one.

But wait - we're not done with this scene yet....

Right then Mr. Duke and I are at a place where we’re just the same. Hard to tell who’s the boy and who’s the man because all I want to do is try to take away the sadness that’s come over his face. I’m thinkin maybe I can help him know God the way he helped me know baseball and in my heart I know there’s room enough for both. So even though I’m not real sure how I’m gonna make it happen I tell him that I’ll be here this afternoon for the game.

He says, What about your Holy Spirit?

I tell him it’s not my Holy Spirit it’s God’s and it’s with me all the time. The rest of the church is on their own.

Then just because it seems the thing to do I rip off half of the sweet roll and hand it over to him. He puts the whole hunk in his mouth so I put the rest in mine and we just sit there and chew and chew while the minutes of the mornin waste away.

I’ll give you a moment to recover from that.

That was about halfway into the book. I was already sold by chapter two, and completely hooked by the time Morris put on that brand-new glove. So naturally I thought that scene would be the spiritual high point, because it really couldn’t get any better.

I WAS WRONG.

A few chapters later, we get Morris’s play-by-play and color commentary as he’s sitting by himself in the town square on an ordinary Sunday morning. And I swear to God (sacred-wise, of course), this scene just about killed me. In the best possible way.

I can hear them singin from the churches all around me. Seems they sing so slow like their spirits are all tied up in some fancy wrap. Can’t imagine their women cryin or their men on the floor eyes up to Jesus. Maybe in their church they like to sit real still so the Holy Spirit will know how to find them. Kind of settle in the gaps and fill up the room. Not like our church where we keep Him hoppin.

But then even this quiet settles down into a quiet I don’t know I’ve ever heard. Round my house even dead of night you hear people talkin. Hear them fightin when the man comes home late or hear them lovin each other in the dark. This is white quiet. I don’t know if we could ever sound like this on my side of the railroad tracks.

Must be the preacher’s time. All that talk about Jesus and His life and His love — can’t be too different from church to church. I ain’t never had a Bible of my own but I heard enough of it to know what it says and the same Lord that loves me loves them just the same.

It’s like what Mr. Duke taught me about pitchin baseball. Every man — short, fat, tall, or slim — has the same strike zone. That same invisible box between his knees and his heart. Some churches just swing a little higher than others.

I wonder what kind of noise they’d make if I took it upon myself to just wander right in. How loud would those heads be turnin around? If that would rattle them out of what they know to do. If it would throw them off their worship game.

But I don’t because right now I’m in the sweet spot. Like I’m square in the middle of a perfect throw. God’s lookin down and seein me — one black boy in the middle of a green, green park surrounded by lily-white noise.

This mornin this is my church.

THIS is why I have inspirationals amongst all the smut on my Kindle.

For more excerpts and SPOILERS, read the full review.

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It really took me by surprise because it is such a creative idea to use baseball as the backdrop of the story. The characters in Stealing Home are well-drawn and the plot will grip readers as they are carried along on a story of romance and intrigue. Readers will love this book. It is a keeper.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a gorgeous book that will keep you thinking about the characters long after you've closed the book. Keep a box of tissues close by!

[Alisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Allison Pittman's Stealing Home is my second encounter with Christian fiction. It would be a better book if the Christian elements were mostly taken out. I'm not talking about the church scenes; rather I'm talking about the passages where the characters pray. More on that in a bit.

Stealing Home isn't a bad novel. It's a good story about a drunk--Duke Dennison, a baseball player whose career is important enough that he's sent away to dry out, once and for all. His drying-out place, after the sanatarium, is Picksville, MO, a small town. Pittman depicts Picksville in stereotypical fashion. The people are generally nice, everyone knows everyone else, the sins of the community aren't that terrible. It's wholesome. And it's dry. Duke is lodged with the Voyants, father Floyd and daughter Ellie Jane, a pretty 25-year-old spinster. No, it's not going down that path, and I thank Pittman for that. In fact, I'm going to say this is a 2.5 book rather than just a 2 book for that reason. Ellie Jane isn't looking for love--she's made her peace with spinsterhood. However, a young deaf man, Ned, is smitten. The romantic question is whether Ned will get up the gumption to approach Ellie Jane.

The Duke storyline doesn't have romance; it has baseball. Duke, "convalescing" in the small town, forms a relationship with Morris, a 12-year-old black boy who's the town's general errand boy. Duke begins to teach Morris baseball basics and discovers the kid's a natural. But it's 1905, and blacks, even nice errand boys like Morris, will never be allowed to play in the big leagues. That doesn't stop Duke. He calls in favors so that a sports writer comes to Picksville to watch the boy play.

Here's another place where I think Pittman deserves some credit: this story doesn't end happily-ever-after. The Duke will not be taking a natural ball player back to the big leagues with him. Morris won't be "discovered" and racial animosity dissolved in a small town. We don't get an ending with a big wedding, Ellie Jane escorted down the aisle with her father. We get something more realistic.

This would be a 3.5 star book without some of the Christian elements. Pittman just tries too hard to shove a requisite Bible passage into the narrative. Don't worry about that Bible verse, Allison! Let these people's thoughts and actions show the kind of people they are! And for pity's sake, let's not be witness to their petty prayers. For their requests of God are, unfortunately, petty. Please let Ellie Jane notice me, God. For cryin' out loud. I had some respect for these characters until I was shown their interior prayer lives. The church scenes, the church picnic, the general wholesomeness of Stealing Home doesn't require you to shove in a Bible verse just because it's expected. It's not seamless--it's obvious, and it's distracting, and it's why this is only a 2.5 book. I don't mind Christian elements in a novel, but I do demand that they be well-incorporated, not crammed in at the last minute so your novel can be promoted as "Christian."

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was surprised how much I liked this book, because this author is one that crosses the christian/secular line and that's not for me...this did happen twice but didn't take it as far as it could of gone...I loved all these characters I loved the writing I loved the story even though I had to deal with a very hard part one comment brought it to reality...ned said because he was ready and you are not, that's perfect reality on the perspective of WHY?...I do wish there was more of the history of the cubs brought in, there was nothing about them they were just used to launch the story... I'm keeping this book on my shelf so if I ever want to visit it again I can...

[Janet Merrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my, this was such a good book. The way the author wrote the book without chapters, but instead, divided sections that described a baseball game was so clever. I loved each main character and though they were all different, the interwoven story was wonderful. I don't consider myself a baseball fan at all, so don't let that deter you from giving this a try. Beautiful story.

[Karla Cook · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very interesting book set in 1905 in the early days of baseball. It has a pretty feminine cover, but I honestly think men would enjoy it as much as women. I loved the characters in the story: the shy spinster, the alcoholic baseball player, the deaf storekeeper, and the errand boy. Interesting cast of characters, and a great plot!

[Dawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book peaked my interest because it was about baseball. But, I had a hard time sticking with the story, and had to keep coming back to it. I liked that it dealt with tough topics, and addressed many prejudices of the time. I definitely shed tears in this one!

[Brent M · Rating 3 out of 5]

Found enjoyable.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
I enjoyed it, and would read more by this author but the ending felt a bit unfinished.

[Kelly Grainger · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn't sure if I would like this book because I'm not so big on baseball. However the characters were so very rich, I ended up loving it!!

[Jo Maxwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

review

What a beautiful story of redemption! The love between Maurice and Duke in between Ned and Ellie Jane is an example of the unconditional love God has for us.

[ANNETTE · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not a baseball fall. A beautiful story that had a rough topic. The characters were well developed.

[Christy Trever · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stealing Home by Allison Pittman is a stunner of a historical novel. Ellie Jane Voyant has lived her life in 1905 Picksville, Mississippi as an eccentric outcast. Ned Clovis has loved her since he was 12 years old, but his life of silence since he lost his hearing has made him an outcast as well. Morris, a 12 year old Negro boy has a life very different in Picksville from Ned and Ellie, but he's trying to make something of himself, with a future and an education. Their lives are all irrevocably changed by the appearance of Duke Dennison, a high-priced baseball player drying out from alcohol abuse in their small town. Pittman captures perfectly the atmosphere of an insular small town with its petty abuses and crimes, along with the joy of a game of baseball. Baseball becomes the unifier of these four disparate characters giving Ellie a place of her own, Ned a voice, and Morris a presence. Duke's struggle to be more of a man is its own beautiful story. I don't want to give anything about this beautifully written story away, so please get a copy and read it!

[Dundee Library]

I loved this book! This is my second book by Allison Pittman and she is fast becoming a favorite!
This story takes place in the early 1900’s, in a dusty Missouri town where everyone knows each other, and superstitions run deep. “Duke” Dennison, the Chicago Cubs’ star batter, arrives on the scene, but he’s there to lay low and stay sober, not draw excitement. However, Duke isn’t used to sitting on the side lines. Before long, the whole town gets involved in baseball, but not everyone may make it safely home.

The tale switches back and forth between four characters, keeping the pace fast and exciting. The author also throws in newspaper clippings and telegrams, something I found fun and different, while lending the novel a realistic feeling. Overall, I couldn’t have asked for a better story. This book actually won the 2010 Carol Book of the Year Award in Historical Long Fiction. Well deserved!

[Brent Soderstrum · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love God and baseball. Pittman puts both together in this fun story of a small town in Missouri in 1905 that is hosting a player, Don "Duke" Dennington who is rehabbing from alcohol problems he had when playing catcher for the Chicago Cubs. He is off the juice and is living in the house of the sheriff and his daughter Ellie Jane. Duke gets the town working on building a baseball field and playing baseball games on a daily basis. One of the men who helps Duke is Ned Clovis who has always had a crush on Ellie Jane. Ned is also deaf. Throw in a 12 year old african-american boy from the other side of the tracks (literally) who is an incredible pitcher and you have your cast of well developed characters.

Duke struggles with his alcoholism and he even puts the moves on Ellie Jane. You get tragedy but even that is put into perspective by Pittman. Fun read to help me get through the off season.

[Catherine Richmond]

When the 1905 Chicago Cubs sent their superstar Duke Dennison to Picksville, Missouri, to dry out, the whole town went crazy for baseball. Railroad ticket agent Ellie Jane abandoned her post to work the scoreboard, and ended up flirting with feed store owner, Ned. Twelve-year-old Morris snuck out of church and showed the town his worth. But it's Duke who does the most changing.

This is not your grandmother's CBA. Some of the characters in this story are Adventist - a welcome change from the days when all characters attended a generic Community Church. The violence in this story was a shocker, but the event fit the story and propelled the conclusion. And, with a mother named Claire Voyant who dabbled in phrenology, no wonder Elijah Jane grew up to become the town eccentric.

[Kati · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really nice story -- each of the four main characters were very interesting and well thought out. The book is divided up into parts and in each part there are 4 chapters ... one for each of the main characters, giving the reader the story in different perspectives, but all connected and related. What I read was an Advance Reader's Copy ... I hope when they publish the final book they use a little bit larger font for Morris' chapters. What they used in the ARC edition was a bit small to read at times.

[Loraine Nunley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting read, particularly with it being written from the point of view of four different people. While it took me some time to get used to it, I was able to get to know each person better than I would have if the story was told differently. I did not like how the book ended but the story was well written.

[Christin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a LOT better than I anticipated...I sort of expected fluff but instead I got a great commentary on the injustice of racism. I don't even like sports and I cared a great deal about the story! The author managed to balance the book well so it was still enjoyable and not like other novels where you HAVE to keep reading, but it is so heavy it's more like work!

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very haunting story. The characters will remain with me for a long time. More than any of Pittman's other books that I've read, this one shows her talent as an author. I appreciated her skill as much as the plot.

[Allison]

Allison Pittman's stirring story-telling continues to move me.

[Laura Eckert · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't care for this one. Not a baseball fan and didn't like the four different voices. Didn't finish it.

[Martha Valasek · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the historical aspect of the story and the Morris character. I know an author can imagine a story how they'd see it, but the ending was sad for me.

[Michele · Rating 5 out of 5]

I reviewed this book for Multnomah on my xanga site http://www.xanga.com/catzndogz9.

[Elaine]

997
847
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[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had high hopes for this one. I was really enjoying it, and I still LIKE it. But events happened that I was NOT happy with ( WHY DID MORRIS HAVE TO DIE. NOT FAIR. ) and so it kind of ruined the story for me.

On a happier note, at least Ellie ends up with Ned. I loved him; he's the sweetest. <3