About:
Carrying Albert Home by Homer Hickam is a fictionalized account of trip his parents took. Mr. Hickam is, of course, an author of many books but also a Vietnam veteran, and a former NASA engineer.
The publisher is giving away one copy of this book –to enter fill out the Rafflecoptter form at the end of the post.
My rating for Carrying Albert Home — 4
Buy Carrying Albert Home from Amazon.com*
More Books by Homer Hickam
Thoughts:
Carrying Albert Home by Homer Hickam is the story of his parents as a young couple in the 1930s. Mrs. Hickam’s old boyfriend gifted her a pet alligator so she’ll have a bit of Florida in West Virginia. When the alligator grew, the couple took a trip to bring the alligator, named Albert, back to Florida.
Along the way, the young couple from a coal mining town encounter various adventures and discover new things about the world and themselves as they mend up a strained marriage. Mr. Hickam used imagination and elegance piecing together tales told to him by his parents over the years and presenting them to the reader.
The novel is part Forrest Gump, part Big Fish where tall tales are being told and historical figures make appearances. Personally, I appreciate these told tales and would rather hear an embellished good story then the absolute truth. As Maxwell Scott told Random Stoddard in John Glen’s classic The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962): “This is the West, sir. When the legend becomes fact, print the legend”.
The book is also a wonderful love story, as it is in real life without violins and a floral wine to embellish it, but with lots of tolerance, understanding and, of course, conflicts and compromises. The author provides some background information and pictures in the back of the book (which I read first) to help the reader realize these are real people.
This is an enjoyable book with great characterization and people the reader eventually comes to like and be vested in. The story, told with humor and grace, has a lot of heart and is very entertaining even though the shtick of tall tales becomes tiresome towards the end.
Buy Carrying Albert Home from Amazon.com*
More Books by Homer Hickam
Congratulations: Name as Email
Zohar — Man of la Book
Disclaimer: I got this book for free from TLC Book Tours
*Amazon links point to an affiliate account
May Sarton (3 May, 1912 – 16 July, 1995) was a writer, poet, journalist and…
If you want to build excitement around a book release and grow a loyal readership…
The plot might be overstuffed, but I enjoyed the new characters. Moneypenny is COO of…
A.H. Raskin (26 April, 1911 – 22 December, 1993) was a reporter, writer, and assistant…
I hated the author’s passive-aggressive agenda. It just rubbed me the wrong way and seemed…
Teachers can help kids stay strong in bad times, and together they can strive by…
This website uses cookies.
View Comments
I am a third of the way into the book, when we meet John Steinbeck researching the union and strikers. Interesting.