Hometown Favorite by Bill Barton & Henry O. Arnold

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Allianceis introducing Hometown Favorite
Revell (September 1, 2008)
by Bill Barton and Henry O. Arnold

Bill Barton is a business partner with Compass Technologies. An active member and volunteer at his church, Hendersonville Chapel, Barton is a regular speaker at services and other events. He lives in Hendersonville, Tennessee, with his family.


Henry O. Arnold has been a professional actor, writer, and director in theatre, film, and television. He co-wrote and produced the film The Second Chance starring Michael W. Smith and wrote the screenplay for the first authorized film documentary on evangelist Billy Graham, God's Ambassador. Arnold lives in Portland, Tennessee.


Talented, handsome, and personable, Dewayne Jobe rose from humble beginnings in rural Mississippi to play college football in Southern California and beyond. One of the best wide receivers in college ball, Dewayne is assured a promising career in professional football as one of those rare athletes whose exceptional abilities place him in a league of his own.

He easily finds success both on and off the field. Dewayne's got a beautiful, intelligent wife running his lucrative endorsement business and carrying his child and the pristine white picket fence to boot. The only thing lacking is a road sign confirming his address on Easy Street.

But catastrophe looms right around the corner and ultimately strikes with a crushing vengeance. Will Dewayne's faith and character stand the test of such tragedy? Or will he lose everything--including the love of his life?

This modern retelling of the story of Job will capture readers with the age-old question of why bad things happen to good people--and how good people can survive.

Combining realistic sports action and a deadly serious challenge to faith, Hometown Favorite is a story that won't let you up off the turf until the game clock hits zero.

If you'd like to read the first chapter of Hometown Favorite, go HERE

I have to admit it, I did NOT like this book.  I ordered this one actually thinking that it looked like something that my husband would like (he's not much of a reader but he does like sports).  I read it, and would never even consider passing it on to him - it just wasn't what I expected.

First of all, I had trouble getting into this book.  And, once I did get a bit into it, it took me so long to read it all.  I actually just finished it last night.  Though I liked the main character and his mom and wife, there just seemed to be too much going on, too many characters to keep up with, too much drama and tragedy.  It wasn't until I finished it, put the book down, and turned off the light that it finally hit me (call me "dense") - this was a modern-day Job story. 

My recommendation for a future printing of this book is to describe it as such on the book cover.  That might help others who are having my same issues with this book to understand it more going into it.