Joy Davis rated a book 5 of 5 stars Johnnie Come Lately by Kathleen M. Rodgers

Joy Davis rated a book 5 of 5 stars

  Johnnie Come Lately

  by Kathleen M. Rodgers

  I've just finished reading Johnnie Come Lately, a novel by Kathleen Rodgers. After  three days of living in Johnnie's "kitchen" I feel as if I have been ripped, torn, redeemed, and healed!

It is not easy for me to become so absorbed in a character that she creeps into my thoughts throughout the day, but Johnnie Kitchen did just that. Once I started reading, I couldn't get her character out of my mind. Even now, I see her standing at the Soldier's Statue or peering out the attic window with her husband's arms around her.

As a former food abuser, I identified with Johnnie's earlier struggles with food, with herself, her husband, her three children....and her mother. I recognized the hard-won battle to rid herself of this terrible malady and was impressed by her show of strength.

Reading Johnnie Come Lately is a bit like being introduced in person to new people because from the moment I began reading, all of the characters sprang from the page and came to life: Johnnie, Dale, Mr. Marvel, and Mama became real people to me.

So, to call this book engrossing is an understatement.

By the time I'd finished, I knew every inch of Johnnie's kitchen, every struggle with her loving husband, Dale, and every sassy comment made by Cade, DJ, and Callie Ann. I felt Johnnie's pain and grief and rejoiced in her satisfaction when, at last, Mama talked!

This is a rare and wonderful book about a military family that took me along on a roller-coaster ride through the life of an ordinary woman living an extraordinary life.

I have a feeling that Johnnie Kitchen will stay with me for a long time. Well done, Kathleen. Well done!