- Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
- Publisher: Jove Books; Reissue edition (Jan 1995)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0515118230
- ISBN-13: 978-0515118230
- Product Dimensions: 16.8 x 10.4 x 3 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 2,075,906 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Product Description
The arrival of a new transfer student spells emotional upheaval for the Gardner family when it is revealed that he is the result of a brief affair that Tom Gardner, a devoted family man and high-school principal, had years earlier.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From the Back Cover
THE LESSONS OF GROWING UP – FOR ADULTS AS WELL AS THE CHILDREN…
Tom Gardner is a high-school headmaster, happily married and well respected both personally and professionally. But there's something uncannily familiar about a new pupil at the school, who has a disturbing similarity to Tom at that age. Then the bombshell hits: Kent is Tom's son, the product of a long-forgotten one-night stand, just before his marriage.
And now here he is, sharing the same class and football team as Tom's legitimate son, arousing the interest of his daughter and the admiration of the English teacher – Tom's wife. Suddenly, a textbook happy family turns into a broken, bitter one; bruised and in need of repair.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I loved this book - I had a hard time putting it down! I really felt sorry for Claire. When she found out a terrible secret after 18 years of marriage and two children, it broke her heart and mine, too! I really liked how LaVyrle created this story, and I was very happy with the ending! This is a terrific, must-read story!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I really loved the way that you felt like you were really there while reading this book. Everything was so realistic and I felt like I knew all of the main characters personally. The way that Tom and Claire's marriage was pushed to the ultimate test when he finds he has a son that he never knew kept me enthralled right to the end. The ending was great too, not a let down like some books and I could read this again!
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
30 reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Tom felt like he was looking at his image of 25 years ago.
14 July 2003
Format:Mass Market Paperback
I first had mixed feelings about reading this one, but then I decided I needed to give it a chance- and now I am glad I did. It's a really good read! Now about the story... Tom Gardner is the principal at the local high school, happily married with his first wife, Claire of 18 years, who teaches English at the same high school and they have 2 good kids of whom are both at the high school. Things change when Kent Arens walks into Tom's office as a transfer student. Tom's first reaction to Kent is like looking at himself 25 years ago. Kent is accompanied with his mother, Monica whom Tom recognizes from college days. And then Tom starts getting a sickening feeling. There was that one night- the night of his bachelor party, the night before his wedding to Claire when he made the fatal mistake of getting drunk and making-out with the pizza delivery girl. He has always felt guilty of that night- the one time he was unfaithful to Claire. And then it was because he had felt cornered into getting married. Claire had come to him and told him that she was pregnant. He had just graduated from college and had been looking forward to having a time of fun and freedom but now he was being tied down. It had been purely an act of rebellion. He had never told Claire but had tried making it up to her by being a good and loving husband... and they were the happiest they had ever been. How could this have happened? Was it possible for him to have another son the same age as his present son that he had with Claire? What was this going to do to his family? How would they react? And what would people there at the school say? Tom was so well thought of and Tom and Claire were thought to have the ideal marriage. What about Kent? He was the ideal son-great grades, out-standing athlete, well-liked and thought of, and his mother's life. He had never known his father-had no idea who he was and what the situation was between his mother and father. How was he going to take having a father step into his life now? The story is so realistic... you can't help but feel for the characters involved, you really feel their hurt. Once again LS makes you really think and get involved in the story. It's a good story and I highly recommend it.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Another great book by Lavryle Spencer
4 May 2004
Format:Paperback
HOME SONG by LaVyrle Spencer
One of my favorite books by LaVyrle Spencer so far, HOME SONG is the story of a family torn apart by an indiscretion from the past.
The Gardners are the perfect family. Tom is the principal of the local high school, his wife Claire is an English teacher in the same school, and their children Chelsea and Robby attend the high school in this closely-knit town. They are a happy family, and everyone knows it. Tom and Claire are 100% devoted to their children, and Chelsea, a cheerleader, and Robby, a football player, are well-rounded well-behaved teens that love their parents very much.
Right before the school year starts that September, Tom is introduced to a new student, Kent Arens, and after a second look at Kent's mother, Tom realizes Monica Arens was the one-night stand he had a week before he married his wife Claire. And it is obvious to him that Kent was the result. Kent is the spitting image of Tom at that age. Tom had never had a need to let Claire know about his fling, because it happened before he made his wedding vows, and he did not think he'd ever see Monica again. There was nothing between them, no emotional ties. They meant nothing to each other, then or now.
What happens the next few months is something out of Tom's worst nightmare, as he struggles with keeping this a secret or letting his wife and family know about the affair. Their world is torn apart as slowly, the rest of the school finds out who Kent really is, a student that was embraced by the student body and as popular with them as Chelsea and Robby.
HOME SONG deals with the theme of infidelity and how it impacts a family that seems too strong to be torn apart. LaVryle Spencer as usual creates real characters with real feelings, characters that are also likable and authentic. This reviewer's only complaint is the Hollywood-type ending, but over all, this was another excellent book by Spencer. She has a knack for writing stories that will shock the reader, yet does so in a very realistic manner that makes her stories believable. Highly recommended!
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
What a waste!
29 Jan 2009
Format:Paperback
This book reads like a bad made-for-tv movie and was a complete waste of time. Spencer's grammatically shaky, over-emotional and adjective-laden prose made the book a pain to navigate and nearly impossible to enjoy, while her complete inability to draw a realistic human character forced the story into cliche after cliche. Her teenagers were wooden, drenched with sickly sweet kindness and school spirit and completely lacking any normal adolescent characteristics; her adults were erratic, frenzied and drawn without an ounce of realism.
I picked up this book at a used book sale and thought the story might have some interesting twists - there were none. I thought the plight of the characters, especially the principal's wife Claire, might resonate in some way - it did not. I suppose if nothing else, Home Song did evoke strong feelings in me as a reader: I was so angry with each of the characters and so bored by the non-existent plot that I couldn't wait to finish the book, review it and shelve it on the 'never to be touched again' pile.
I picked up this book at a used book sale and thought the story might have some interesting twists - there were none. I thought the plight of the characters, especially the principal's wife Claire, might resonate in some way - it did not. I suppose if nothing else, Home Song did evoke strong feelings in me as a reader: I was so angry with each of the characters and so bored by the non-existent plot that I couldn't wait to finish the book, review it and shelve it on the 'never to be touched again' pile.
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