I enjoy this different perspective of the deep south during the Civil rights movement. It ran the risk of white savior complex, but in my opinion managed to avoid that.

How to start...I’d say that the biggest complication with this novel is the title and the cover promotional text, which are really misleading. They “sell” the idea that this novel would be about looking for Isaac, the best (adult) friend to teenager Pete, who went unexpectedly missing. But seriously, this is not the case here - this novel is a slice-of-life type of a book, set in the Southern environment, describing how people and life were then. And I like the setting and the characters a lot - they are “oldschool” in the best meaning, honest, salt-of-the earth types, giving off all the best feels of what we call the golden times of life. Pete and his budding relationship to Dovey is sweet - but I actually love the older couple, Lila and John, and their friendship slowly turning into something deeper, better (it is somehow more realistic, while still quite romantic).
Isaac and his disappearance - well, this subplot somehow feels like it is not the organic part of the story. Like the authoress did not really know which kind of novel she wanted to write and got lost within the subplots, as mystery this novel is not. We somehow could go without the Isaac issue, I feel, or solving it less unbelievable way.
But other than that - I see the immense talent here. This is a debut novel and it shows the greenery, but also it is a very quality, well-observed study of a certain atmosphere, accompanied with first-quality description skills. I think the authoress will evolve muchly in her next novels (all signs of a talent are present) and that she is well worthy of checking upon.

This is a lovely coming of age debut novel by Valerie Fraser Luesse. I look forward to reading more of her books in the future. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
3.5 stars

Missing Isaac is the debut book of Valerie Fraser Luesse and let me tell you, she nailed it. From the very first chapter I was enthralled in this historical fiction story set in Alabama in the 1960's. The book is a coming of age story about Pete McClean. Pete loses his father when he is only eleven years old. A tragic farming accident takes his life and his good friend Isaac, one of his father's hired farm hands is there to help Pete through the trying days ahead. When Isaac suddenly disappears, Pete is determined to find out what happened to him. No one seems to know and even fewer seem to care. When Pete can't find the answers he needs he sets off on his own to find Isaac himself. He soon meets Dovey and much of the story is about their budding relationship.

I found much of this story sad. Set in a time where there is still racial lines and segregation and young Pete is dealing with the loss of two important men in his life I found the addition of Dovey uplifting and enjoyed their friendship that blossomed into something more.

I will be watching for more books by Valerie Fraser Luesse and will definitely be recommending her to others!


***Thanks to Revell Reads for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

After the summary, I thought I would get a historical portray of racial conflicts wrapped in a coming-of-age crime story. However, this book turned out to be a kind of family saga, mostly easy-going, often too convenient, with a happy ending to almost every problem due to the McLean's wealthy heritage just around the corner. Different from what I expected, but not disappointing, as the book provided some rather cozy and moving entertainment.

This book was so good. It starts out sad but it’s one you won’t be able to put down. From start to finish I loved this jewel of a book.

This novel captured my attention from page one....it is a beautiful coming of age story...one that will pull at your heart-strings long after you finish this masterpiece. Reading it is a gift to yourself.

Pete has always idolized his father, Jack McLean. When Jack dies in an accident, his best friend Isaac tries to save him but is unable to. As a black field hand working for Jack, Isaac would seem like the last person to become a father figure to Pete- but he does. Isaac comforts Pete, befriends him and teaches him about growing up. When Isaac suddenly vanishes with no explanation, the townspeople of Glory, Alabama don't pay much attention. In 1965 a missing black person didn't raise a lot of eyebrows.

But Pete is not satisfied to let Isaac go so easily. He begins his own quest to find out what happened to Isaac, and in the process he will learn about racial divides, class divisions, and one very special girl- and he will become a man. And no one in Glory, Alabama will stay the same.
Missing Isaac is beautifully written. It's a coming of age story and a mystery with a hint of romance woven through it. The main characters are Christian, but unfortunately faith does not play a huge role in the story. Pete and Dovey are well-rounded characters, developing extensively as the story progresses. More minor characters are also drawn with complexity and sensitivity. The pace of the story is slow and relaxed, though steady. It did hold my interest throughout. I really enjoyed the way the concepts of legacy, relationships and love were explored throughout Missing Isaac.

I would rate Missing Isaac a four out of five stars. I received a complimentary copy from Revell Publishers in order to write an unbiased review.

When the story opens, Isaac is a young, black man about 30 years old. He is the right-hand man of Pete’s crop farmer father. Pete is about 12 years old and bereft with the loss of his dad. For a father figure, though, we have Grandpa Ned, to continue to lead the family and keep the farm in order. The story centers around Pete and his coming-of-age years. Racial and social class splits are prevalent in the story.

John and Dovey Pickett are father/daughter who have lost Dovey’s mom. That means Pete and Dovey share loss of a parent and they are drawn together. The story of Jacob and Rachel surfaces as John strives to know Pete and Pete’s character before he is comfortable allowing Dovey to spend time with him.
The overall story here is the mystery of Isaac’s disappearance and how it impacts a small, Southern town in the 1960s. There are encouraging scenes where Ned practices charity with dignity and folks come together to help one another. As expected, there are scenes of unfounded dislike for one set of folks versus another.

This is one of the best books I have ever read. I found myself immersed in this book right away from the beginning. I wish I could give it more than 5 stars. The characters were so well written that I was living the story right along with them. So much so that I'd look up from reading only to find that hours had passed and I hadn't noticed. I cried and hurt with them in their sadness, I laughed with them, I fell in love with them. I lived the story with them. The story has all the elements of life....tragedy and loss, compassion and love, friends and enemies, hardships and blessings, lost love and new found love. It was an awful time of racial tensions in the 1960's but this book brought the characters together to stand with each other because they cared about each other. They didn't let racial barriers separate them. It is a way we should all treat each other no matter our race, prosperity, where we come from, or our professions. It's never wrong to do what's right. I want to thank Bookish and Netgalley for the honor of reading this book in exchange for my honest opinion. I am looking forward to reading more by this author.

A full review can be found at https://novelparents.com/2018/02/23/review-missing-isaac/

This sweet coming-of-age story will find you longing for simpler times. We first meet the main character, Pete, when he is a 12-year-old boy who yearns to be like his father. When his father is killed in a cotton harvesting accident, Pete seeks solstice and a fatherly figure in his dad’s African-American ranch hand, Isaac. Isaac not only fills some of the emptiness Pete feels after his father’s death, but also allows Pete to get a glimpse into the lives of the Black Community in Glory, Alabama, a world much different from the one in which Pete grew up. When Isaac goes missing one day, Pete is heartbroken over his loss, the second in his young life. It’s only when he meets Dovey, a “backwoods” girl who is overcoming the death of her mother, that he finds the answer to the unbearable loneliness that has overtaken his life.

The highlight of "Missing Isaac" is the well-developed cast of characters. You see multiple angles of each character throughout the book, and by the end you can picture yourself sitting on the farmer’s porch sipping sweet tea with them. Throughout this sweet story, you get to see how each character is seen through the eyes of the town, how they see each other, the flaws that others detect that they may or may not realize in themselves, and how they handle themselves in the face of tragedy. In the end, you can’t help but root for every single one of them.

This coming-of-age story is incredibly well-written, but it takes a while to understand what "Missing Isaac" is really about. Is it a story of a boy handling his father’s death? A mystery surrounding Isaac’s disappearance? A commentary on social class in 1960s Alabama? A love story between two young teens? It feels like the author loses Isaac’s storyline for a part of the book, and I remember worrying about whether the story would get back to his disappearance. Luckily it did, and in the end you can see how it all wove together.

In addition, I will also predict that some people won’t like how "Missing Isaac" addresses the plight of an African-American community in the Deep South during the Civil Rights Era. The book made it sound like discrimination rarely existed, and both communities were basically equal. However, I see this as a calculated decision by the author. She didn’t want to write about the people and communities who endured horrific atrocities– she wanted to write about people who were mostly accepted into a white town, and how both the white and black communities adjusted to each other and tried to figure how how to treat each other during the Civil Rights Era. In our socially-concious, modern society, we tend to focus solely on the injustices of history. However, not ALL books need to be shocking commentaries on social issues. Sometimes, it’s good to read a story about people of different backgrounds just trying to be people. I don’t think the author’s intend was to IGNORE the civil rights issues of the time as much as it was to approach it from a different angle. However, I would understand if someone felt as though the author was glossing over the terrible discrimination that African-Americans in the south faced.

I would absolutely recommend this book. "Missing Isaac" is a quick read with well-developed characters and a sweet plot that will make you think you’ve stumbled upon the script to a Hallmark movie. It’s a refreshing tale of two young people who overcome their personal tragedies by finding love in the depths of loneliness. The book it becomes may not be the book you expected at the beginning, but you won’t regret opening your heart to this colorful cast of characters. 4 / 5 stars.

It’s the summer of 1962 in the heart of the South - Glory, Alabama - and through a freak accident young Pete McLean loses the father he loves and adores. It’s his father’s black field hand, Isaac Reynolds, who despite their many differences - race, class, age - steps in and befriends Isaac. Together they form a strong bond of friendship - going fishing having talks. Isaac becomes Pete’s anchor in his sea of grief and loneliness in the loss of his father. And then one day Isaac doesn’t show up and Pete knows something is wrong. Isaac is missing and Pete is determined to find out what happened. His quest leads him to his next “savior” - Dovey, a young, beautiful, backwoods girl that most consider “white trash”. As the years pass, they grow up and fall in love, but Pete never forgets Isaac and the mystery of his disappearance is like a missing piece, a gaping hole, that continues to haunt him.
When I first read this book’s description, I expected a gritty, painful but beautiful coming of age story but it was so much more! It is beautiful and complex. You’ll find romance and mystery and humor all gracefully entwined - just like real life. It will make you laugh and cry, surprise you, and make you appreciate life in general - to cherish the joys we experience in the most simple things even in the midst of tragedy and suffering.
I have a feeling this one will win many awards and it’s one I won’t soon forget!
(Thanks to Revell for a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)

This story grabbed me from the first page, & didn't let me go -
the evocative writing took me back to losing my own father.
It is one of those special books where one really cares about the
characters, & about what happens to them.
It would make a good film - being so well written, it was almost as if
I was watching, rather than just reading the story.
A powerful, powerful book, & with a lovely, unexpected bonus at the end.
Well worth reading, & I will certainly be looking out for any new books from this writer.

Pete McLean is a young man living in Glory, Alabama during the mid 60's. After school each day and all summer long he helps his grandfather and his father work the farm they own. In his family, black and white work along together to get the job done. When Pete's father dies suddenly and tragically, Pete quickly befriends Isaac who was his dad's right hand man. Isaac helps Pete through his grief my taking him away from the farm to go fishing or to grab a bite to eat. When Isaac goes missing without a trace, Pete won't rest until he finds him. Over four years we hear Pete's story and the journey to find his friend. He will grow up a lot over that time and his life will change dramatically.

Thank you to NetGalley and Revell Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I don't know if Valerie Fraser Luesse has written any other books, but I want to read them. Watching Pete grow into a respectable young man that his whole community admires is what makes this book so great. When you think about the South, especially at this time in our history, it's amazing to me so see how well most of the people in this story treat them. They treat them like members of their family. Allowing the maid to drive the car and put her groceries on your tab, rebuilding homes and churches and never questioning anything.

I really enjoyed this book. It is important even in today's society to learn how to get along with all people no matter their race or gender. You can feel the emotions of each character in this book and each of them have quite strong personalities.

Pete--even though he is a young man, he is strong in his beliefs and his convictions.
Daddy Ballard--even though he is one of the richest men in town, he doesn't brag or boast about all he does for the community.
Lila--Through her grief, she is able to still raise her son to be the man his father would be proud of.
Isaac--his story is brief, but he is a strong man who cares for those around him even if they aren't his family.

I highly recommend this book.

Missing Isaac is Valerie Fraser Luesse’s first novel, and I hope it won’t be her last. Her writing style runs counter to some of the modern writing conventions. She uses dialect and non-standard spelling. There are unnecessary adverbs and repetition. The dialgoue tags are often clunky. The point of view is often distant, and slips into omniscient at times.

Yet it works despite these “errors”. Or perhaps because of them. When Pete’s father dies in a farm accident, Pete’s relationship with Isaac is the one thing that keeps him going. It didn’t matter that Isaac was only a field hand, or that he was black—even in 1960’s Alabama.

But when Isaac disappears, leaving only his truck, no one seems much inclined to find out what happened. Except Pete.
Missing Isaac doesn’t fall neatly into any one genre. It’s part mystery, as Pete tries to find the truth of what happened to Isaac. It’s part family saga, as Pete grows up, and part romance, as he meets Dovey. And it’s part historical fiction, in that it’s a story set in a time far removed from ours, in terms of culture and attitude, if not years.

The writing is strong, with a unique and lyrical style, and a lot of home truths, like the privileged white boy/man who doesn’t understand his privilege because it’s all he’s ever known. It could equally be talking to those in the modern world who don’t understand why #MeToo or #BlackLivesMatter are newsworthy.

Missing Isaac is a strong debut novel, with a solid story driven by strong characters and set in a time of great social change. Recommended.

Thanks to Revell and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

Missing Isaac is a coming-of-age story. The story of Pete and Isaac. Pete was young and met Isaac-who took him under his wings and taught him how to live like a decent, loving, kind and gentle human being. Pete grew to love Isaac very much, until one day all of a sudden Isaac is just gone. He doesn't know what happened. As the years go by Pete falls in love and he becomes a very good man because of the teachings of Isaac. Does he get married? Does he ever find out what happened to Isaac? To find out you should spend your time reading this book.

Missing Isaac
by Valerie Fraser Luesse
Revell

Christian , General Fiction (Adult)
Pub Date 02 Jan 2018


I am reviewing a copy of Missing Issac through Revell and Netgalley:


In the 1960's there was another south, one far removed from the Marches, bombings and turmoil played on the news. This South was a place of inner turmoil where everyday people struggled to make things right on a social landscape that was changing right in front of them.


In 1965 a black field hand named Issac Reynolds goes missing in the tiny town of Glory, Alabama, a town removed from the marches. The people of this small town are a variety of concern and indifference, but Pete McLean is a young, wealthy, fatherless white boy, who has made a friend in Pete and is determined to find out what really happened. He knew Issac would not just take off on his family as some assumed.


Before this all ends Pete will find that the lines between, race, class and religion has blurred. and in learning these things some of the towns people will be changed forever.


I give Missing Issac five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

This was such a perfect read. It made me laugh and cry because you really get to like both Pete and Isaac. Pete grows up to be a very good person. The mid to late 60’s was a very volatile time period. The racial tension is dealt with very well. I hope to read many more stories by this author. I received a copy of this book from Revell for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.

Southern rural community culture plays an essential role in Missing Isaac, the setting is more than a simple canvas for this story to be painted on. It is the South and the collective pride and prejudices of her people that form the foundation and framework of this immersive experience. 

Pete McLean is just a nice young man and I'm sure his mama is over the moon proud of him. Isaac Reynolds might be employed by the McLean family but Pete is unconcerned by age, social class, and skin color. As far as Pete is concerned, Isaac is simply his father's friend and now his friend, too.

Pete encounters resistance on his search yet he inspires those around him to see with their hearts instead of their eyes and listen to the Spirit instead of the crowds. I cried no less than three times during this book yet there were also moments bursting with joy, full of hope, and some light-hearted mischief as well. I highly recommend this story and look forward to future works of fiction from this author!

I requested the opportunity to read this book from the publisher. The opinions expressed are my own.

Missing Isaac swallowed me whole! I was so taken with the story that it was hard to put down. The last two nights, I was up until 4:00 a.m. turning pages because I didn’t want to stop. That’s how much I enjoyed it!

What Makes Missing Isaac So Good?
I’ve struggled with putting my finger on what made this book so enjoyable to me.

Think of reading a story like driving a car. Most times, when I get behind the wheel, I’m only interested in getting from point A to point B. With Missing Isaac, I find myself driving down a country road, with so much contrasting beauty and disaster around me that I want to slow down, open the windows, and just savor the ride!

This story takes you back to a time before video games, before cell phones, before the “expectancy” that is so prevalent in today’s attitudes. Set in the rural south of 1960s America, it demonstrates how people of very different castes can live together. Missing Isaac speaks of profound friendships, innocent love – both found and lost, and romance that is not confined to a single generation, nor comprised of sex and heavy breathing. It resonates with the power of values and family.

The storyline behind Missing Isaac is very good, yet the story itself would not be so fabulously engaging without the craft behind it. I think even a mediocre author could make this story work, but the finesse of Valerie Fraser Luesse breathed life into these characters, and painted vivid colors over the settings.

There are stories out there that readers never forget. This is one of them.

Technically Speaking
If I had to be critical of one thing in Missing Isaac, I wouldn’t have anything to write.

I don’t recall any SPAG errors. Further, I consider the character arcs to be the epitome of character arcs!

I do wish a sequel was available, or at least in the works. It seems to me that at least two sequels could come from this. I would gladly buy them!