Stories like this can be sickly, but, as in 'Spencer's Mountain', Hamner succeeds in keeping what is in fact quite a sentimental read from becoming schmaltzy. It's Christmas Eve and the family (on whom 'The Waltons' was based) await the return from town of their father, now working away. Is he lost or has he got sidetracked by a poker game or whisky? The eldest son heads out to look for him in the snow, while mother Olivia cooks the next day's fare and looks anxiously out of the window. Short but very enjoyable. ( )

The book on which the TV movie of the same name was based, which in turn was a pilot of sorts for the show The Waltons. The movie follows the book quite closely, so there isn't too much new here for someone who saw that first, but Hamner writes well, infusing the dialogue with just the right amount of dialect and capturing the characters (especially the children) in just a few lines. Enjoyed this a good deal more than I thought I might and am thinking about tracking down a copy for myself (it's out of print; I read my mom's). ( )

On an impulse, I borrowed this book from the library yesterday, and read it last night.

If you've seen the television movie "The Homecoming" starring Patricia O'Neal then you know the story, because the movie is very similar to the original book. The television series "The Waltons" was based upon the characters in this and other books by the author, Earl Hamner, Jr.

It's Christmas Eve, 1933, and snowing in the mountains of Virginia. Clay Spencer is expected home from his job but is running late...and finally his wife sends their eldest, Clay-Boy, to see if he can find someone to help him find his Daddy.

Great characters, a pleasant and heartwarming read. Recommended. :) ( )

Okay. I'll admit it. I loved "The Waltons" when it debuted in the 70s. (Call me Mr. Corny) I wanted to be John-Boy and have a ton of brothers and sisters (I was an only child) and have a special desk by the window and write my deepest thoughts when everyone was asleep and the house was quiet. Most of all I wanted to tell people that my dream in life was to become a writer. Earl Hamner Jr spent much of his writing life recapturing his early days living in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. And "The Homecoming" is a wonderful story set on Christmas Eve during the Depression when the Spencer (Walton) family is wondering why Mr. Spencer is taking such a long time getting home from his job in Waynesboro, forty miles away. Hamner writes with such care, humor and compassion. In my humble opinion "The Homecoming" is a Christmas classic. ( )

For those of you old enough to remember this is a trip down memory lane. This was the pilot for the Waltons TV series, although most of the names are different from the TV series, this has the same folksy, family- oriented feel.
Clay-Boy is sent out in a blizzard on Christmas Eve to find his father, who is returning from work by bus a number of miles away. Mother, Olivia worries how she will provide a Christmas dinner for her large family during the Great Depression of the 1930's when very little is to be had.
Follow Clay-Boy on the adventures he encounters in the search for his father, Clay Spencer. ( )