The Keeper's Son

What a great story...

For me this book started slow but I kept on reading and as I did, the characters became very real to me. I started to care about all of them...on both sides of the war. I still think it dragged in parts but I recommend it because of the story and the people. It also focuses on a part of World War II that most of us are not very familiar with. It is an easy book to read so give it a shot...I think you'll be glad you did.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

An enjoyable read

I like most of Homer Hickam's books and this one was no exception. I liked the pace of the book and the fact that we got into the lives of both the Americans and the Germans. I didn't quite feel the chemistry between the two leads and didn't find Josh to be particularly likeable. Also, I was a little disappointed in the ending. Without giving anything away, I felt a particular character's fate was accepted and that he accepted that fate too easily. A quick, easy way to wrap up the book that seemed a bit unbelievable.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Hickam at his Best

The Keeper¿s Son is a wonderful story full of twists and turns. I cried when Miriam died. And Joe Johnston too. Rex¿s sorrow was deep and honest as was his anger at the Germans for killing his friend. People seldom talk about the animals that courageously and willingly gave their lives in our wars. It was refreshing to see someone do it in a story of this nature. Hickam reminds us gently that our enemies have lives and loves and hopes and dreams just like us. Plucky Dosie, spry and rebellious to the end. Finding a purpose and coming to peace with herself so she can relish life and love. Becoming a Killakeeter and taking joy in the sand and sea. The people of Killakeet are fun to get to know and a pleasure to visit with. There was only one thing I saw wrong with this book: it ended! The wrap-up chapter only whets your appetite for the next book. As with his other works, Hickam takes us on a wonder journey that is fraught with ups and downs as any life is. These people take us to a time when life was simpler and we were naïve as to what was happening. He invites us to leave our rat-race word for one of his own making and to become one with the sea. I await the next book eagerly.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A page-turner

Josh Thurlow and the people on Killakeet Island are great company. Hickam's gentle humor helps this tale along between battle sequences. This is one I liked and my husband, too!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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Heroic romantic adventure

This is a book that grabs you up front and never lets you go. Homer Hickam has penned a neat adventure that's also romantic. Josh Thurlow is the hero, a man dedicated to his home, the island of Killakeet. Dosie Crossan is his girl, but she's not easy. Their back and forth encounters are a highlight of the book. Then there's the sea battles, the development of Captain Krebs and his girlfriend. There's tragedy, and comedy. Sometimes, I laughed out loud. Once I cried. You can't ask much more from a novel, can you?

A delicious read

This is one of those books that simply absorbs your attention from the first page to the last. Josh Thurlow is the lighthouse keeper's Son who has grown up on the island of Killakeet of the outer banks of North Carolina. Now a Coast Guard officer, he is charged to patrol the coast of Killakeet. It is a time of war and the German U-boats arrive but this isn't a war story although there are some descriptive battles. It is at bottom a love story between Josh and Dosie, a horsewoman who has come to Killakeet to discover her inner strength after a so-far disappointing life, and between the simple but strong people of Killakeet. Written in prose that is Steinbeckian in its simplicity and power, this is a wonderful novel. I look forward to its sequels.

A Bit of a disappointment

This is not a bad book. It makes for an enjoyable read. But, it does not deserve some of the accolades that some reviewers are giving it. The story is really a framework to introduce a cast of character which will probably pop up again. The problem is that none of them are really likable enough to warrants another outing. There are also a few characters, the cowboy shore watcher for example that serve no real purpose. All of the Coasties are carbon copies of each other except for the boson. The Germans are fleshed out much better then the ¿heroes.¿

Keeper's Son

This is the story of the island of Killakeet of the Outer Banks during WWII. The characters are wonderful beginning with Josh Thurlow, the keeper's son, and Dosie, the quirky young woman who comes to this island of sand to bedevil and beguile him. It is also the story of Otto Krebs, a U-boat commander, and his Miriam, a woman who teaches this crude man the meaning of life and love. Woven throughout his Hickam's obvious love and appreciation of island life and the sea. You will become one of the population of Killakeet as you read this fine novel. It's a page-turner and you can't go wrong with it. Curl up in a chair, get your cup of hot chocolate, and simply immerse yourself in it.

Keeper's Son

A great adventure love lighthouse and sea story. It'll grab you from the first page. Hickam is a master of story-telling. I look forward to the next in the series.

A fine, fine novel that enthralls

I'm an avid reader who lately has been so disappointed by modern novelists who fill their pages with awkward writing, potboiler plots, and uninteresting characters. Hickam is, I believe, potentially one of the writers of our time who will be read in the centuries ahead. His classic October Sky is probably going to become a book that students will study forever. His switch to fiction that is about 20th century nautical adventure and romance has created a work that may do much as Patrick O'Brian has accomplished for 19th century nautical fiction. This first in a series is a wonderful, humorous, yet deeply affecting work. It is difficult to imagine that Hickam will be able to improve on it in the works ahead. Yet, since I've been following this writer from the first, I think he will. Strongly recommended. Read and enjoy and imagine what might be yet to come.

Keeper's Son

A super read. Love the new characters Hickam has created. Love the story. Nice twist at the end!

Keeper's Son

Where shall I start? How about that I began reading and couldn't stop? Hickam's characters Josh and Dosie are so interesting as are the Maudie Janes and all the people on Killakeet Island. If this is a series as Hickam says in the epilog, then I can't wait for more.

Something for Every Reader

In his seventh book Homer Hickam expertly blends facts and fiction to entertain his readers with a love story set in some of the darkest days of US history. This is very different from Mr. Hickam¿s successful memoir books such as Rocket Boys but is a book that this reader believes will appeal to both men and women alike and earn him a new group of fans. The main plot revolves around Josh Thurlow, son of the lighthouse keeper, and Dosie Crossan, who has returned to the island to find herself. Years before, Josh's baby brother had been lost at sea and throughout his life, Josh had blamed himself. His every thought and decision in life was painted with the brush of guilt and an attempt at redemption for his actions. The book has a large cast of characters including Krebs, a German U-Boat commander with a conscience and Vogel, a Nazi commander without one, Harro, a young seaman under Krebs' command, Doc Folsom, the island¿s doctor, Willow, the local ¿hoo-doo,¿ and Rex Stewart, a Hollywood cowboy stuntman ineligible for the draft but 'drafted' nonetheless into the coastal horse patrol. Even though Otto is the enemy, he and Josh form a strange bond and respect each other professionally. And though Josh doesn't know it, Otto may hold the key to his brother¿s disappearance. This book is well researched with wonderful characters. The action holds your attention and shows a realistic picture of life at sea. It also describes day-to-day life on a remote island with such realism that you can smell the salt air and feel the sand in your shoes. Mr. Hickam writes with such attention to detail that the climactic battle scene will have you gripping the arms of your chair. The Keeper¿s Son should appeal to everyone. It has history, romance, local color and charm, eccentric characters and battles on land and sea. It will be a great book for the upcoming cooler weather. Curl up in your favorite chair with a cup of hot chocolate and be entertained and educated. This is the first book in a series and I anxiously look forward to the next book.

Keeper's Son

Mr. Hickam has written a wonderful, romantic, adventurous, magnificent book! I love the characters. They are so fresh and real. Josh and Dosie are the perfect lovers. When I read their scenes together, I was either laughing or felt a tear come to my eye. The colorful miscreants of Killakeet Island are a delight. I heard that John Steinbeck was Hickam's favorite writer and I can see the influence. I would compare this novel with Cannery Row for the characters within. But it was a bigger tale than that book, more East of Eden along the Outer Banks. The best thing I can say about any book is that it is a page-turner. The Keeper's Son is a page-turner but it is also much more. It will give readers something to savor, to admire, to enjoy. I look forward to reading this novel again and I don't usually do that. First in a series, too, according to the afterword. Can't wait!

Keeper's Son

I think this is a very good book. I got it and was up half the night reading it. Not too many books grab me that way. I think women are going to like this one as much as men. Great characters.

Keeper's Son

That Mr. Hickam is not a native son of the Outer Banks is truly amazing as he tells his fascinating story of German U-boats on America¿s east coast during World War II. His intricate knowledge, passion and storytelling skill weaves a gripping tale with characters so alive, the reader is right there with them in their frailties, their humor and their compassion. He portrays everyday people who are drawn into the inhumanities of war, regardless of their allegiances. Beyond that, he pays the ultimate compliment to the reader, who will be unable to read this novel without begging for historic knowledge of this little known incident, this unusual time and these remarkable people who were truly alone to fight their own war. Thankfully, at the end of the book he provides a wealth of sources. Oh! To have history taught with enticements like this novel!

Keeper's Son

That Mr. Hickam is not a native son of the Outer Banks is truly amazing as he tells his fascinating story of German U-boats on America¿s east coast during World War II. His intricate knowledge, passion and storytelling skill weaves a gripping tale with characters so alive, the reader is right there with them in their frailties, their humor and their compassion. He portrays everyday people who are drawn into the inhumanities of war, regardless of their allegiances. Beyond that, he pays the ultimate compliment to the reader, who will be unable to read this novel without begging for historic knowledge of this little known incident, this unusual time and these remarkable people who were truly alone to fight their own war. Thankfully, at the end of the book he provides a wealth of sources. Oh! To have history taught with enticements like THE KEEPER¿S SON!

Keeper's Son

Well, got a copy of Hickam's latest at the Book Expo in Los Angeles, read it, and was very impressed. Essentially, it's the story of Josh Thurlow, a coast guard officer, and Dosie Crossan, a horsewoman, on Killakeet Island (Outer Banks of North Carolina). It's also about a U-boat captain whose heart has been broken by the loss of a woman on his island of Nebelsee. They all come together in a most remarkable way, in this story of lost and found love. Hickam has created some delightful supporting characters - charismatic Willow who is a 'hoo-doo,' confused young Harro who doesn't know who he is, Keeper Jack, and Doc Folsom, too. Oh, I also loved Rex Stewart of the beach patrol. All in all, a great love story with lots of twists and turns to the plots. I sat down with it and didn't stop until far into the night. Highly recommended and a great change of pace for Hickam.

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