Author Olive Higgins Prouty produced some notable novels in the 1930s and 40s that were strong enough to warrant Oscar-nominated film adaptations. Unfortunately, Home Port is not one of them.
High Point: Prouty’s writing style is easy to navigate and never gets in the way of the narrative.
Low Point: The plot is predictable and even banal.
Author: Olive Higgins Prouty
Publication Date: 1947
Genre: Fiction
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Now, Voyager… Then, Disappointment
Author Olive Higgins Prouty produced some notable novels in the 1930s and 40s that were strong enough to warrant Oscar-nominated film adaptations. Unfortunately, Home Port is not one of them.
Prouty was best-known for her earlier novels Stella Dallas and Now, Voyager. In fact, Now, Voyager and Home Port were both part of a five-novel series about the Boston-based Vale family. Prouty released Home Port in 1947 as the fourth in the series six years after Now, Voyager.
Set around the outbreak of World War II, this novel opens with 24-year-old youth camp counselor Murray Vale struggling in the shadow of his popular older brother. After a tragic incident involving another counselor, Vale disappears and starts a life under a new identity.
Prouty’s style makes for an easy read, and her book’s premise—if a bit unrealistic—provides ample potential. But the plot is predictable and even banal. It’s easy to see what’s coming and how the characters will react with one another. There’s little genuine drama and certainly no surprises.
If you are care only about the destination and not the journey to get there, you might enjoy this book. Otherwise, go somewhere other than the Home Port.
Sources For This Book
This book was purchased at Silver Mines Quilts & Antiques in Fredericktown, Missouri
Free eBook (Project Gutenberg): Not available
Free Audiobook (LibriVox): Not available
Available to Purchase: AbeBooks, Biblio, Thriftbooks
