It’s been said more than once that baseball brings people together.   There is just such a connection between the four central characters in Allison Pittman’s Stealing Home.  The year is 1905 and Donald “Duke” Dennison is the golden boy of the Chicago Cubs.  His image has been tarnished, however, by his drunken antics.  Unlike the high profile recoveries of today’s superstars, his stint in “rehab” is kept undercover as he is sent to tiny Picksville, Missouri for the sole purpose of getting sober.  While in town, Duke will be a guest at the Voyant home.  Ellie Jane Voyant leads a quiet, orderly life working alone in a ticket booth by day and keeping house for her widowed father at night.  She is completely unaware that she is the object of Ned Clovis’ affection, a feed store clerk who leads a similarly uneventful life.   The only thing he loves nearly as much as Miss Voyant is baseball…and its star player, Duke Dennison.   Finally, there is Morris Bennett, a 12 year old Negro boy who earns money running errands for the townspeople, and saves for his dream of leaving Picksville.  When Duke discovers the boy’s amazing natural ability to throw a baseball, their newfound bond and love of the game spreads throughout the town.

I’ll confess that when I saw the cover of Stealing Home, my first thought was that this was another tale of ”prim schoolmarm meets rogue athlete, scandal ensues”.  I am thrilled to report that I could not have been more wrong.  The characters are surprising, the writing is flawless and the story is enthralling.  Although each chapter focuses on one of the four main characters, only Morris’ story is written in first person.   His dialogue shows a wisdom far beyond his years, a biting wit and a tender heart unwilling to abandon his dreams.  He was so precious that I literally just wanted to find this little boy and hug him. 

Four separate lives are drawn together by America’s pastime and bound together by healing, forgiveness and love.  The baseball diamond proves to be more than just a field of dreams.  In Stealing Home, it is a field of hope.

To learn more about Stealing Home, please click on the photo below or visit this website: http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9781601421364&ref=externallink_mlt_stealinghome_eaj_0408_01

If you would like to WIN a FREE copy of Stealing Home, please leave a comment below.  Winner will be chosen at random from all comments left between 06/02/09 and 06/12/09.  Thank you!