THE HIGH CALLING

by James Street ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 7, 1951

The sequel to The takes the readers back to Linden, the small Missouri town where London Wingo started his ministry, and to which he comes back in a lowly position, abandoning the prosperous city parish which had led him from his chosen spiritual path. Twenty years have passed; the story has a post-war background, though the aura of Baptist theology somehow makes it seem - to a non-Baptist - creakily dated. Wingo has a new set of problems to face:- a struggling new church, and a poor one, a divided congregation, a motherless daughter, Paige, and on the other side, warm friends and an unshakeable faith. Paige idolizes her father- but often breaks with convention - and ultimately shakes the foundations when she elopes with Vance, son of the town's richest man, who is trying to block his son's desire to enter the ministry. There's a second romance- as Wingo himself finds he is drawn to a school teacher, and fears that he is going to sacrifice another woman to his calling. The story- the characters- have full measure of appeal, but somehow the conflicts within them lack the conviction of and the resolutions seem contrived and obvious. The author's name - in the different field of the historical novel, and the memory of readers for the warm quality of the earlier book (which has sold over a million copies)- insures the initial push for this. Publisher advertising and top promotion promised.

Pub Date: June 7, 1951

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Doubleday

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 1951

Categories: FICTION