Reviews from Readers
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Ross Peck, a loyal reader
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I love your books. I have each of them in my bookcase. I have just finished reading your latest,
One Last Chance. It was great!
I particularly like the way that you develop the characters in your books. It's really hard to put
your books down. It is like the reader becomes part of the story and the characters are your
family and friends. I hate to see the books end.
I also enjoy the story settings. My roots are also from Eastern Idaho. I was born in Pocatello
and my mother's family are from Teton Basin and the St. Anthony area. I remember many
good times at those places back in the 1950s. Please do not stop writing.
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Andrea Reynolds
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I just finished reading ONE LAST CHANCE. I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN. Great story; great
characters; I am a FAN!!!!. Keep the books coming. It is so refreshing to read good, clean
books as yours. You are very talented. I wish you the best as you continue to write. I am now
giving the book to Rick to read.
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Jeffrey Needle, Association for Mormon Letters
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A few months ago I received a solicitation from a company that publishes a magazine called
"Reminiscence" (or some such thing). It was a three month trial, so I figured, what the heck.
After three issues, I figured out that my fondness for the "good old days" wasn¹t what I thought
it would be.
our parents knew as children, was so much better, so much simpler, than what we must cope
with these days. Not surprising, then, that the pining for better times is nearly universal.
Borrowman¹s latest effort takes place in Depression-era Boise, Idaho. A young man named
Artie Call is left without parents very early in life. Raised by his grandfather, he finds himself
having to steal food to ensure they always had something to eat. And the more he stole, the
easier he found it to just make off with items not necessary for survival.
It comes as no surprise that Artie is always in trouble with the law. After one particularly bad
episode, a judge sends Artie to live with the local banker and his family. The banker, David
Boone, turns out to be a harsh taskmaster, and loses no time in getting rid of Artie as quickly
as possible.
A turning point comes when Artie and two friends break into the home of Mary Wilkerson. It is
known that she keeps valuable gold coins in her home. After casing her home for a time, they
discover a pattern to her movements. They break into the house when they believe she isn¹t
home. But Mary is indeed home. When she hears the boys rustling about, she tries to stop
their thieving and is met by a hard blow by one of the boys. When it¹s clear they need to run,
Artie stays behind to make sure Mary is okay and receives medical treatment.
Later, when Artie is dragged into court as one of the thieves, Mary surprises everyone by
dismissing the charges against him and offering to take him into her home as her ward.
And so begins Artie¹s long and difficult journey into a life of honesty and integrity. And it
doesn¹t come easily. Time and again Artie is tempted to return to his thieving ways, despite
Mary¹s provision for his every need. She believes in Artie, and wants nothing more than for him
to grow into a trustworthy and mature young man.
Borrowman writes the kinds of books that Mormon audiences come to expect and love warm
human interest stories that feature the Church and those who claim Mormonism their
heritage. ³One Last Chance² is no different. It¹s a pleasant, leisurely stroll through early 20th
century America, with all its delights and faults, all its rewards and challenges.
Borrowman does a good job of fleshing out his characters, in particular Mary Wilkerson, Ray
McCandless (Mary¹s chauffeur and friend), and, of course, Artie himself. He tends to get a bit
preachy at times, but the story moves along at a good pace. You can blink at the righteous
sniffs that pop up here and there and still enjoy the story.
The book ends a little differently than I had expected. This is always a good surprise for
readers like myself who like to be kept guessing. And the entire story takes on something of a
mythological morality tale placed in an actual historical setting. It all seems to work together,
an achievement that is not always attained.
I don¹t know what direction Borrowman¹s writing will take. He is a good writer, with a sound
sense of plotting and dialogue. I hope he decides to take more chances with his next book. It
would be nice to see him combine his skill as an author with his willingness to step out to the
edge and peer over to see what¹s happening there.
Most LDS readers will enjoy this book. Perhaps there¹s a little bit of Artie in all of us a
constant battle between the good we know we should be doing and the evil that sometimes
overtakes that good. We, like Artie, seem so anxious to nibble at the Tree of the Knowledge of
Good and Evil. The key is to keep our eyes focused on the Tree of Life.
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