Lesson Three: Compromises: A Lessons from the Fort Book

By R.J. Henry

Returning to their roots sixteen years after eloping, with the romantic dreams of their teen years sullied, and their marriage in a shambles, John Horton and Janet Toy gamely hope to save their marriage if not their love. Having given up his career as a world-class researcher, will John find meaning in resolving mundane day-to-day problems in a small-town manufacturing plant? Can his determination to support his family at any cost substitute for the lost intellectual challenge which John has needed to find fulfillment? Janet, relishing a renewal of her role as stay-at-home mother and feeling secure in the comforting proximity of her mother and sister on the Toy farm, dreams of an idyllic life in the country, blithely unaware of the pitfalls of small town alliances and betrayals. Will sibling rivalries with her sister Toni and brother Skip resurface to despoil her fantasy? Could Janet's urban living intensify her family's disdain for townsfolk and the mercantile class John's family personifies?Although his desire to love and be loved by 'the girl with auburn hair' is never abandoned, John's inability to become accepted and respected by Janet's family continues to create conflict between him and Janet. John's pain from the animus of the Toys toward his family, accepted in silence without reproach by the Hortons, is exacerbated by conflict between John and his brother-in-law Marty, a struggle dating to their teen years. Purposefully ignored when at the farm, John is drawn into an alliance with his sister-in-law, Sandy, also a stranger in the strange land of the Toy farm. Although their relationship appears founded on shared interests rather than physical attraction, will Janet feel betrayed by John's walks in the meadow with Sandy? Can Marty goad Skip into violence against John or Sandy?As Janet clings to her crumbling idyll, it is shattered by untimely death on the farm. Will relationships, be they supportive or destructive, continue as before? Are changes permanent or transitory? Can John and Janet find renewal in tragedy? Is there any way hope can be resurrected on the farm? Throughout their marriage of bloodless combat, John and Janet, walking increasingly divergent paths, have trusted their mutual love for their daughter, Christy, would continue to bridge that widening gap, assuring them time to resolve their differences and heal. Might Christy going to college collapse that bridge? Will John's reconnection with classmates at his thirtieth reunion provoke Janet's jealousy? Is John able to control his renewed passion? Can Marty goad Janet into ill-conceived behavior?Set in a fictional Pennsylvania town in the foothills of the Appalachians, Compromises is the first book released in the 'Lessons from the Fort' tetralogy. Future volumes include 'Coming of Age,' 'Pursuing the Dream,' and 'Redemption.'

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1521251606
• ISBN13: 9781521251607
• Release Date: May 2017
• Publisher: Independently published
• Length: 254 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 7.8" x 0.6" x 5.1"