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McGowan's Call
McGowan's Call
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Robert gives an overview of the book:

Davis McGowan could not have anticipated how his career would isolate him in his private life.  After ordination, he finds himself an alien in a world of human need.  This fictional account of a young pastor's rise and fall is based on the secret reality faced by the ordinary people who have sensed a "call" to one of the helping professions.  Never quite accepted as a local, he navigates the path of conscience through the pitfalls of personal loneliness.   McGowan's Call is a collection of short stories and a novella that chronicles Davis' path from the river town of Hatteras, Ohio to the suburbs of Dayton.  This work of fiction provides a rare insight to pastoral ministry outside the scandals that regularly make headlines.  It is an honest exposé of the real crisis that afflicts those who live in the public eye.
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Davis McGowan could not have anticipated how his career would isolate him in his private life.  After ordination, he finds himself an alien in a world of human need.  This fictional account of a young pastor's rise and fall is based on the secret reality faced by the ordinary people who have sensed a "call" to one of the helping professions.  Never quite accepted as a local, he navigates the path of conscience through the pitfalls of personal loneliness.

  McGowan's Call is a collection of short stories and a novella that chronicles Davis' path from the river town of Hatteras, Ohio to the suburbs of Dayton.  This work of fiction provides a rare insight to pastoral ministry outside the scandals that regularly make headlines.  It is an honest exposé of the real crisis that afflicts those who live in the public eye.

robert-b-smith's picture

This title received a major review in Heartlands Magazine.

About Robert

I am a writer of both novels and poetry. The two are very different disciplines. In poetry, the ear and eye reach consensus, but with the novel, the characters can rise to stand even against the sensibilities of the writer. When this happens, there is no point in arguing....

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Published Reviews

Mar.29.2009

"Rob Smith, author of two novels "Children of Light" and the futuristic moral fable "Night Voices," cuts closer to the bone in this winning collection of 7 stories and a novella, "McGowan's Call."

"...

Apr.05.2009

It is a satisfying ride of a novel reminding me, at times, of David Baldacci. Like a roller coaster ride, I want to read it again to catch all the nuances I may have missed the first time.