A young boy from rural Georgia and an old man in a nursing home have nothing in common. Nevertheless, a lasting bond is the result of their chance meeting. Deep and meaningful exchanges of life lessons and experiences dominate their conversations over time. The old man gains new meaning and purpose for living from the friendship and the boy grows in wisdom and knowledge as the old man guides him along. These completely developed characters are both complex and interesting. The old man has no known past, which is not fully revealed until the very end of the story. The source of his great wisdom and depth of knowledge is then quite evident. The book is about personal relationships, family values, small town life, university experiences and wartime combat. It has a love interest that begins at a university, develops over time and results in marriage. The book tenderly portrays death and the full range of very deep and personal emotions that follow. The reader will find a fair amount of comic relief, mainly through humorous relationships between the central characters and other exaggerated personalities. The storyline fully develops the characters and the times they live in. I believe the novel will be of interest to all ages. The book does not portray graphic violence, immoral behavior, or crude language to tell the story. The plot stands on its own merit.