Kim Vogel SawyerReseñas

Very good book

The Songbird of Hope Hill by Kim Vogel Sawyer is a story of second chances through faith and forgiveness. Meaningful conversation between Isaiah Overly the preacher “God’s ways aren’t our ways, but—” and Ephraim his son “His ways are always better” was truly the theme throughout this heartfelt fictional historical Christian novel.

The story centers around Birdie who is rescued from a house of ill repute by Pastor Overly. The Pastor along with his wife Ophelia founded Hope Hill, a haven to teach women how to read and write, and other skills necessary to ensure their future will be better than their past. All of the characters within the story have their own struggles, which weave together with Birdie’s as she journeys towards faith. At Hope Hill Birdie upon joining the choir finds that her gift of song was meant for singing praises to God. We also get to witness the most beautiful love story between Ephraim and Birdie as they slowly grow together in faith, friendship, and mutual love.

Sawyer with her masterful prose takes her readers on a journey that will forever resonate that even the most broken can find redemption in the loving embrace of God. She is unmatched in her ability to make the most realistic intricate characters and narrative to draw one’s attention from beginning to end. An impactful inspiring story, The Songbird of Hope Hill, touches one’s heart and will linger for long after the end.

I received a complimentary copy of this outstandingly beautiful book, The Songbird of Hope Hill, from WaterBrook & Multnomah via NetGalley. I was under no obligation to write a favorable review, and all opinions are my own.

The Songbird of Hope Hill, by Kim Vogel Sawyer is a wonderful story of how God forgives us for our past and offers us a new life. This is a well written story that is easy to read and to imagine. This is such an inspirational story to read. I just love the characters for their strength and love for helping others. I felt sorry for Birdie as she long for her remaining family and she worked so hard to get to them. I enjoyed the different tasks the Overly family had to help the women that chose to join their family and how they were able to help so many. 

This is a delightful story to read. I voluntarily received a complimentary copy of this story, this is my honest review.

Summer has lost her whole family to typhoid and has no desire to continue her journey West, instead finding a way to stay in the town where they are all buried. Widower Peter has a 10 year old son who needs a tutor and offers Summer a place to stay and employment. Gradually Summer heals from her loss and Peter grows to care for and love Summer. It is a slow story but full of grace and faith.

The Songbird of Hope Hill by Kim Vogel Sawyer is a touching, hopeful tale. The characters’ backgrounds are complex and some of them took the whole book to unfold. I enjoyed watching the relationships develop between the characters. Faith is woven into the story, but I did feel it was a little heavy handed (very preachy). The story is told from different characters’ perspectives including Birdie. While it did allow me to understand the characters better along with their struggles, it was also confusing, and it kept me from becoming immersed in the story. Besides trying to keep track of the characters, I was trying to remember the various subplots. The pacing is leisurely. I liked that romance was not the focus of the book. The romance was sweet, and I like that it began (and is based on) as a friendship. The ending was hurried and tied up a little too neatly (of course, a happy ending is expected). While there were things that I did not like, The Songbird of Hope Hill is a beautiful story. I love that we get to see Reverend Overly and his wife, Ophelia as well as their son, Ephraim go out of their way to offer women of the evening a way out of that life. The Overly’s treated everyone with kindness and respect. I liked the message that none of us are without sin and that we should not judge others (especially when they are bettering themselves and putting their past behind them). The Songbird of Hope Hill is a poignant tale with a resolute reverend, a prayed for liberation, angelic vocals, perturbing dissenters, newfound friends, and a joyful future.

Set in 1895 Tulsey Texas, The Songbird of Hope Hill is a five star historical fiction novel that will rest in readers' hearts for long after the last page is read. It is a story of hope, healing, forgiveness, and restoration. It is also a story of living sacrificially, putting God and His kingdom first. Kim Vogel Sawyer has written characters who realize and demonstrate that we are all sinners for whom Christ died, and one sin is not any more or any less forgivable than another. Readers will also be encouraged to persist in prayers for the lost, relying on God's timing.

I highly recommend The Songbird of Hope Hill to those who enjoy historical fiction, to those who think they are beyond hope of redemption, and to those who have a passion for praying for the lost, and for those who just love a well-written, thought-provoking story. I am grateful to have received a complimentary copy of this book from WaterBrook & Multnomah via NetGalley without obligation. All opinions expressed here are my own.

A heartwarming story of 1895 Texas. Birdie has been let down and led into sin by someone she thought she could trust. But when Preacher Isaiah Overly comes to the brothel and offers a way out, she and Olga return with him to Hope Hill, a refuge for girls to start a new life.
This story shows the selflessness of Isaiah, his wife and his son Ephriam. They teach the girls necessary skills, music lessons and clearly present the Gospel.
I appreciate the strong faith message. The themes of redemption, forgiveness, reconciliation and the way God always draws us to become His children are prevalent. A vey enjoyable read.
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from WaterBrook- Multnomah via NetGalley. All opinions are mine alone.*

A total page turner from beginning to end. Yes, I loved this read, and there is so much forgiveness here, to others and to ones self!

The author gives us a Preacher along with his wife that have devoted their lives to helping Soiled Doves, and putting them back on the right path, not all succeed but we do meet some that do and travel with them!

There are secrets here, but there is so much love of God and the sharing of his Love. This is story takes place in the late 1890's in Tulsey, Texas, and I would love to see the house they lived in, because it sure seemed big with many bedrooms, an office, and music room. Yes, there are those here that are really gifted, and one of the rescues Birdie, as her name kind of states, sings like a bird. Then there is the pastor's son Ephraim, and they bring joy in hard times.

These poor people have been run out of other towns, and we wait for the same thing to happen here. Keep turning the pages for answers, and yes, they do come!

Wish I could continue on in these peoples lives!

I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Waterbrook, and was not required to give a positive review.

Ooh, this was so wonderful!

I read "The Librarian of Boone's Hollow" by Kim Vogel Sawyer now, since I recently read "A Strand of Hope" by Amanda Tero, and am reading the other books in the Librarians of Willow Hollow Series which has sparked a keen interest in the horseback librarians.

At a harsh time in history, The Great Depression impacted most of the world, and it is not something I have researched all that much, aside from a few books that mentioned it (yes, they normally ended up taking place during WWII as well...)

This novel has a strong message of how to treat others, I fell in love with the town of Boone's Hollow and the citizens' stories.

Mentions of physical abuse.

I voluntarily received and reviewed a complimentary e/copy of this book which I received from the author/publisher/review company. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

This is a fantastic book! I enjoyed everything about it! The setting of Alexandertol is picturesque! Augusta is my favorite character! She's compassionate, loving, and a great single parent. Konrad is fabulous! He's hard working, a good provider, and caring. Everyone in the book is searching for someone to love, and they all find it! A definite must read!

This is a fantastic book! It is beautifully written with great characters! The imagery really brought the book to life and the story line is unique. I liked the theme of music and how it brings joy and life.

A fantastic book! I loved the characters and the setting. It was so original.
Fanny has been an indentured servant to Sloan on his riverboat the, River Peacock. She has the voice of an angel and a beautiful face. She is desperate to be free and one night she is thrown overboard. She finds herself among a group of enslaved people on their search for freedom. They travel together for awhile.
Walter is a widowed farmer with a young daughter. He doesn't think his heart can be open to love again but then he meets Fanny. So much happens in this book. Read it! I guarantee that you'll enjoy it!

Five stars! I was captivated from the first page! A must read!

Another great book by Kim! I have always loved her books and always will!

The Songbird of Hope Hill by Kim Vogel Sawyer is an uplifting redemptive story set in 1895, Texas. A touching story that will leave readers inspired to view others through a lens of mercy.

The author takes a sensitive subject and handles it with care, showing how there is hope and forgiveness for everyone, no matter how far we fall. It is a well-written story packed with faith, hope and love. I liked seeing all of the different character perspectives, especially Birdie's, and could relate to some of their struggles. The romance is a tender one, based on friendship, but not the focus.

Readers who enjoy Christian historical fiction, with plenty of faith and a clean romance, should enjoy this one. 4.5 stars

(An ebook was provided by the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.)½

While the nation struggles to recover during the Great Depression, Addie must leave college just before the end of her junior year and find a job. At the same time, Emmett has just received a degree, but is learning that not many positions are open for a man with his education. Both end up in the small village of Boone's Hollow--Emmett to look for any work he can get in or near the village where he grew up, and Addie to start a job as a packhorse librarian for a program that aims both to give people jobs during this difficult time and to get books into the hands of poor families in the hills. Though they both have grand plans for their future, both must take whatever work they can find. The people who live in the area, though, hold a lot of prejudices that turn into trouble for both Addie and Emmett. Will bigotry and sabotage ruin both of their chances at making their own way?

There's a lot to try to put into the synopsis for this book, and I always prefer to keep it to one paragraph, so my blurb above doesn't do the book justice. And while for some books, having so much going on can lead to a convoluted story, it all worked together so well in this book. I thoroughly enjoyed the plots that threaded together, the characters, and the ending to all of those different storylines.

One of the the things that I loved most about this book was that every victory was hard-fought. Nothing just happened because the author said so, characters and their reactions were real, and the outcomes were believable. I also liked that, though there was a romance sub-plot, everything didn't hinge around it, and obvious, over-done cliches weren't forced into the plot in order to make the romance "interesting." It was exact kind of subtle, sweet, clean romance that I love.

When I first realized that the story was going to be told from so many perspectives (4 total, if I'm remembering correctly), I thought it would start to bother me. But it never did, and the author did a great job of making each character's narration feel like that person. Yes, some were similar to each other, but I was never confused, and really, it was interesting to get the little extra perspective from a few of the smaller characters (comparatively).

By the end of this book, I was really caught up in the stories. The themes presented throughout culminated in one really touching scene that made my eyes a little misty. The faith portrayed was the perfect balance of being woven throughout the story without being so in-your-face. It's shown most in both of the main characters' mothers, as witnessed by their children, and I loved that. "Look for the blessings," "kill them with kindness," using love and kindness to drive away hatred, all of these things were infused in the words, and it's a lesson I learned right along with the characters. In case it's not obvious, I highly recommend this book to any fans of Christian and/or historical fiction.

Thank you to Netgalley and WaterBrook & Multnomah for providing me a copy of this book to review.

When an escaped indentured riverboat singer and a widowed homesteader with a young child to care for meet, they seem to have just what each other needs—she a place to stay and earn some money for a trip to her family in New York and he someone to care for his toddler so he can work. But will it be that simple, especially when a sinister force are lurking out there somewhere?

That synopsis doesn't cover everything going on in this book, but it is the bulk of it. There are also the escaped slaves that Fanny travels with for a time, but since they are gone by around 30% of the way through the story and don't have much of a conclusion, their part in the story feels a bit like it's disconnected from the rest. In the end, I can't help but wonder exactly why Sawyer chose to include them. I guess to add to the theme of "freedom" throughout the story, but it seems a bit heavy-handed at that point. None of that is bad, necessarily, and it does give the reader some early insight into Fanny's character, so at least there's that.

As for the main characters, Fanny and Walter, both of them seemed a little too "good." Neither of them really had any faults that were brought out in the story, aside from the faux faults perceived only by themselves, that anyone with a more objective view would easily tell them they were silly for considering a fault. Walter was a little less confident than he'd once been, and I suppose Fanny doesn't know how to be a homesteader, but it's more endearing than anything. Both of them drove me nuts with the periodic mental berating over mistakes and bad choices that they thought must mean that God wouldn't want to hear from them anymore.

There was also a 3rd perspective in this story, that of the riverboat owner who had indentured Fanny, as he tries to track down a singer to replace her. I don't think his story really added to the book, and it culminated in a climax that was far too easily resolved. And speaking of Fanny's indentured state, I think maybe the author should have spent some time going over some of the less-known and less-quoted parts of the Bible, like the book of Philemon.

Kim Vogel Sawyer does write very well, and I really enjoyed the glimpses at different parts of life and parts of the country in 1860 that were presented in this book. However, various parts of this book just didn't sit right with me, though I'm sure that many other readers of Christian historical romance will be less bothered by what stuck out to me and will enjoy this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and WaterBrook & Multnomah, for providing me a copy of this book to review.

Jase is a new youth minister at a small church in an even smaller town in Kansas. Recently moved from San Antonio after his fiancee died, he's struggling with anger and doubt in his Christian walk. Kenzie is ten years removed from her Amish heritage, leaving the community when she learned how the grace of Christ could free her from the rules and regulations of her family's religion. She's been thinking more and more about her family, though, and the darkness they're still lost in. Lori is a young woman who was emotionally and verbally abused by her father as a teenager. She uses food as a coping mechanism when she feels lonely or inadequate, despite knowing that it's pointless and wishing she could stop. Jase, Kenzie, and Lori are each searching for answers from God, and when Jase moves to Kansas, he's welcomed into the friendship that Kenzi and Lori already have. With each other's help, the three just might find their answers.

Through the first half of this book, I didn't really understand what it was meant to be about. Part of that is because the official synopsis is atrociously inaccurate and misleading. But it's also because it really took a while for things to get going. And actually, in the end, it turns out the book really was about what I saw in that first half--these characters each struggling with their doubts, uncertainties, and questions about God and their faith. There were parts of the story that I liked, that I thought came together well in the end, and parts that fell flat for me, or that I questioned why they were included. Overall, it was a decent read, but not a stand-out for me.

The storyline I related to the most was Lori's over-indulging in times of extreme emotion--good or bad. I haven't had an abusive past like hers, but over-indulgence is an issue I have struggled with in the past, though not to the degree that she does it. I really liked the way Kenzie's story shaped up too, after wondering what it had to do with anything for a while near the beginning. Jase's storyline is the one that I was least connected to, partly because I've not experienced loss like that, but also partly because the decisions he made really bugged me. There is a 4th perspective in this story too, which I felt was wholly unnecessary. I couldn't help but compare it to the previous book I read by this author, which also included 4 perspectives. But where it worked in that one, it just seemed pointless in this one. I'm not sure what the pastor's perspective added, nor did I feel like it was particularly resolved.

If there was one cohesive lesson this story seemed to bring out, it was the benefit of allowing others to share your burdens. Each of these four people was originally struggling alone and seemed to only see a turning point when they opened up to a fellow Christian about their trouble. Actually, that's not really true for one of them (I won't say who), but perhaps it's just that I wished he/she had let others help him/her along the way. And on a related note, Kenzie really drove me crazy at some points. How can you say "God will provide" and then refuse all of God's ways of providing? If a really specific incident hadn't happened, she absolutely would have stayed in the same place, spinning her wheels, still waiting and hoping for God's providence. (You ever heard the one about the guy sitting on the roof of his flooded house, refusing to get in the boat or helicopter because he knew God would save him? Yeah, she's kind of like that.)

So in the end, this is not a book I would choose to read again. However, I think that my issues with it will likely not be shared by most others. If you are looking for a Christian book where romance isn't the main plot and where the author ties multiple storylines together into one story where God's hand can be seen, this might be a good book for you.

Thank you to Netgalley and WaterBrook & Multnomah for providing me a copy of this book to review.

From This Moment by Kim Vogel Sawyer was a very inspirational read for me. She has a wonderful way of telling stories, and she did not disappoint in this book. She brought the characters to life for me, as if I know them, their struggles were so relatable for me, and the plot was right on. It does start a bit slow, but it does pick up. I have always loved Kim’s writing, and she has not disappointed this time either. I highly recommend this book.

I would like to thank Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

From This Moment by Kim Vogel Sawyer was a very inspirational read for me. She has a wonderful way of telling stories, and she did not disappoint in this book. She brought the characters to life for me, as if I know them, their struggles were so relatable for me, and the plot was right on. It does start a bit slow, but it does pick up. I have always loved Kim’s writing, and she has not disappointed this time either. I highly recommend this book.

I would like to thank Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

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The Tapestry of Grace by Kim Vogel Sawyer is a heartwarming historical novel. The author takes readers back to 1897 in Alexandertol, Kansas. I thought The Tapestry of Grace was well-written with realistic, developed characters. I like that the characters were realistic with flaws. I enjoyed getting to know Augusta Dyck and her daughter as well as Konrad Rempel and his mischievous twin boys. Martina Krahn is a character that grows on you. I like that we get to see how friends and children make a difference in Martina and Gerhard’s life. The story is told from three points-of-view (Martina, Augusta, and Konrad). The chapter headings with the character’s name were helpful. The alternating point-of-view allowed me to get to know the characters and understand them. I like how the character’s stories were woven together. I enjoyed learning about this group of people and their community. We get to learn about their heritage and the reason the townspeople immigrated to the United States. I can tell that the author did her research for this book. Faith is at the center of the character’s lives. I like that they pray before making a big life decision. There are German words scattered throughout the story. It would have been helpful if there was a list at the end of the book with the translations. Faith, friendship, forgiveness, and family are the main themes in this touching story. My favorite line from Tapestry of Grace is, “Because together, bonded through God’s amazing grace, we are going to weave a life tapestry of joy and commitment.” The Tapestry of Grace is an inspirational tale with a widowed educator, busy brothers, a bushed blacksmith, a scheme gone askew, beloved books, and a caring community.

Oh to read a Christian fiction book that actually didn't suck. Not that my latest forays have sucked you understand. But my thoughts on Kingsbury's latest efforts have been highly documented....or documented here on Goodreads anyway ;)

But seriously. I enjoyed this book from Kim Vogel Sawyer immensely. So much so I will try additional title by her. But I LOVED the storyline of Addie who goes to work as a horseback librarian in the mountains of Kentucky. A very backwoodsy community, Addie is thrown for a loop in Boone's Hollow. The prejudice of others, the suspicions they have towards individuals who are different from them, a community who has been hard hit by the Great Depression, illiteracy runs rampant. Addie is not prepared for the world she has walked into but it is a world that gains her heart.

The additional characters in the story are exceptional. You have Emmett who has returned to his hometown with a college degree and yet, is unable to use it. You have Bettina, a young woman from Boone's Hollow who is abused by her father, wants to court Emmett, and feels threatened by Addie. You have Nanny Fay, the woman who lives in the mountains and everyone believes she is a witch.....lives intersect in a way I did not fully anticipate (or didn't until I was given all the storyline).

Perhaps it is because this was historical fiction and NOT realistic fiction. Maybe that is why I liked it a lot. Perhaps it is because I am a librarian myself. I mean, come on, it bears many similarities to JoJo Moyes's "The Giver of Stars" (a book I REALLY enjoyed). Books such as this are bringing travelling librarians into the limelight. It is a part of history that I really enjoy hearing about due to the personal connection. I need to read about the WPA program during this time and other travelling librarians in other areas of the US. And that is what a book should do...it should make me want more....and not throw it across the room as other Christian fiction has made me do.

One of the best books I've ever read. Three children separated after becoming orphans when their parents died. The facts were based on true events so the book really drew me in.