A Whisper of Peace

Heart of the Prairie #7

by Kim Vogel Sawyer

Tender Romance from Bestselling Author Kim Vogel Sawyer

Ostracized by her tribe because of her white father, Lizzie Dawson lives alone in the mountains of Alaska, practicing the ways of her people even as she resides in the small cabin her father built for her mother. She dreams of reconciling with her grandparents to fulfill her mother's dying request, but she has not yet found a way to bridge the gap that separate her from her tribe.

Clay Selby has always wanted to be like his father, a missionary who holds a great love for the native people and has brought many to God. Clay and his stepsister, Vivian, arrive in Alaska to set up a church and school among the Athbascan people. Clay is totally focused on this goal...until he meets a young, independent Indian woman with the most striking blue eyes he's ever seen.

But Lizzie is clearly not part of the tribe, and befriending her might have dire consequences for his mission. Will Clay be forced to choose between his desire to minister to the natives and the quiet nudging of his heart?

Genres: Christian Fiction, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Christian, Christian Historical Fiction, Historical, Romance

349 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2011

About the author

Award-winning, bestselling author Kim Vogel Sawyer told her kindergarten teacher that someday people would check out her book in the library. The little-girl dream came true in 2006 with the release of Waiting for Summer's Return. Kim's titles now exceed 1.5 million copies and are available in six different languages. A former elementary school teacher, she now enjoys a full-time writing and speaking ministry. Kim's passion lies in writing stories that point the reader to a deeper, more intimate relationship with God. When Kim isn't writing, you'll find her traveling with her retired military hubby, spoiling her granddarlings, petting the cats, quilting, or--as time allows--participating in community theater. You can learn more about Kim's writing and speaking ministries at her website, KimVogelSawyer.com.

Reviews

[Jazzy-girl · Rating 1 out of 5]

I feel like trash giving this such a low rating, but i honestly didn't enjoy this book, which is awful since i love several books by this author. I just felt like the characters were hollow and sometimes acted like they didn't even know each other. And then the pace was so slow, it was frustrating. The plot was good, but unfortunately it was poorly executed. I felt so many gaps while reading it and after finishing, i'm really dispppointed that i don't like this book.

[Andrea Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

by Andrea Renee Cox

What a journey! A Whisper of Peace carries a lot of emotional weight in a mission field setting. The richness of the setting is matched by the uniqueness of the characters. The author's heart for missions and faith shines brightly through the events of this story. This story is one of hope, redemption, second chances, and finding peace. Yet another Kim Vogel Sawyer book that has brought me hours of joy!

I was not compensated for this honest review.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alaskan beauty

A heartwarming story set in Alaska giving insight into the Athebascan people living there and missionaries from San Francisco hoping to teach them the word of God. A love story entwined with sadness but with a happy ending

[Vivi · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm honestly amazed that I finished this book. I began reading it because the idea of the story was so very promising. A missionary coming to Alaska to serve a native tribe. So much potential there... as a missionary the protagonist would be grounded in the word of God, so naturally this would be a book about how true faith influences missionary effort. It would be a book about the indians, about their behavior and traditions, about their struggles to accept the Christ they have never heard about - so I began reading and I waited. I waited for this missionary Clay to overcome his very childish frustration and anger about not being able to finish a mission building in 2 weeks. I waited for him to realize that his efforts wouldn't save people eternally, but only the spirit of God could. I waited for him to see the suffering of his sister and minister to her or to anyone for that matter, instead he went building a house and it dawned on me that this missionary wasn't grounded in the Word of God at all and that the motive of the author wasn't to explore how Clay could grow spiritually in this situation, but simply to explore a very very boring love relationship. In my opinion, spirituality was only defined by being saved or not being saved in this story and there wasn't much more dialogue or insight about that topic. The end didn't really count for me. Ok, so he realized that the church wasn't a building because of his dad, but what about his relationship with God? It felt lifeless. He was constantly doubting God's goodness and those issues weren't resolved satisfactorily. Also Lizzie immediately had such peace when she was saved, but what did she really know or learn about God? And her grandfather, who never showed interest in the gospel, suddenly wanted to become a Christian on his deathbed?! Really? Come on!

To be fair - the author tried to include some of the native customs. The writing wasn't too bad and Sawyer also made an effort to describe the Alaskan scenery. But uff, the story just got worse and in the end I only continued because I have this awful urge to finish what I started (especially with books). So even though the cover art should have warned me, I tried this genre of light christian literature again - against my better judgment. It was a dissapointment. But you never know if you don't try.

[Christin · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have really enjoyed the other Kim Vogel Sawyer books I have read so I was looking forward to this Alaskan adventure. Sadly, I was disappointed. I didn't agree with their approach to missions, I thought it was reaaaaaallly slow, and it made a flip reference to a MASSIVE theological heresy. I can usually count on Mrs. Sawyer to be gospel-centered--it's one of my favorite things about her books and I was very taken aback and grieved when she casually referenced people within the mission who died before they heard the gospel. She implied that they were then not held accountable and got to go to Heaven Christ-less. This statement: 1. Nullifies Christ's perfect life, sacrificial death on the cross, and resurrection since it implies that you can access the Father through other means, 2. Refutes Scripture as it states in Romans 1 that creation alone is enough to proclaim who God is, we just ignore it, and 3. Eliminates the need for missions because why should we tell people about Jesus if not knowing allows them to bypass salvation through Jesus? Rather, this should be our motivation to promote world missions!! People are dying without knowing Jesus!

All people are sinners. We are born with a sinful nature, contrary to God. We need a savior to atone for those sins and give us a new nature. God lovingly and sovereignly orchestrated the greatest story of all time to do this. Jesus did this! To imply otherwise is a grave mistake, one that should not be taken lightly.

[Sophie · Rating 3 out of 5]

More like 3.5 stars, but I didn't like it enough to round it up to 4 stars

How...how did Lizzie and Clay fall in love? They barely spent any time together before they had both decided they loved the other person. Vivian was a bit more interesting than either of them, but her story just kind of got shunted off to the side. And then after the story meandered on for a while, a whole bunch of things got wrapped up suddenly in the last two chapters, including a two-year time jump in the last chapter. I enjoyed "A Hopeful Heart", from this same series, but "A Whisper of Peace" wasn't really my cup of tea.

[Sarah A · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was the first I had read by this author. I was not very impressed. Interesting setting, has some historical accuracy to it, is an interesting blending of the local natives beliefs and Christianity.

spoilers alert.
I appreciate the missionary work needed but did not like how this was explained in the book.
Lizzie's conversion was rapid - too fast and too convenient.
Clay is just irritating. I cannot see the self sufficient Lizzie falling for him.

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would have liked Vivian to get her own story. She was a nice character to follow and I would have liked to see her fall in love rather than just get a small cameo in the epilogue. I didn’t think that Clay and Lizzie had much chemistry and honestly didn’t spend much time together. I liked the antics of the kids though.

[June Guymon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vivid detail, unexpected twists and turns, and good characters add up to a heartwarming story.

[Ralynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

started out really good and then kinda fell flat in the middle was real bored then just ended leaving you wondering how things fell into place.

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library) · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable historical fiction read with a different than usual setting.

[Rachel Messick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fairly predictable, lighter themes. Maybe worth a re-read. Overall happy story of redemption and love set in Alaska.

[Bailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Whisper of Peace was an entertaining glimpse into the Alaskan Wilderness and life of a missionary at this time. I really enjoyed all of the aspects of tribal life in Alaska at the time along with the customs of starting up a mission. Clay, Lizzie, and Vivian all had strong voices, and their struggles and personalities were very clear. The setting was easy to picture no matter where they went. I did think that each character had one main issue they were struggling with, and this issue was fairly simple. For example, Clay's struggle with his focus on building had me shouting the answer at him for over half the book, and just the same, that's all it took in a letter from his father for him to have his issue resolved. So while their struggles were very real, they seemed to lack complexity. However, it is overall a very enjoyable tale that's easy to read and fun to take in.

[Bianca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Een prima roman, speelt zich af in Alaska bij een indianen stam. De hoofdrolspeler wil graag evangeliseren onder de stam. Hij leert een verstotene uit de stam kennen. Zie hier genoeg ingrediënten voor een prima roman.

[Lilian80 · Rating 2 out of 5]

nice historical fiction. Hero and heroin are both likable characters, but I would not call it a romance. There is hardly any romance or passion in this book. I have read all the books in this series and this one is my least favorite one.

[Erika Eggermont · Rating 1 out of 5]

Het begon beloftevol, maar hoe verder in het verhaal hoe meer God ter sprake kwam. Op den duur was het alsof dit boek ook bestemd was om bekeerd te worden. Nee, echt niet mijn ding. Blij dat dit uit is en ik zal nooit nog iets van deze auteur lezen.

[Morgan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the start of this book. I liked the plot and the friendship between Lizzy and Vivian. Before I was halfway through I started skimming ahead and before I knew it I was finished. I wanted to like this book and do appreciate other books by Kim Vogel Sawyers.

[Wintermote · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. A satisfying romance with a undercurrent of reconciliation under the narrative. There were a few things in the theology of missions that I certain don’t agree with, but I suppose were, unfortunately, historically accurate.

[Nora · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book I've read by this author, and I enjoyed the characters and the storyline, but [spoiler alert] Sawyer tends towards the "happily ever after" ending. Despite the satisfaction of a happy conclusion, it all seems a little too neat and contrived.

[Cindy Davis- Cindy's Book Corner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick read, very interesting!

[Carmella · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good story of how one can forgive.

[Minino Minino · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very enjoyable read!

This book is filled with love, compassion, forgiveness and the blessings and providence of Almighty God . I thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Pam]

Did not listen to the very last part - just could not get interested. Will try again in the future - may just have been my mood at the time.

[Mercy Dworzak · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love, love, loved this book! Great storyline and characters. I recommend this author and all her books highly. Great narration!

[Linea Winter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very enjoyable

[Doreen Nicolet]

Didn't like.

[Heidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual rating - 2.5 - I never really got into it... I enjoyed the potential storyline but felt like it was repetitive and nothing really surprising happened. Everything was quite predictable....

[Froukje · Rating 1 out of 5]

Phoe dit boek is echt problematisch.. wat een tijdsverspilling

[Patti Victorson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very interesting, enthralling read. I didn’t always identify and in parts I thought it peculiar. If you like Christian missionary adventure, you will like this story.

[Ruth Hays · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is my least favourite book by this author. I enjoyed all her other books.