The Songbird of Hope Hill by Kim Vogel Sawyer

 The Songbird of Hope Hill

Book Summary

Driven by survival to a life at a house of ill repute, Birdie Clarkson now longs only for escape. So when Reverend Isaiah Overly and his son, Ephraim, appear and offer a better life, she jumps at the chance. Ignoring the furious raging of the madam, Birdie climbs into the back of the preacher’s wagon. 

 

The men take her to Hope Hill, the haven the reverend and his wife, Ophelia, founded so women like Birdie can be taught skills to help them rise above their pasts. Soon a resistant Birdie finds herself singing in the choir Ephraim leads at revival meetings, even though she’s certain she’s the last person who should be representing God. 

 

Reverend Overly teaches that no one is irredeemable, but even as Ephraim is falling in love with her, Birdie remains convinced that she’s past saving. After all she’s been through, can she ever believe that God’s redemption wipes every soul clean? And can Ephraim convince her that God loves her more than she can grasp—and that he does, too?

My Thoughts

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.

The Songbird of Hope Hill is available from Amazon*.  You can find Kim Vogel Sawyer's other novels here.  Thank you for joining me today.  I hope I have helped you to find a new book to read (or add a book to your large TBR stack).  Tomorrow I am featuring The Poison Pen by Paige Shelton.  It is the ninth A Scottish Bookshop Mystery.  I am off to do some housework.  The house will not dust itself.  I tried to get the cats to use their tails to dust the furniture, but they did not cooperate. Dickens and Bucky (short for  Buckeye--she is a toirtoise and has the colors of a buckeye in her fur) have just turned fourteen (born at Easter).  They are sisters (Dickens is an orange tabby and lives up to her name).   I hope that you have a cheerful day.  Take care and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader

*I voluntarily read an advanced copy of this book.  I am not required to leave a review.  The comments and opinions expressed are strictly my own.