A coming of age story about faith, love, and overcoming society’s prejudices during the American Antebellum period.In 1810, Lucy Hallison suffered from a severe illness at the age of three, and later recovered, a deaf-mute. Unable to relate to the world in which she lives, she’s often ignored and sometimes treated with cruelty. Until a boy, Samuel Burke, steps into her life at the tender age of … the tender age of seven, coloring her world and showing her what it means to be seen, to not be invisible, to be understood.
The two become inseparable childhood friends, and as they grow and mature, there is the promise and hope of something more that also grows between them. But the hope of something more is put on hold so she can attend The American Asylum at Hartford for the Deaf and Dumb, the first of its kind, requiring her to leave the only home she’s ever known and the only boy she’s ever loved.
But while she is away, tragedy strikes, and Samuel is now the one unable to relate to the world in which he lives, unable to find his own voice, and withdrawing from everyone and everything he’s ever known.
When Lucy returns home from school, she has one goal in mind—to put color back into his world the way he had once put color into hers.
Because Samuel Burke had been her voice when she had needed him most.
Now, she is determined to be his.
Note: Inspired by real people and true historical accounts.
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We all need to listen with our hearts.
How were the deaf treated in earlier centuries? Not well if Reverend of Silence is to be believed. Pamela Sparkman obviously did a great deal of research on this engrossing fictional tale.
I loved so much about this novel. The friendship between Noah and Sam was both heart-warming and humorous. The love between Lucy and Sam was beyond tender and sweet. As their story unfolds, it is hard not to smile. While the cruelty of life causes pain and confusion, I couldn’t help but share in their courage, despair and (ultimately) joy. My only negative observation about this absorbing read is the numerous times that Pamela Sparkman failed to stay in the era with the dialogue of the characters. The time period felt more like the early twentieth century rather than the early nineteenth century.
All in all, this is a book worth reading. I hope you will take the time to give it a go.
Content 411: There are a couple of mild swear words, some mild kissing and a fade-out intimate scene that is left to the reader’s imagination.
Disclosure: I received this book for free from eBook Discovery. I voluntarily review this book. This is my honest review.
Set against the backdrop of a town run by a tyrannical beast, three children find friendship, acceptance, and ultimately a deep and abiding love. This has to be one of the most beautiful books I have ever read and it certainly unleashed a storm of tears that I wasn’t prepared for. At about the twenty-five percent mark, I ditched my box of tissues and reached for the roll of paper towel! Not used to being ignored nor stared at, Samuel decides that after the first day at his new school, he won’t be going back. He was no match for his parents, Reverend and Mrs Burke, and when he once again finds himself sitting next to Lucy, he is shocked to discover that she is deaf. Her brother Noah is the first one to reach out to him in friendship and as the relationship develops between the three children, Sam’s concern for Lucy’s wellbeing increases until he discovers a way to break through to her. Sam becomes Lucy’s means to express herself, as he and his family find ways to enable her to receive the education she so desperately wants. Their first separation comes when Lucy is accepted at a school for the deaf, but their budding romance is kept alive through romantic and poetic letters. However, when a cruel tragedy befalls Sam, Lucy is at her wit’s end to reach him. Having no voice, she can only try and get through to him with her presence. The crime committed against Sam brings out the best and the worst in Sam and Lucy’s families as they battle against the injustices carried out in the small town. Staying on the right side of the law is difficult, even for Reverend Burke. However, Sam ultimately finds a way to fight his own battles and then redemption comes from the most unexpected source. I cannot praise this book enough, despite it leaving me with swollen eyes and voice hoarse from crying. I received this book for free from eBook Discovery. I voluntarily post this review. This is my honest review.
“I’d thought being stared at was the worst thing for someone to be exposed to. I was wrong. Being invisible was. And Lucy Hallison had been invisible to mostly everyone. But not anymore. “I see you, Lucy. I promise I do.””
Once again Pamela Sparkman has left me at a complete loss when it comes to trying to put down in words my thoughts for one of her books. I’m sitting here thinking about this story, wishing I had the skill to write a review worthy of it. I may be at a loss for words, but not at a loss for tears, oh no, never at a loss for tears.
This was a captivating, enthralling coming-of-age story. Sam was Lucy’s champion from almost the moment they met, when he was 8 and she was 7. His young heart seemed to know it had found the one it was meant to love, even at such a tender age. And even through separation and the toughest of times, the love between these two never waivered. Their love was beautiful and uplifting, and it made my heart soar.
As beautiful as the love their shared was, at times I had to put my Kindle down because of how overwhelmed I was by some of what was taking place on the pages of this story. Love, hate, tragedy, bigotry and ignorance, Sam and Lucy, and their families, faced it all. And they faced it together, and oh how I loved that about them.
I can say without hesitation that this will be one of the most special books I’ll read this year. I fell hard for Sam and Lucy, Noah, and the Burke and Hallison families. I don’t think there’s been a book where I’ve loved the supporting characters equally as much as I did the main characters, but that just changed with Reverend of Silence. This may be Sam and Lucy’s story, but damned if their families don’t deserve all the love, too.
Reverend of Silence is such a unique, compelling, heart-tugging, tear-inducing, makemefeelallthefeels, one-of-a-kind kind of story. And I have in no way done it justice.
It’s a beautifully written book and beautifully told story. Every character in this book has their roles and I can’t just forget them. Lucy, especially, has become one of my all time favorite heroines and I learnt a lot by reading this book. Everyone needs to read Reverend of Silence.
I couldn’t fathom the challenges the deaf people faced in the 1820’s but they were pretty huge. Reverend of Silence is a fantastic book. A powerful and inspiring book. The author tells her story through two families. Samuel Burke and his reverend father and mother.
Lucy Hallison, her brother Noah, their 3 other older siblings and their parents.
Lucy is a deaf 7 year old who is invisible to her family and her surroundings. That is until Samuel enters her classroom and changes not only her life but her family’s too.
Samuel doesn’t turn his back on the girl everyone ignores and teases because of her disability. No, he gets angry once he discovers that Lucy is deaf. He, Lucy and her brother Noah forms a friendship. A beautiful and pure friendship.
Samuel changes so many lives with his views and outlook on life. Lucy blooms as the years passes because she’s finally seen. By Samuel of course but most of all by her family.
The struggles and growth these two families go through are heartbreaking, heartfelt and inspiring.
I fell hard for Sam, Lucy and Noah. For their parents. There was no hate or fear. Just love and admiration.
Pamela Sparkman has created a brilliant literary and historical fiction. A coming of age story which captures the disadvantages and struggles deaf people had to experience in that era. It’s difficult to read at times because the hate and bigotry people had towards deaf people was sad and real. Based on ignorance. Throughout this emotional story shines a gorgeous love story. A story that is worth a read. I’m so grateful to have experienced it.
5 Meet Me On The Dance Floor Stars
Sam Burke at the age of 8 moves with his family to a new town and like all small children he dreaded having to make new friends. He was also the reverends son and he knew he was to be held to a higher standard than the other children. On his first day of the new school he accidentally slams the door and the entire classroom of kids jump except for one, Lucy Hallison. She stares at him and unnerves him so he goes home sick. It is not until the next day that he learns from the school bully that she is deaf and some of her reactions suddenly make sense. Sam ends up friending Lucy and her brother Noah and finds out that even her own family sometimes ignores her. Many times people are cruel to Lucy just because she is deaf and they assume she is dumb. Sam recognizes how smart she is and helps Lucy get the education she deserves and wants. The story continues from when they are children and on to when they are adults. It is a love story with a few obstacles to overcome and work through. I know I am not doing the story justice it is more of a read it for yourself. I could not put it down.
I really liked the book. It was written well and it pulled me in. It made me cry and made me smile; I wanted to physically harm Mr. Clive many times. I liked Lucy and Sam. I liked their families as well. I had a hard time putting it down. In first grade I learned the ASL alphabet because of a boy we had in class and his mom was his translator and she kindly showed us some signs. I ended up taking ASL in college and I recognize some names in this story like Mr. Gallaudet. This story makes me want to go read up on him and the others that are real in this story.
I received this book for free from eBook Discovery. I voluntarily review this book. This is my honest review. The opinions in this review are 100% my own.