Colman Harpe works for the C&O in the Appalachian rail town of Thurmond, West Virginia, but he’d rather be a preacher and lead his own congregation. When a member of the rival McLean clan guns down his cousin and the clan matriarch, Serepta McLean, taunts the Harpes by coming to a tent revival in their territory, Colman chooses peace over seeking revenge with the rest of his family. Colman, …
Colman, known for an unnaturally keen sense of hearing, is shocked when he hears God tell him to preach to the McLeans. A failed attempt to run away leaves Colman sick and suffering in the last place he wanted to be–McLean territory. Nursed by herbalist Ivy Gordon–a woman whose birthmark has made her an outcast–he’s hindered in his calling by Serepta’s iron grip on the region and his uncle’s desire to break that grip. But appearances can be deceiving, and he soon learns that the face of evil doesn’t look like he expected.
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When Silence Sings by Sarah Loudin Thomas is a powerful Christian historical novel set in 1930. Some details are factual, around which the author has woven her story.
The main focus of the novel is an ancient feud, sparked by jealousy of the gifts from God. It is Old Testament stuff – an eye for an eye but Jesus shows us a new way, He calls us to love our enemies and to forgive. “God loves everyone – no matter how wrong we might think they are.” It does not matter what we think of people, each one is a child of God.
The feud is fuelled by anger. We need to let our anger go. When we cannot do this in our strength, we must ask God for help. “It was going to take long hours on his knees to let this anger go.”
God asks that we are obedient to His calling. At its core, the novel has the Jonah theme. Sometimes God has to bring us to our knees before we obey Him. Far better to respond when we first heart His voice.
God uses a child to soften a heart of stone. Fences around a heart meant to protect, have imprisoned instead.
Jesus used parables to teach lessons. People will learn far more through stories than when we bash them with our Bibles. We need to live and love like Jesus.
Trust is a major theme. It requires little trust when we can see in the light. Trusting in the dark is a whole new level. “When you can’t trust anyone else, trust God.”
God looks at our hearts. Within the novel there is prejudice against skin colour – one is too dark, another too light. We need to look beyond the surface to see the heart that beats beneath.
When Silence Sings was a wonderful and powerful read. It was beautiful to witness hearts turning to God.
I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.
This is an interesting and engaging book, right to the end. Step into an Appalachian feud, just like the Hatfield and McCoys, only it’s the Harpe and McLean families. They’ve been in a feud for many years, some don’t even know why. Colman Harpe will go through an experience both like Jonah and the Whale and Joseph when he resists God’s call. Lots of bible lessons throughout, all good and well applied. Coleman is a preacher, and as good as he thinks he is, he still finds it hard to tolerate a McLean, especially after one just killed his cousin. But he’s called to bring the McClean clan to God. Serepta is the head of her clan, and she’s tough as nails. There’s bootlegging, theft, kidnapping beatings and murders in this story. Just about everything you can think of. It’s so well written you can’t help but wish salvation and the best for each of them. In fact the characters are so real I caught myself starting to tell my husband something about a character one day (!)
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
#WhenSilenceSings #NetGalley
I am so in love with this book and it is now a part of my favorite book list. Sarah Loudin Thomas has completely captured the culture of Appalachia and much of what she mentions is native to my area of Kentucky. Blackberry Winter; the odor and taste of milk when cows have eaten in a pasture field filled with spring onions; a meal with cornbread and greens, followed by spreading apple butter on that cornbread for dessert. So familiar to many of us but so foreign to those who have grown up elsewhere. I also love the deadly family feud depicted between the Harpe and the McLean families because I have grown up with the legendary feud between the Kentucky Hatfields and the West Virginia McCoys. What is most appealing to me, however, is Colman Harpe’s desire to become a preacher but wanting to do it on his own terms. How could God expect him to preach to the people who have been enemies of his family for generations, especially Serepta McLean, the meanest and most powerful woman around their area of West Virginia? But that is what God wants him to do and Colman’s reluctance parallels the biblical Jonah’s efforts to avoid going to Ninevah.
When he finally realizes that he MUST heed God’s call, his first chance to minister is with a group of McLean women that he encounters as they mend their clothing while sitting under a circle of dogwood trees. At a loss of what to say, Colman tells them about the legend of the dogwood tree and its role in Jesus Christ’s crucifixion. As they sit mesmerized by his story, he realizes that the best way to reach the McLean family might not be through traditonal preaching. Maybe, Colman thought, he could use stories and illustrations to share God’s message. After all, isn’t that what Jesus did through his parables?
Thomas has created so many fascinating characters. Colman Harpe; Ivy Gordon, the young woman who is feared because of her lack of skin pigmentation but gifted with amazing medical skills; Charlie, Serepta McLean’s black houseman who understands her like no one else; and Emmaline, the little girl who changes the lives of so many people. It is, however, Serepta who stole my heart. No, she isn’t a good person or a model citizen but she is the person that I would like to see in another story. I believe that her ability to serve God could be as powerful as her ability to bootleg illegal liquor and run an empire!
There is a suggested romantic connection between Colman and Ivy but When Silence Sings isn’t your usual love story. It is instead a tale filled with the many different emotions that influence our lives and God’s amazing ability to turn hatred and pride into acceptance and understanding. Sarah Loudin Thomas has created a wonderful story and I recommend When Silence Sings to all who enjoy Christian fiction and family drama.
I received a copy of this book from the author and Bethany House but a positive review was not required. These are my honest opinions.
In her latest novel, When Silence Sings, Sarah Loudin Thomas relates the story of Colman Harpe, a young man who feels God’s call on is life despite a long-standing feud between his family and the McClean family. After the death of his cousin at the hands of a McClean, Colman feels an urging from God to take the Gospel to his longtime enemies but like the Biblical story of Jonah, Colman decides to follow his own path and like Jonah, he pays dearly for his choice.
This book is a powerful story filled with exceptional characters both good and evil and there were times some of them surprised me. One in particular was not at all the person I thought he was. It is a story of enemies driven by a feud that no one can remember how it began. It is a story of one man who finally decided to obey God or possibly die and a special woman whose heart was so pure despite the difference that made others fear her.
Although there are hints of romance in When Silence Sings, it is not the primary focus of the story. It is a story that points out the hate and prejudice that drives humans away from God and the power of love and forgiveness to bring reconciliation and restoration to those who need it most.
I have loved each of this author’s previous novels but When Silence Sings is a special story that will linger in my mind for some time to come.
I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by the author and Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group. A favorable review was not required. All views expressed are my own.
The funeral setting in the first chapter was carefully revealed with true to life historical detail. I knew then that I would be captivated to the end by the story written by Sarah Loudin Thomas.
I recognized the story of Job amidst the experiences of Colman and was pleasantly surprised as the similarities and differences of his tale was told. I couldn’t figure out the heart of Serepta which made for a though-provoking read.
The story of the Harpes & McLeans was told with enough other characters to paint a vivid picture without overwhelming me with names and histories to remember. I would certainly enjoy getting to know some of them better in another book.
And then there was that moment in the book when the title emerged from the story…it made perfect sense. I could hear it and I was able to remember hearing it throughout the story. I’m definitely being wooed to read it again; perhaps I’ll have the chance to listen to it as an audiobook.
An incredible story!
Have you ever looked at pictures from the Great Depression era? You know that feeling, that sense of melancholy you get? Almost a stillness, a solemn view of life, and a sense of resignation with just a tinge of hope. Sarah Loudin Thomas takes these same emotions and turns them into prose in a poignant manner in When Silence Sings.
This amazing story pulled me right into the mountains of West Virginia amid a feud that started a century earlier. Where folks lived in conditions we would be appalled at and yet thought nothing of it. Where poverty was so much a part of life it wasn’t even a thing.
The speech of the characters and the narration were rich with the idiosyncrasies and colorful flavor of Appalachian families without feeling overdone.
The conflict between the McLeans and the Harpes was so ingrained into the fabric of the characters, even Colman, who desired to be a preacher and knew the Word of God well, didn’t find it strange or wrong for the feud to exist. He despised and feared the McLeans. In fact, I was set to not like him much when I first observed his thoughts and actions. Then I realized that this was a retelling of the story of Jonah. All of a sudden, my entire perspective changed and I saw how masterfully the author communicated the type of reluctance Jonah would have felt when told to go preach to the sworn enemy of his people!
Perhaps it is my love of stories; nevertheless, I was captivated by the way Colman preached. Not by creating deep treatises on theological teachings but through the simple stories of the Bible, made more relevant and real to his audience. In a community where education was rare, there wasn’t a much better way to reach their hearts!
I was intrigued by the way the issues of prejudice were brought into the story. Not only was there the prejudice of the families towards each other and prejudice against a man of African-American descent, one of the characters lacked pigmentation in her skin and was feared by the people for that.
While there is a hint of romance, this is not a romantic story. It deals with deep heart matters such as hatred, unforgiveness, and pride. And shows the power of God to transform hearts and minds. The ending is satisfying but does not neatly wrap up all the loose ends, much like real life.
This is my first full-length novel by Sarah Loudin Thomas and I hope it is not the last! She is now on the list of authors I really enjoy!
Read my review of When Silence Sings by Sarah Loudin Thomas at AmongTheReads.net
I was given a copy of this book. I was not required to give a favorable review nor was any money received for this review. All comments and opinions are my own.
Outstanding new release from Sarah Loudin Thomas, When Silence Sings continues excelling in her story-telling with another novel set in West Virginia. With her love of her home state, history and the Appalachian heritage, Thomas pens an engrossing story set in Thurmond, West Virginia, a small Appalachian rail town.
Coleman Harpe wants to be a preacher, not many are taking him serious. As with many of the menfolk of Thurmond, he works for the C&O rails. His deepest desire is to have his own church and congregation.
There is a long-standing feud between the Harpe and the McClain families; when a McClain shoots a Harpe in the back, the feud flares and no one dares to step into the others territory nor be seen as supportive of the other side. Except Colman is expected to carry on the feud, hunting down the McClain who shot his cousin in the back. Colman wants peace and refuses to join the search. When Colman hears word from the Lord, to go preach to the McClains, specifically one Serepta McClain, the matriarch, he runs away.
Re-appearing in a sick and depleted state, Colman is nursed back to health by Ivy Gordon, a young woman who is well-known as a healer. Unfortunately, Colman’s reappearance is smack dab in the middle of McClain territory; for awhile Ivy is able to keep Colman hidden but eventually word gets out, and when it does, it fans the flames of the feud even hotter. Slowly, Coleman begins sharing stories in his own unique way, stories that encourage love and forgiveness, stories reflecting the Appalachian culture in order to enhance understanding, stories straight from the Bible.
Finally Colman is heeding the Lords call to preach to the McClains, but the one he needs to reach, Serepta McClain remains unreachable. She’s not interested in stories, she’s interested in preserving her empire. So, the, how is Colman Harpe to reach her closed heart, and in turn the McCain clan.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and am under no obligation to write a positive review. All thoughts and opinions therein are solely my own, and freely given.
Colman Harpe has a special gift of hearing so works as a tapper of wheels for the railroad in Thurmond, West Virginia in 1930. He has dreamed of being a preacher but when God calls him to preach, it is to the McLeans who have a long running feud with the Harpes. This doesn’t sit well with Colman but when God takes him through a Jonah type experience, he understands he must obey. He has tried to stay clear of the feud, but still finds it hard to have charity of heart toward the McLeans, especially after the death of his cousin. The book has some very interesting characters, including Serepta McLean, Ivy Gordon and her grandpa Hoyt, and various McLeans and Harpes. I really liked Colman. He wanted to serve the Lord, but was honest about his difficulty about taking God’s word to enemies of his family. As he begins to allow God to use him, God works in some mighty ways. I highly recommend When Silence Sings. I received a complimentary copy of the book from the author. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Beautiful words that warm your heart and make you fall in love with these wonderful characters. You will feel empathy for Serepta , sympathy for Coleman, and love Ivy. This story will weave around your heart and pull you into the hills of WV, where clans feud and traditions are followed. Ms. Thomas has hit the nail on the head with this one with her impeccable research and insight into these peoples. Having family from the areas she writes about I can say she paints a word picture that is accurate in her descriptive prose. The hope and inspiring storyline will draw you in from page one and keep you engrossed until the end. Recommended reading for your must buy list.
I received a complimentary copy from the author/publisher. The honest review and opinions are my own and were not required.
4.5 stars
“And then the silence began to sing.”
Colman Harpe longs to be a pastor of the people, but when he gets caught inextricably in the middle of an ongoing local family feud, he begins to walk a line finer than a piece of thread. On the one hand, his unusual circumstances land him in what many consider to be enemy territory, but on the other hand he might be exactly where God intends for him to be; weak, confused, and at the mercy of those who would love to hate him. Except for Ivy.
Serepta McClean is a woman who gets what she wants, and right now that means standing up to her son’s disregard for human life, even if he did kill a Harpe. Stirring up old hatreds takes energy that she doesn’t want to expend and it’s important to Serepta to maintain control over her legal and illegal business ventures through-out the coal mining hills of West Virginia. So when a story telling preacher man from the “other side” catches the attention of “her people”, she wonders just what kind of God this man wants her to believe in . . . . . but in reality, Serepta just wants him to go away.
What a beautifully written story, with its deep, impressionable characters and rich, convicting spiritual truths. Just how far does the Lord want us to go in order to love our enemies and do good to those who hate us? The author has not only delivered a clever twist on the biblical story of Jonah, but has managed to leave us all wanting to hear the voice of God.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher. The opinions stated above are entirely my own.
‘I’d rather look for the best. The worst usually makes itself known soon enough.’
West Virginia. 1930. Two families, the McLeans and the Harpes, feuding with each other for generations, find things are coming to a head quickly after a McLean guns down a Harpe in cold blood and runs off.
Colman Harpe promised his mother he’d not get involved with the feud and so far he’s managed to keep his promise. Colman has felt the call to preach and then he hears God call him to preach to his sworn enemy, and the head of the clan, in particular. Serepta McKlean is a strong, unbending woman and it’s her son who did the killing. Will she listen to the words from God Colman brings? There are many, many secrets that stand to be revealed if she listens.
This book was fascinating. Told in Thomas’s unique style, in the backwoods and hollers of West Virginia, the reader gets a glimpse of a life that is no longer. Her way with words is special indeed and the cadence of her descriptions is perfect! I was entranced the entire time I was reading. The spiritual element here is good, too: sometimes everything that looks bad is not always bad and God can bring about His work no matter what our eyes see. Highly recommended. Bravo!
*My thanks to Bethany House Publishers for a copy of this book via Net Galley. The opinions stated here are entirely my own.
The Harpes and the McLeans have been feuding for generations, so it’s no surprise to Colman Harpe that when his cousin is killed by a McLean, the Harpes want vengeance. Colman, an aspiring preacher, tries to remind himself that vengeance is the Lord’s and stay out of things, but then he receives an unexpected call from the Lord–to preach to the McLeans. Not sure how to carry out that call, and even sure he wants to, he heads out on a fishing trip instead, only to be stranded in a storm and lost in mountain caves until he emerges in the McLeans’ territory, cared for by Ivy, an outsider who encourages him to answer his call to preach to the McLeans.
Serepta McLean, the matriarch of the McLean clan, has worked too hard to gain control of and prosper the family businesses to let anything get in her way. Neither of her two sons quite seems up to scratch to be the next leader of their empire–the elder is too sloppy and the younger too eager to make changes Serepta doesn’t approve of. While she needs to tend to business and bringing at least one of her sons up to scratch, when a terrible accident leaves a young girl orphaned, Serepta impulsively takes her in and soon finds that the little girl changes her life way more than she anticipated.
Wow! This book was incredibly well written. I don’t know anything about West Virginia in 1930, and yet, Sarah Loudin Thomas brought it to life in such a way that it felt totally familiar to me. I was quickly immersed in the setting as well as the plot. From the get-go, Colman, with his Jonah-like story, just tugged at my heart; I think a lot of readers can relate to feeling like there’s something God wants us to do but don’t have any idea how to actually do it. I thought that was totally relatable, as was how he felt caught between his family and his own desires for life. Ivy and her uncle, who care for him, were totally endearing as well. As for Serepta, she was a fascinating character, one who does things that are definitely questionable but who also does good things. She, along with other characters, definitely make for interesting discussion topic, like what makes someone good or evil, if anyone is past redemption, etc. There’s just so much to like about this book–and there’s tons to talk about, which makes it a great choice for book clubs. Highly recommend–I’m picking this as one of the best books of 2019!
I read an ARC provided by the publisher via #NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
With an aspiring, story-telling preacher and a seemingly heartless woman with a bootleg “empire”, Sarah Loudin Thomas brings us a story of God’s forgiveness for all, and the Christian’s responsibility to be just as forgiving. Set in the West Virginia mountains, we are introduced the the Harpes and the McCleans. Two families who have revolved around a feud for decades with no end in sight. But a series of events, beginning with the story of Jonah, softens hearts that had been hardened for years, and opens eyes that had been blinded by hate. “When Silence Sings” is about what truly matters in life, and shows how much stronger love and peace are than hate and vengeance. Five stars for this honest, thought provoking read.