Beth Quinn is struggling to find a place to belong in the Old Order Mennonite Community of Sommerfeld, Kansas. When she starts a business designing stained glass windows, two men, one a Mennonite, the other not, begin to vie for her attention. Andrew Braun, a member of the Sommerfeld fellowship, is dedicated to family and faith. Sean McCauley, the son of a successful businessman, may only be interested in Beth's talents. Will her desperate quest for love shatter more than one heart?
Average Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars(4.5 out of 5 stars)
8 of 27 Reviews Showing:(View All Reviews)
5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Suzanne Crosser (Hillsdale, MI), August 18, 2008
This book was so good. I really loved reading it. I love the way you go into their lives.
4 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Sherry Gillingham (Tempe, AZ), August 08, 2008
I enjoy Kim Vogel Sawyer's books about the Mennonites. This second book in the series is different from the first book, which dealt more with redemption. However, I enjoyed reading how Beth finds her place in the Mennonite Community.
5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Sharon A. Lavy (New Carlisle, OH), July 22, 2008
In Beginnings: Beth gives up her dream of running an antique store about the same time she realizes her gift of working with stained glass. Her grandfather and grandmother Koeppler as well as her mother encourage her in this endeavor. But Beth's new venture struggles with time constraints, supply problems and two other men trying to run her life.
Kim Vogel Sawyer's stories have a healing touch. The family relations thread that touched me was the concern Beth had that she was losing her mother, since Marie had returned to the faith of her childhood.
The take home value of Beginnings, for me?
Priorities. By getting her priorities straight Beth pricks the heart of another man old enough to be her father. He thought he was doing right, until Beth taught him that in order to truly honor God, our priorities must be right.
4.5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Jessie Welty (Pennsauken, NJ), July 16, 2008
This was a very interesting book and I enjoyed it a lot. I hope there will be more out there about the Mennonites.
5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Patti (Stockbridge,GA), May 19, 2008
Kim Vogel Sawyer is such a talented writer! I have loved every book I've read by her, and BEGINNINGS was no exception. Her gentle fiction writing is easy to read but keeps me very interested and wanting to read more. Reading about the stained glass process in BEGINNINGS was very interesting to me, and it's easy to see Kim certainly does her research! ~ The message of hope is evident in Kim's writing, and I can't wait to read more of her books.
5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Patti (Stockbridge,GA), May 19, 2008
Kim Vogel Sawyer is such a talented writer! I have loved every book I've read by her, and BEGINNINGS was no exception. Her gentle fiction writing is easy to read but keeps me very interested and wanting to read more. Reading about the stained glass process in BEGINNINGS was very interesting to me, and it's easy to see Kim certainly does her research! ~ The message of hope is evident in Kim's writing, and I can't wait to read more of her books.
5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Lillian Gore (Clanton, AL), April 11, 2008
BEGINNINGS.ANOTHER GREAT BOOK BY KIM.I REALLY DID RNJOY THIS BOOK.I LOVED READING ABOUT BETH,HENRY AND MARIE,MOST OF ALLTHE BIBLE VERSES WERE SO GOOD TOO.PLEASE KEEP THE GOOD BOOKS COMING.THANKS
4 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Chandra (Littlestown,PA), March 03, 2008
Beth Quinn feels like the misfit of Sommerfield, Kansas. She moved there with her mother to claim her inheritance. In the process, she found faith and an unknown talent in stained glass making. Her mother embraced the life of the Old Order Mennonite, married her childhood sweat heart and is pregnant with twins. Beth feels loved but left out. The only place she belongs is in her stained glass studio.
She dreams of using newfound Christian faith by using the talents God has given her to operate a successful stained glass studio. Enter Andrea Braun, member of the Sommerfield fellowship and Sean McCauley, of McCauley Church Construction. Andrea works beside her in the studio and longs for her success to give him the opportunity to stop farming and follow his love of art. Sean contracts her to do stained glass windows for the churches they build.
Can Beth forget her painful past and trust these men for who they are and not what she fears they want from her? Or will she be swept away like the tiny glass dust on her studio floor?
This book will draw you in and keep you reading as you root for all of the characters. And when you close the book you will be eager to read the next one.
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Write a review of Beginnings, Sommerfeld Trilogy Series #2
Author: Kim Vogel Sawyer
Located in: Hutchinson, KS
Submitted: April 30, 2007
Tell us a little about yourself. I am wife to Don, mom to 3 girls, gramma to 4
boys, lover of music and cats and chocolate, and--
most importantly--born again child of the King.
Church is a major part of my life, where I teach
adult Sunday School, participate in both voice
and bell choirs, and lead the drama team. When I
have free time, I love to quilt or act in
community theatre. In addition to my writing
ministry, I have an active speaking ministry, and
I enjoy the opportunity to share my testimony
with others--God has been amazingly involved in
my life, and I love to praise Him!
What was your motivation behind this project? I have three daughters between the ages of
seventeen and twenty-five. They are starting out
in their adult lives, and helping them look to
God to direct their pathways is so important to
me. Didn't Jesus use parables to get His point
across? :o) Hopefully this story will help a
reader somewhere look UP instead of inward before
pressing ahead of God.
What do you hope folks will gain from this project? We are always faced with choices, and choices
bring consequences...some good, some bad.
Actively seeking God's will rather than depending
on our own "sense" is always best, but not always
easy, as Beth discovers.
Who are your influences, sources of inspiration or favorite authors / artists? God is my greatest inspiration and influence. I
call my story ideas "God seeds." In His timing,
He waters them and brings them to fruit. Fellow
authors in American Christian Fiction Writers
inspire me with their consistent encouragement
and dedication to glorifying God through their
writing endeavors. And of course my family is a
wonderful source of inspiration!
Anything else you'd like readers / listeners to know: I love to hear from readers! Please feel free to
visit me at www.KimVogelSawyer.com and drop me a
note. God bless!
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