After graduating from Boston Tech, Kansas-born Mennonite Thomas Ollenburger wonders what God has in store for him. When he meets Daphne and accepts a position as a journalist at her father's Boston newspaper, his job requires him to support a presidential candidate with questionable values. Thomas is torn---and God seems silent. What should he do? 352 pages, softcover from Bethany.
Average Rating: 5 out of 5 stars(5 out of 5 stars)
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3.5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Paige (Wellington, Fl), September 09, 2009
It was good, but not great like its prequel. I was disappointed in a sense at the end. I wanted it go another way. I also felt that it went to far into the future with Thomas, and that we should have grown up with him. I felt like we were thrown in the middle of his life with no background of what had traspired in the last few years since we left in the prequel. Overal a good read, but not great.
5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Deborah (Reston, VA), August 21, 2009
In Where the Heart Leads, the lives of simple Kansas Mennonites and big city Bostonians are brought together due to a young man trying to find his place in the world. ThomasOllenburger is a recent college graduate who returns to his home to figure out what do with his life. He is unsure if he wants to stay and help out his family on the farm or go back to Boston and pursue the career he’s always dreamed about. To make matters more complicated, both settings feature young women who are vying for a place in Thomas’s heart.
This book takes a subject not normally used in historical fiction. It is unique and interesting read as it shows a different side of the Mennonites, who have normally been portrayed as a modern version of the Amish. Here, the reader is taken back to the turn of the century and is shown how these people lived and survived in the Midwest. The characters in this novel are all very simple and down to earth. It is a rare occasion when the reader ends up feeling sympathy for both of the women who want Thomas to stay in their lives.
Politics and other hot topic issues of the time period are brought to life as Thomas delves into the newspaper business. The historical tidbits sprinkled throughout bring the story to life. The reader can feel the excitement of the upcoming election as the young people in the book are anxious to have their feelings and thoughts heard.
While this book is a sequel to Waiting for Summer’s Return, I felt that it can be read as a standalone novel. Enough information is given so that a new reader will not feel lost while reading. If however, you have read the previous novel, it is a treat to be reunited with the characters and see how everyone has fared in the past years.
5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Cindy Loven (Glenwood, AR), May 04, 2009
Where the Heart Leads
Kim Vogel Sawyer
2008
Bethany House Publishers
Fiction/Christian Fiction/ Historical Fiction
5 stars
Reviewed by Cindy Loven
Thomas Ollenburger, a young Mennonite from Kansas has graduated from college in Boston, where he has stayed for 6 years with a family friend. He is on his way to find God's will for his life. His father and stepmother hope, that will be back home in Kansas, and Thomas has a drawing to Boston. Perhaps the drawing has something to do with a lovely young lady named Daphne, the sister of a college friend.
Thomas spends several months in Kansas, and renews a friendship with a young Mennonite girl, Belinda, that he went to school with, and now he has mixed feelings about returning to Boston. However a letter from Daphne assuring him there is a job for him at her father's newspaper influences Thomas to return to Boston.
Watch the story unfold as Thomas returns to Boston, works hard and is promoted at the newspaper, and finds the truth. Truth about his work with the Presidential candidate, truth about his walk with God, truth about his job, truth about Daphne. Thomas grows up before your eyes, into a young man who knows God's will for his life.
A faith building book, as side stories about Belinda, and her family and their struggles, Daphne and her struggles to find faith, and Thomas' own struggles to find truth, will keep your attention. Another wonderful story from Kim Vogel Sawyer. 347 pages
5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Debbie Falls (Baltimore, MD), March 08, 2009
I loved this book. I was so glad that the author created this sequel to Waiting for Summer's Return. She really kept me guessing through the book as to how it was going to end. What a surprise, but the perfect one at that!
I am hopeful and anxious to see if she will write a continuation of the story in another sequel.
5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Andrea Casey (Florence, AL), November 14, 2008
I enjoyed this book immensely. Kim Vogel Sawyer always writes a great story. I never miss her books and look forward to the next one.
5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Linda Rondeau (Malone, New York), October 16, 2008
Through connections he has made from Summer’s family, Thomas Ollenburger has had the advantage of a college education. For the past several years, he has been away from his roots and the lifestyle of all that is familiar. Now he must make a choice. Not only in where he will live, but what to choose for a career and whom he should marry. These are not the only issues clouding Thomas’ life. He finds himself questioning the values of the father who raised him.
Only when Thomas’s finds himself face to face with ethical choices does he truly appreciate those values instilled upon him through his life.
Kim Sawyer has done an outstanding job in this sequel to Waiting for Summer’s return. In this story, she has taken an historical episode and weaved the impact of history upon the fictional lives of those who might have been impacted by these events. Once again she shows how God preserves those who set their hearts and mind upon Him.
5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Sheila Hall (Burkeville, TX), September 29, 2008
This book is wonderful!! I couldn't put it down till I was done!
I wish it wouldn't end!!!!
5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Jennifer AlLee (Las Vegas, NV), September 15, 2008
In the long-awaited follow-up to Waiting for Summer's Return, Kim Vogel Sawyer takes us on a journey with Thomas Ollenburger. He is torn between a life as a journalist in Boston, and returning to his small hometown to make a life there. Even worse, he finds he has feelings for women in both places.
This book surprised me more than once. A subplot concerning a presidential election and the power of the press makes it remarkably timely. And the romance aspect, while sweet and gentle, is unique with a lovely twist.
Fans of Sawyer will not be disappointed with her latest offering. And if you've never read this author before, don't worry. Even though this is a sequel, you can read it on its own and never feel left behind. Enjoy!
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Author: Kim Vogel Sawyer
Located in: Hutchinson, KS
Submitted: May 29, 2008
Tell us a little about yourself. Nothing is better than family time--not even cuddling a purring cat or eating dark chocolate. I'm an avid reader, especially a good historical novel. If I have a spare hour you'll find me quilting; a spare month? Acting in a play or musical. Not a day goes by that I don't sing, even if it annoys the cat. And not a day goes by that I don't thank God for my blessings--He is good!
What was your motivation behind this project? This project is a response to reader feedback. After WAITING FOR SUMMER'S RETURN released, so many people wrote asking if I would write a sequel, I finally asked my publisher if they would approve a sequel. Although I usually write single, stand-alone titles, they gave permission. So I truly hope readers enjoy this second visit with Gaeddert's residents.
What do you hope folks will gain from this project? As Christian parents, we try to train our children to follow God, but ultimately our children must choose for themselves who to follow: God or self. I hope this story, while entertaining, might open a reader's eyes to the realization that we can't "get by" on Mom or Dad's faith--we have to develop a personal "Him-and-me" relationship with God.
How were you personally impacted by working on this project? I did a lot of praying while I wrote this book. Partly because my family faced many conflicts during the months I worked on it, and partly because my youngest was finishing her final year of school. My biggest prayer is for my children to seek God's will and follow it, so as Thomas sought to find the right pathway, I prayed that my daughter would make the same choice--to seek God's pathway for her life.
Who are your influences, sources of inspiration or favorite authors / artists? God is my biggest influence. I call my story ideas "God seeds." In His timing, He waters the ideas and brings them to fruit. I am fortunate to have had parents who always encouraged me to pursue this dream and fellow authors who convinced me I could succeed. I am deeply grateful for their impact on my life.
Anything else you'd like readers / listeners to know: Please feel free to pop by my website. I love visitors!
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