Grace in Thine Eyes (Lowlands of Scotland Series #4) [Paperback]

Liz Curtis Higgs (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 21, 2006

Glen of Loch Trool. Spring 1808.

Davina McKie is a bonny lass of seventeen, as clever as they come and a gifted musician. Unable to speak since childhood, she is doted on by her belligerent younger brothers, Will and Sandy, who vow to protect their silent sister.

When the lads are forced to depart the glen, Jamie McKie intends to brighten his daughter’s summer by escorting Davina to the Isle of Arran. Her cousins make her welcome at the manse, and the parish delights in hearing their talented fiddler.

But when she catches the eye of a handsome young Highlander on Midsummer Eve, sheltered Davina is unprepared for the shocking events that follow.

A timeless story of passion and revenge, of lost innocence and shattered dreams, Grace in Thine Eyes explores the sorrow of unspeakable shame and the gift of immeasurable grace.

“Just as Davina is a master of the fiddle, Liz Curtis Higgs is a master of the written word.”
–Teresa Medeiros, New York Times best-selling author

“A phenomenal story that beautifully parallels its biblical counterpart.”
–Tracie Peterson, best-selling author of What She Left for Me

“Absolutely wonderful. Higgs manages to turn history and imagery and language into an unforgettable work of art.”
–B. J. Hoff, author of A Distant Music


A Reader’s Guide and Scottish Glossary Are Included

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for
Grace in Thine Eyes
“Grace in Thine Eyes was a joy to read! I savored every word of this tender and transcendent story of one young woman’s journey from disgrace to his grace. Liz Curtis Higgs is a masterful storyteller whose eloquent pen has truly been blessed.”
–Teresa Medeiros, New York Times best-selling author

“Absolutely wonderful. If you’ve read Liz Curtis Higgs’s earlier Scottish trilogy, you already know that she has an extraordinary gift for building a beautiful, elegant story around people thrust into crisis, people whose faith is severely tested in ways that hold us captive until the final page. Grace in Thine Eyes sings throughout with the pulsating rhythm of love–God’s love for his people and our love for one another. Higgs manages to turn history and imagery and language into an unforgettable work of art. A timeless masterpiece.”
–B. J. Hoff, author of A Distant Music

“Grace in Thine Eyes is a phenomenal story that beautifully parallels its biblical counterpart. In a world where love has so often been replaced by lust, Liz Curtis Higgs reminds us that what the heart is truly seeking is the grace and mercy of God’s forgiving love.”
–Tracie Peterson, best-selling author of What She Left for Me

About the Author

Liz Curtis Higgs is the author of twenty-three books with three million copies in print, including her best-selling historical novels, Thorn in My Heart, Fair Is the Rose, and Whence Came a Prince; her best-selling nonfiction books, Bad Girls of the Bible and Really Bad Girls of the Bible; and two contemporary novels, Mixed Signals, a Rita Award finalist, and Bookends, a Christy Award finalist. She is currently writing her fifth historical novel, Here Burns My Candle.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: WaterBrook Press (March 21, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1578562597
• ISBN-13: 978-1578562596
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 1.2 x 8.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #78,980 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Liz Curtis Higgs has been telling tales since she attempted her first novel--handwritten in a marble notebook--at the tender age of ten. Award-winning careers in radio broadcasting, public speaking, nonfiction writing, and children's books honed Liz's storytelling talents, bringing her back to her first love, storytelling.

She is the author of 28 books, with more than 3 million copies in print, including two contemporary novels, one novella, and six historical novels, among them her latest Scottish saga, Here Burns My Candle and Mine Is the Night, a New York Times bestseller.

Her popular nonfiction books include the Bad Girls of the Bible series of books, workbooks, and DVDs, with more than one million copies in print.

And she has written five books for young children, including perennial favorite, The Pumpkin Patch Parable.

Her children's Parable Series received an ECPA Gold Medallion for Excellence, her nonfiction book Embrace Grace won a Retailers Choice Award, and her novel Whence Came a Prince received a Christy Award for Best Historical Novel. Liz was an award-winning columnist for Today's Christian Woman for a decade. Her articles have also appeared in Faith&Friends (Canada), WomanAlive (Great Britian), and Enhance (Australia). More than 4,500 churches nationwide are using her video Bible study series, Loved by God.

A gifted professional speaker, Liz has presented more than 1,600 inspirational programs for audiences in all fifty United States and fourteen foreign countries. When the National Speakers Association honored her with the Council of Peers Award for Excellence, Liz became one of only 32 women in the world named to their CPAE-Speaker Hall of Fame.

Feature articles about Liz have appeared in more than 250 major newspapers and magazines, as well as on Salon.com, Beliefnet.com, and Spirituality.com. She has been interviewed on more than 600 radio and television stations, including guest appearances on PBS, A&E, MSNBC, NPR, TBN, CBC Canada, BBC Radio Scotland, Rhema Broadcasting New Zealand, Radio Pulpit South Africa, Focus on the Family, Life Today, 100 Huntley Street, Midday Connection, and Janet Parshall's America.

On the personal side, Liz is married to Bill Higgs, Ph.D., who serves as Director of Operations for her speaking and writing office. Liz and Bill enjoy their old Kentucky home, a nineteenth-century farmhouse in Louisville, and are the proud (and relieved) parents of two college grads, Matt and Lilly. Visit Liz's Web site: http://www.LizCurtisHiggs.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful tale of Grace and mercy., April 3, 2006

By 

K. "daisy4given" (Northern Arizona, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Grace in Thine Eyes (Lowlands of Scotland Series #4) (Paperback)

Liz Curtis Higgs has a wonderful talent for writing lyrical and picturesque Historical Christian novels that run the reader through a gamut of emotions, and teach lessons without being "preachy". Once again, with Grace, she has written a masterpiece!

For the first half of the book, I was not nearly as thrilled with Grace as i was with the preceding trilogy about Davina McKie's parents. They were so well written, how could they possibly be topped?! While I found it heart-warming to revisit the characters of Leana and Jamie and Ian, and to see how they had grown, I felt that Davina's story was aimed at a less mature audience than Higgs' previous books were, and I was thus not as intrigued as I had hoped I would be. But I kept reading... and as the novel gained momentum, and dug itself deeper into my heart, I no longer cared or noticed anything about the demographic that Higgs was aiming for, and fell completely in love with the story of Davina! That tricky Higgs! The further I got into the novel, the more enraptured I was, and the sadder I was to see the end of the book drawing near. I was glad to see Higgs take her novel a little further than the actual Biblical account of Dinah, to give those of us who had fallen in love with Davina a little bit of closure - but not too much!
While I still prefer the Thorn in my Heart trilogy, I did truly enjoy Grace, and was greatful for the chance to read about the McKie family once again. Grace portrays a well-developed main character, who, although she is perhaps a little too perfect at times, is entirely endearing. The journey that we follow her on is heart-breaking, but tells a tale of true love, grace, and mercy that will touch (and teach!) ANY reader.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More life-changing fiction from Liz Curtis Higgs, June 3, 2006

By 

Diana Urban (Texas USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Grace in Thine Eyes (Lowlands of Scotland Series #4) (Paperback)

Davina McKie is the daughter of Jamie McKie of Higgs's three Scottish Series books, Thorn in My Heart, Fair is the Rose, and When Came a Prince. Davina, a delightful girl and a talented fiddle player, has been unable to speak since childhood. Her brothers vow to protect her, but the cause of her disability is a source of tension in the family.

Although young, Davina faces unexpected challenges from which no one can protect her. When she meets the handsome Somerled, she believes he is the man God has in mind for her. Shocking events follow, and only God's grace can bring her through the trials she faces.

I have followed Higgs's fiction career with great interest, and her skill continues to grow with each book. Grace in Thine Eyes is intended as a stand-alone title and may be easily read and understood without reading the trilogy of Scottish novels published earlier. However, I strongly recommend all of Higgs's fiction, because she portrays God's grace and understanding through the characters in a way I seldom see with inspirational fiction. Watching the characters develop a deeper spiritual connection despite their personality flaws inspires me to seek a deeper relationship with God, because I realize my faults are not insurmountable. God's grace is sufficient for all of us.

I look forward to Higgs's next novel, Here Burns My Candle, the first of a new Scottish series coming out in March 2008. The new series will also be based on a biblical family, but is set in Edinburgh and the Borders in 1745-46.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Liz has done it again!, March 21, 2006

By 

V. Burt "book addict" (Rural Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Grace in Thine Eyes (Lowlands of Scotland Series #4) (Paperback)

This is a very wonderfully written fictionalized account of Genesis 34, based once again in 19th century Scotland.

Davina McKie lost her voice in a childhood accident, but she has a lot to tell us modern-day readers. She is a young, innocent lass when she goes to visit distant cousins on the Isle of Arran...where she is dishonored and shamed...but, thanks to God's grace she is able to pick up her life again and go on.

If you've read the account of Dinah in Genesis, then you know what happens. If not..well, I won't spoil it for you. Liz has (once again) brought her characters to full life - I was in tears before chapter 20, in knots over Davina's problems, and relieved when the problems seemed to be working themselves out....and in tears again when her brothers attempt to revenge the loss of her honor.

My only problem with this book? The hopeful rather than the happy ending - I want to know what happened next! *smile* (The Bible doesn't say what happens to Dinah, so I understand the ending...but Still!)

The characters live - I had to keep reminding myself that they didn't ever exist outside of the author's imagination. The situations are the same ones we find ourselves in - and the character's reactions are *exactly* like the ones we would have. (I only wish I were a gracious as Leana and Davina!) Grace is the underlying theme throughout the entire tale - and it's something we all could use more of.

Bravo, Liz - I think this is my favorite book yet!