Customer Reviews

The Longing Season (Music of the Heart #2)

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"The Longing Season", by Christine Schaub, is a "must read", even if you've never heard a hymn. This is the story of John Newton, who wrote the most popular hymn of all time, "Amazing Grace", and his beloved Mary Catlett Newton. Now before you run screaming from visions of a boring biography, I assure you this is anything but.

Christine Schaub has brought John and Mary Newton to life in this captivating novel. Before I read this, I was aware that Newton had been a slave trader, but I had no idea of what a complete reprobate he had been and how little he deserved the fidelity and love of Mary, a courageous woman who was truly ahead of her time. "The Longing Season" focuses on their courtship period when Newton has gone missing after sailing for Africa; and Mary Catlett who holds onto hope for his return without giving up her own personal life. This has to be one of the great redemption and love stories of all time, and Schaub wove it together so well, I could not put it down even though I knew how it ended.

"The Longing Season" is the second book from the "Music of the Heart" series. "Finding Anna", the story of Horatio Gates Spafford who wrote "It Is Well With My Soul", is the first book and on my list to read next. I am certain it will be just as fascinating as "The Longing Season".

If good things come in small packages, then you are in for a real treat with this short but very powerful and poignant story found in Christine Schaub's THE LONGING SEASON -- second book in her `Music of the Heart' series.

As the son of a sea captain in England 1746, there were few options open for a young man than to serve his king during a time of war. Unfortunately the young, brash John Newton served only himself. Going off to sea that journey would see him flogged, turned into a slave, then into a slave trader living a degenerate lifestyle while renouncing all of God's teachings. By some small miracle, word reached him from home and John would start on a new journey with a small `sliver of hope' that the young woman he'd once lost his heart to would still be waiting there. The journey would be full of pitfalls that would test his faith and bring him to his knees, but through it all Newton would discover the journey to redemption would be one of the most important of his life. Later in life, he would reflect over that journey and go on to write one of the most beloved hymns of all time - `Amazing Grace'.

This was an extraordinary read. The author researched and wrote this with impeccable attention to detail breathing life into the characters that made them even bigger than life. While John Newton led an interesting and incredible life, I was more impressed by the woman he loved. Mary Catlett was a young woman who gave away her heart to a childhood sweetheart, yet when all had given him up for dead remained steadfast in her determination praying for his safe return. Afforded a season in London, courted by a very handsome, very eligible and honorable heir to an Earldom she would turn down a brilliant offer of marriage to remain `waiting for John'.

This author's unique voice, well-written and fast-paced read was a joy making me both laugh and cry. To be sure, as a soloist in my church choir I will have a much greater appreciation while singing one of my personal favorite hymns now knowing of the trials this man's journey of redemption took him on to create such a masterpiece. I loved this book and very highly recommend it.

Marilyn Rondeau, RIO - Reviewers International Organization

Newton stood at the highest point on the neck of land, easily locating Stella Polaris in the rainless, star-studded sky....On the African coast he was successful and powerful. He had his own hut with household servants and two concubines ready to meet his every carnal need. When he returned from one of his regular slave-trading expeditions, he could relax beneath the frankincense tree, fish for bunga in the river, or walk along the beach with his Euclid. No Navy captains harangued him. No religious dogma restrained him.
He lived exactly as he pleased.
True, it was not the life he had envisioned for so long. It did not include the brilliantly lit shops of Cheapside and the gentlemen's clubs at Pall Mall. It did not include Mary.
...The Mende practices were far removed from the English and his mother's religion. "Diabolical...wretched," she would have called them. Well, then. He supposed he would live and die a wretch among them.

Excerpt from: The Longing Season

"Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me!" Who doesn't know the well-loved hymn? Who hasn't hummed the tune, or heard it played at a church service, on a movie, at a funeral? However, what few know is the deep, heart-wrenching story behind the words.
Before writing the poem turned hymn, sacred to so many today, John Newton lived a life of debauchery and passed through the teeth of hell, escaping only by God's abounding grace. In The Longing Season, Christine Schaub vividly takes the reader on a tour of England in the 1740's. She most expertly, without bogging one down in detail, draws a mental picture of English life in different social classes.
John Newton, wrapped up in the lucrative business of slave trade in the darkest of Africa, continuously spurns the whisperings of the Holy Spirit calling him to turn his life over to God. The only one who ever owned his heart was Mary, pure and innocent. However, to return to Mary means to give up his life of pleasure and sin.
Without so much as a word of his whereabouts year after year, Mary Catlett's heart is wooed by another. Viscount Alexander Todd, a loyal friend, was, as society labeled him, "her perfect match". She had difficulty disagreeing. Yet, as a child, her affections had been given to another, that prodigal son, John Newton.
As the years tick by, Mary waits for John to return, and the viscount waits for Mary to stop loving a man who, for all they knew, had been swallowed by the sea. Only God in his sovereignty knows whether or not John's stoney pride can be broken and if Mary's fidelity can withstand the test of time.
This is a compelling story of love, the love of a man and a woman being secondary to the great love and utter patience God had with John Newton. This wonderfully true story of redemption combined with Christine's God-given gift for creative writing easily makes The Longing Season a "can't put it down" kind of book. It is a "must read" for the lover of hymns, the lover of romance, the lover of history. Unforgettable.

"Amazing Grace" by John Newton has long been my favorite hymn, and with the recent film release of the same name (focusing on William Wilberforce and his efforts to abolish the slave trade in Britain), I was eager to learn more about the man behind the lyric. The words of that timeless song can tug at the heartstrings like few others. I'd always heard that Newton's dramatic conversion to Christianity and subsequent renunciation of slavery occurred while captaining a slave ship caught in a violent storm. It turns out that truth does not quite match the legend attributed to his life. However, after reading The Longing Season, I would posit that the actuality of Newton's life, though it may lack the "light bulb" moment and some of the drama of the legend, is an altogether more satisfying, stirring, and powerful portrait of the grace and transformative power of God at work in one man's life.

The Longing Season is both a redemption story and an exquisitely told love story. The novel is framed by two sections where an older Newton reminisces about his early life, rebellious youth, and the events that shaped his character. Author Christine Schaub paints a powerful portrait of the experiences and choices that brought Newton to the point that he could write the words to "Amazing Grace" and know with every fiber of his being that those words represented the truth of his life. The narrative seamlessly alternates between Newton's experiences and those of Mary Catlett, the woman who would eventually become his wife. John and Mary conducted a correspondence-driven, clandestine courtship that transcended distance, separation, and years of anxious uncertainty. As Newton reflects at one point in the novel, Mary was a living, breathing expression of God's grace in his life.

For most of the novel, Newton is quite unlikable, even replusive in his callous worldview. But I think any dislike has more to do with the fact that if you're brutally honest with yourself when reading Newton's story, you'll be able to admit to relating to the "pre-saved" Newton in some way -- if not in action, than in thought. The Longing Season does not look at life through rose-colored glasses -- it's at times painfully honest, but always heart-wrenchingly real in its portrayal of man's sinful nature and the power of Christ's redemptive work. Christine Schaub writes with the pen of a master wordsmith, and her skill and deft touch imbues the novel with a literary, almost lyrical quality. It's a story worth savoring that will stay with you long after you finish the final pages. Highly recommended.

"This book encompasses a wide range of subjects and emotions: romance, adventure, history, spirituality & unbelieveable faith & conflict. The story is so captivating I found it nearly impossible to take even a small break from reading. The author succeeds beautifully in creating characters that are interesting & believeable. The comprehensive descriptive narrative and smooth writing style are a rare find these days. The story gives the reader insight into the life of John Newton, who wrote the beloved hymn "Amazing Grace." His journeys from 18th century England to being a slave trader in Africa are quite enthralling. The period style of writing meshes perfectly with the subject matter. Her previous book, "Finding Anna" was also remarkable and even though I wouldn't have believed it possible, this newest endeavor surpasses her first book. I believe any lover of hymns and even those who may not be very familiar with them will find both Ms. Schaub's novels extremely interesting. A worthy & highly recommended read. I look forward to her future novels, which will complete the "Music of the Heart" series. I hope & pray eventually one or all of her books will be made into films as this would most certainly interest fans of such productions as "Pride & Prejudice."

The Longing Season re-tells Newton's difficult and often harrowing journey of redemption. The book offers perspective on God's sovereignty, but it doesn't attempt to "preach." Schaub's descriptions of all the characters, whether actual or fictional, and their interaction with each other, come to life in brilliant word pictures that cause the reader to want to keep reading. It is a compelling story, made even more interesting by the imagination and creativity of the author.

Like a reviewer before me, this, too, is my favorite hymn. And Schaub does an outstanding job of telling the story of John Newton, the man who penned the lyrics that were born of his own realization of just how amazing is God's grace.

Amazing Grace is one of my favorite all time hymns. Almost everyone knows this tune whether you are a Christian or not. My favorite version is when it is played by bagpipes. I think I had once heard an Adventures in Odyssey episode that described the story of John Newton (as they did with Horatio Spafford's song). So when I started reading this book about how the inspiration for this song was written I was intrigued. The book was chock full of historical information which I love. The characters are multi dimensional and Mary is a strong character, helping out with the doctor which was uncommon during that time period. Newton's story is harsh as with anything about slavery usually is. I especially found the scene where he I find it interesting that the couple's relationship prior to Newton's leaving was brief and chaste, yet there is a very deep relationship between the two. I really liked the flashback scenes that showed how they first met. The only thing I didn't like was that, even though I knew it was going to happen, was that just when Mary was finally ready to move on, John comes back. I was a bit miffed because Alex was so good to her and was there when she needed someone, while instead she pines away for someone she hasn't seen in years. And then the long lost guy ends up winning, while nice guy is left all alone. Other than that I really enjoyed reading this book. I was surprised to learn that Newton didn't write the last line the song. Ironically I usually only remember the first and last verses when I sing this song.

This book is a great prologue to the movie Amazing Grace (starring Ioan Gruffudd and Albert Finney as John Newton) that is coming out in a few weeks. In fact when I first heard about the movie, I immediately thought about this book. While the movie focuses more on William Wilberforce's character, this book is a prequel to get you into the mood for the movie. I definitely enjoyed reading this book and am looking forward to going back to read her first novel, Finding Anna which focuses on another of my favorite hymns.

I read "The Longing Season" and was somewhat disappointed. It was interesting to read about John Newton's life, but the biggest problem I had was..it was boring. I'd always heard how exciting his life was, but "The Longing Season" had me longing for some action. The biggest problem was the romance...or lack of. The central plot of the story is the intense love between John Newton and Mary Catlett, with the possibility of romance between Catlett and Viscount Alexander Todd.

The problem with all that was Schaub did a very poor job establishing the "intense love" between Catlett and Newton. It was all based on a few letters and very brief flashbacks, but a series of detailed flashbacks fleshing out that childhood romance would have made me a believer.

The book isn't without merit. Schaub does a great job with the setting and her dialog is excellent. I learned a few things as well. If Schaub had put as much effort into creating a "real" romance between Catlett and Newton as she did alluding to the possibility of a romance between Catlett and Todd, the story would have been much better.

A quick read. I did not find it as riveting as Schaub's first novel, 'Finding Anna'. Perhaps there just wasn't enough material to more fully develop the various characters. Still, if you enjoyed reading her first in the Music of the Heart series, do read 'The Longing Season'. I like to read other novels that a particular author are written in order to get a sense of the writer's style and interests.