Customer Reviews

Say to This Mountain (Shiloh Legacy)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Another great addition to the Shiloh Legacy Series. This book was especially fulfilling as it ties many of the characters together and also ties up some "loose ends" from the first two books.

There is just the right amount of humor to counteract the many serious issues dealt with in this book. Many of the chapters bring on laughter, while others bring on the tears.The only thing that I did not particularly enjoy was the "mob" aspect of the book. Yet, it was realistic to the history of New York and necessary to the plot. In addition, the New York City meets Shiloh aspect is one of the funniest things about this book.

The Thoene's characters are real and often not as predictible as many other historical fiction series. They are not perfect by any means, yet many are great examples of faith in adversity.

I love books by the Thoenes, but any book from this series ranks right at the top of the list. *Say to this Mountain* is real. It deals with what was reality in America in 1930. Doctors forced to imagine illnesses in employees of a factory in order to keep their jobs. Black men arrested and losing their property to [...] sherriffs. A man and his son chased by a mafia member who desired nothing more than to execute them both.

I can imagine that some people might read those things and think that it sounds too sad to read for pleasure. Please don't assume that. There is so much beauty to the people and the stories that it is enjoyable reading.

Life can be good to live even when one goes through awful things. The same is true in the books that we read. Even though we may ache for the people in the stories, we love them. We live along with them.

This book, along with the other books in the series, is excellent, because it gets you to live right along side those in the books. You don't just learn about their lives. You participate in them in a very real sense.

The Great War is over, and the Roaring Twenties are at an end, too. Veterans Ellis Warne, Thomas Jefferson Canfield, Max Meyer, and Birch Tucker have done what veterans do, returning to their homes and working to build lives for themselves. Things have gone well enough for Dr. Warne, despite his lost leg. Or at least they have so far...which is about to change, in ways that may well cost Ellis a lot more than one leg. Max Meyer has just discovered that he's the father of a six-year-old son; and not only is the boy motherless, he's also the target of a mobster's assassin. That prompts Max to take the boy and leave New York City, where he's a successful reporter, for what he hopes will be safety in remote Shiloh, Arkansas. That's where Birch Tucker operates his family's ancestral farm, with wife Trudy (Max's cousin) and a "hired man" whom Birch claims has worked for him for the past ten years. Since Birch came home to Shiloh fairly recently, from the oil fields of Oklahoma, no one can prove otherwise. But before a tornado claims his life and cuts off Shiloh's easy access to the outside world by tearing up its railroad tracks, Birch's KKK-member cousin J.D. figures out that the "hired man" is an escaped convict nicknamed the Cannibal. J.D. wants the reward for that convict's recapture, so his death has come as a relief to Birch, Trudy, and Thomas Jefferson Canfield. Birch's unjustly imprisoned black war buddy, for whom he's named a son and whose bride is about to give birth as the book opens.

That's the setup, which I had to get straight with help from the authors because I came into this series ("Shiloh Legacy") at Book 3. It was worth the effort. Like the Thoenes' "Zion Covenant" series, this one is peopled by realistic characters and set solidly within its time and place. It is at once a hard book to put down, and a book I hated to finish; because I enjoyed it so thoroughly that I wished I could spend a longer time immersed.

That's high praise for a realistic story that I've managed to read just as the United States appears to be sinking into an economic situation reminiscent of the one my grandparents faced when they were a young couple with a family to raise. What even last year might have seemed to me like one more tale of their struggles during my mother's girlhood, this year reads far too much like today's headlines. Which is all the more reason to read it, of course! What better time to remind myself of the difference that faith makes?

--Reviewed by Nina M. Osier, author of "Love, Jimmy: A Maine Veteran's Longest Battle" and 2005 EPPIE winner "Regs"

"Say To This Mountain" is set in 1929 right after the stock market crash. It picked up immediately after the end of "A Thousand Shall Fall." This book was my favorite of the trilogy and was the third in the series. You really need to read at least "A Thousand Shall Fall" before this book to fully understand the events in this one. Besides, reading this novel out of order will spoil many events in the previous two novels.

There were several point of view characters from different parts of America and different stations in life. The characters were interesting, engaging, and dealt with realistic struggles. However, one character did do a pet peeve of mine: he decided not to tell his wife and child that they were in danger because...it might worry them.

The story was a fast read. The suspense was fairly high from beginning to end due to relationship tensions and threat of physical danger to several of the main characters. The historical and setting details brought the story alive in my imagination. The backdrop of this book was the fall-out from the market crash and how it affected various types of people.

Several of the main characters were Christians. There were multiple occasions where the characters briefly had conversations about God and how He worked, but they flowed naturally as a part of the story and weren't "preachy."

There was no explicit sex. There was a minor amount of "he cussed" style bad language. Overall, I'd highly recommend this enjoyable, well-written historical novel.

OH MY GOSH!!!! If you read Book #1 you have to read #2 then #3 is a MUST!!

Every book in the Shiloh Legacy series was wonderful. They are full of American cultural and political history and offer a deep spiritual story, weaving in meaningful characters within realistic situations. They bring the early 20th century alive!

This is the third in a series of books beginning post World War I and up to 1929 and the stock market crash. It gives a great perspective on the effects of the manipulations of the bankers and stock brokers on the average family. Typical for Thoene books, it's wonderful historical fiction and a great way to enjoy a book and learn at the same time. I was sorry when it ended.

Brodie Thoene is an excellent author and this series of three books was up to her standard. The story of four men who served in WWII and their lives after returning home, going through the great depression along with their families are interwoven. Their loves, their children, and their faith are all part of the story.

The book was received on time and in excellent condition. The book was inspirational and well written for the time frame in history that was covered.

THE THOMES HAVE DONE IT AGAIN!!! THIS BOOK IS PART OF A SERIES AND YOU WILL WANT THEM ALL!! YOU WILL LOVE THE CHARACTERS AND THE HISTORICAL RESERCH IS EXCELENT!! YOU FEEL AS YOU WERE THERE. FIND YOUR FAVORITE READING SPOT AND GET READY TO ENJOY!!!
EMILY SIMPSON