Where My Heart Belongs [Hardcover]

Tracie Peterson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2007

The Journey Home Brought Equal Parts Healing and Heartache....Amy Halbert left home twelve years earlier, eager to cast aside the hindrances of small-town life. Her sister, Kathy, remained behind, left to witness the ripples of consequences that followed Amy's departure. When Amy suddenly reappears, her arrival sends Kathy into a maelstrom of emotion. Bitterness and betrayal threaten to consume her as the past is reawakened. But Kathy soon realizes that Amy has had burdens of her own to bear... Drawn together by their dying father's wishes, these sisters will travel down the difficult road of reconciliation...toward one another, and toward God.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The author puts the parable of the prodigal son into a modern day setting quite effectively.... A very good read!" -- Lynn Worley, faithwebbin.net --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

TRACIE PETERSON is the bestselling, award-winning author of more than 60 novels that regularly appear on CBA bestseller lists. Tracie also teaches writing workshops at a variety of conferences on subjects such as inspirational romance and historical research. She and her family live in Belgrade, Montana.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Bethany House (October 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764203967
• ISBN-13: 978-0764203961
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,735,948 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Tracie Peterson is the bestselling, award-winning author of more than eighty-five novels. Tracie also teaches writing workshops at a variety of conferences on subjects such as inspirational romance and historical research. She and her family live in Montana.

Visit Tracie's web site at: http://www.traciepeterson.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Don't be so quick to judge, October 1, 2007

By 

Deborah "Books, Movies and Chinese Food" (Fairfax, VA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Where My Heart Belongs (Paperback)

Amy Halbert changed her name, took her share of the family money, and left home for good. Kathy Halbert stayed home, taking care of her ailing parents, giving up her dreams to keep the family together. 12 years later, Amy now called Sunny, returns to find the home she left changed dramatically. Kathy harbors angry feelings towards her sister and vows never to forgive her. However when she finds out what really happen to her sister, the judgment she had previously passed seems too harsh. This is not just another retelling of the prodigal son story.

When I first started reading this book, I felt a sense of de ja vu. Didn't I just read a book this year with a version of the prodigal son story? I figured that this story would be the same like all the others where the prodigal gets treated like royalty while the older sibling is humbled and regrets feeling jealous. Boy was I wrong. This story is hard hitting and very heart wrenching. You can see where both sisters made mistakes in how they chose to live their lives and how they have to pay for their decisions. As the younger sister, Sunny doesn't try to gain sympathy when she tells her sister her story. Older sister Kathy, has every right to be angry in my opinion but the story also shows her as making the same kind of selfish choices her sister made. It puts a new spin on the story which I fully appreciated. As always with Peterson's books, it's a wonderful read with excellent story telling. The only part I didn't like was that the ending felt kind of rushed. You don't see any present interaction with Kathy and Kyle. And it felt a little too everyone is happy for me. I know that the characters have had harsh lives but it just seemed a little fast to close things up. However I really enjoyed this story. It's another winner from Tracie Peterson.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another great book by Tracie Peterson, November 11, 2007

By 

Gaynor Thomas (Bermuda) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Where My Heart Belongs (Paperback)

Tracie always manages to deal with emotional issues that can occur in families, only as the Lord would deal with them, and in this book, one is moved with compassion for both sisters, Sunny & Kathy. It is difficult to put the book down, until one sees the reconciliation complete ! Even the minor issues are dealt with so well by Tracie. I love her books anyway and would highly recommend this one (along with all her others)

3.0 out of 5 stars More Like 2.5 Stars, September 3, 2010

By 

C. Janes "southernsassygirl" (TN) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Where My Heart Belongs (Paperback)

Tracie Peterson has always been one of those authors that I can always rely on for a good read. Through the years, I have particularly enjoyed her contemporary fiction simply because she always weaves a good tale. I remember the last book I read of hers (The Long Awaited Child) was devoured in a day.

I hate to say that I did not completely enjoy this book. I could tell after the first few chapters that the story would be a little redundant, and Kathy would have a very difficult time forgiving Amy's mistakes. It's not that Kathy should have forgiven Amy with no questions asked, but the topic just kept coming up over and over again. I also didn't like some sections of the book where some of their conversations seemed full of pat responses to one another.

Another subject that seemed to come up over and over again was the death of their mother shortly after Amy left home. Kathy, as well as a few members in their small community, blamed Amy for breaking her mother's heart when she demanded her inheritance and flew the coop. Now, I understand that the death of a parent is difficult, but geez, it seemed that everyone couldn't keep from piling a huge load of guilt on Amy because of it.

I hope Where My Heart Belongs was just one of those flukes that some authors seem to have at least one of. Thankfully, this one book is not enough to keep me from reading any more of Tracie's books in the future.

2.5 Stars