Sarah's Song

I didn't think I would like this story, but after the first couple of pages I quickly became engrossed. One of my favorite aspects of the story is that it is based in the Greer/Spartanburg area, which is just minutes from where I live. I hate to sound shallow, but I don't normally like to read stories about older characters. I'm not to that stage in my life yet and it makes me sad to read about someone in a nursing home with no friends or family around them, waiting for death. Karen wrote a beautiful story, with a beautiful meaning. Even though the story was based in 1941 it will appeal to any age reader as the things that happened to Sarah could happen to any one at any time of there life. The impact of Sarah's story on Beth was especially touching to me, I really enjoyed seeing her heart soften towards her husband. Definately worth 5 Stars!

Karen Kingsbury is my wife's favorite author and she has read most of her books. This series is another collectable.

This book is one of those you may find difficult to put down. It is a sweet story and I enjoyed it so much I have losned it to all my friends.

The love stories described in this book were wonderful! I thoroughly enjoyed hearing Sarah's story and how she became reunited with the man that she loved, through a song she wrote just for him. I loved how she used her story and song to minister to Beth, who is struggling in her own marriage. The story reminded me of the return of the prodigal son. Sarah ran off to Nashville to chase a dream, leaving the man that she loved. Only, she gets entangled into such a negative lifestyle. Broken, she returns to her parents, who welcome her back with open arms. And eventually, she is reunited with her loved one with open arms. And the same with Beth, with her husband. I loved the Red Gloves theme in this book as well, and how Kingsbury used each letter of "The Red Gloves" for each of the 12 Days of Christmas that Sarah uses to tell her love story. And the Red Glove ideas for ministering to the elderly were great, too.

Karen Kingsbury has found a formula for success before --- that's why she has over a million and a half books in print --- and she has definitely found it again in her Red Gloves series, of which the newest title is SARAH'S SONG. The red gloves, she explains on her website (www.karenkingsbury.com), symbolize red because "red is the color of Christ's love at Christmastime, a season of giving. The first books in the Red Gloves series were also alliterative: MAGGIE'S MIRACLE and GIDEON'S GIFT, making SARAH'S SONG seem somewhat sensible. (Oops, I got carried away...) Eighty-six-year-old Sarah Lindeman begins her annual Christmas ritual of placing twelve handmade paper ornaments on a small plastic tree, and hopes that as she works her way through her personal "twelve days of Christmas" (the twelve days before December 25, for Sarah), that she will be able to reach out, through her song and her story, to someone in need. At first Sarah believes that Beth Baldwin, the young married nurse on her floor, will not be the person she reaches. But as Sarah's ornament days progress and she finds herself in the thick of old and painful memories, Beth finds herself in the midst of domestic chaos and marital trauma. The beautiful and meaningful song that Sarah herself wrote and sings on each day of her ritual winds its way into Beth's heart and mind until she finds herself asking Sarah for counsel. Sarah eagerly shares the story of her paper decorations, each of which has a name ("Excitement," "Rebellion") representing an action or period in Sarah's story of finding love. A naturally talented singer, Sarah had longed as a young woman to "make it" in Nashville. But when she leaves her tiny hometown for that city, she finds that the road to stardom is paved with roadblocks. And roadblocks are what Sarah's song is all about. Beth listens towards the end of the twelve days as Sarah tells a hard tale about believing that she had lost everything --- and therefore turning her life and story over to God. '''...finally one Sunday I took the situation to God.' Beth's eyes were wide; she looked like she wouldn't have moved from her chair for anything in the world. 'And?' Sarah smiled, slow and full. 'He gave me my song.'" Beth, torn about her marriage, eagerly awaits the next installment of Sarah's story and song, but before Sarah is finished, a crisis occurs that means she may not be able to do so. Will she release "the secret of love" to Beth? And what role do the red gloves play in this story? The answers are all there --- and so is a warm, meaningful Christmas story that has little of the frippery and ornamentation of most commercial fiction published at this time of year. --- Reviewed by Bethanne Kelly Patrick