About this book:
“Birdie Clarkson only recently started working at Lida’s Palace, a house of ill repute at the edge of Tulsey, Texas. Abandoned and penniless, she turned to someone she thought was a friend, but instead it turned out to be a nightmare. She wants to leave, but doesn’t know how. And how will she ever feel clean again? When Reverend Isaiah Overly and his son, Ephraim, arrive offering a safe haven and better life for any of the women who want to leave, Birdie takes a chance. Ignoring the madam’s furious raging, she climbs into the back of the preacher’s wagon.
The Reverend and his wife, Ophelia, welcome Birdie to Hope Hill, which they founded as a haven to teach women how to read and write, how to keep a house, and other skills necessary to ensure their future will be brighter than their past. Hesitant at first, Birdie soon joins the preacher at revival meetings and becomes part of the chorus, singing alongside Ephraim.
Reverend Overly’s ministry is built on the premise than none are irredeemable. When romance develops between Ephraim and Birdie, will Ephraim be able to convince Birdie that God’s redemption wipes the soul clean—or will she feel forever smeared?”
Series: As of now, no. Seems to be a stand-alone novel.
Spiritual Content- Romans 10:11 at the beginning; Many Scriptures are mentioned, remembered, read, quoted, & discussed; Many Prayers & Thanking God (including a couple “If God loves the way the preacher said He does…[something won’t happen]” prayers by Birdie); Revivals, Church going, Worshiping, Services, Sermons, & Singing hymns; Being baptized; Lots of witnessing to others & Being witnessed to (very frequently); Many talks about God, Jesus, freedom in Him, trusting Him, His ways, following Him, forgiveness, sins, salvation, & redemption; Talks about those & events in the Bible; 'H's are capital when referring to God & Jesus; Birdie thinks God has turned His back on her after she went to Lida’s Palace (also thinking that she can’t trust Him because everyone else she’s trusted has hurt her in some way and later wishes she knew how to pray for others); *Spoilers* At a revival, Birdie feels a tug and around the half-way point prays to receive God into her heart which changes her outlook and thoughts towards herself; She is also baptized as a public proclamation of her new faith; Birdie does get mad at God for a brief moment when disappointing news comes to her and she wonders if this is a test of her commitment to God *End of Spoilers*; Birdie recalls her mother not liking church, not wanting her father to read the Christmas story to her, & being mad at church and God (*Spoiler* this is because a friend was violated by a pastor they both knew *End of Spoiler*); Ephraim and his family have prayed diligently for brothels like Lida’s Palace to end; Ephraim’s father goes to house of ill repute to preach sermons to the women working there and the men who visit those places (the madam makes a comment that there’s been no “sermon good enough” to keep the men away and that “fine Christian folks” in town snub the women there); Ephraim’s parents have warned him about remaining professional to the women at Hope Hill so that the women aren’t distracted about a relationship with a man instead of with God who could “restore them from the inside out”; Birdie feels condemned by church goers for her prior employment & is concerned about always having that stain on her; Ephraim uses his talents to honor God and lives for Jesus, but isn’t sure if he’s happy; Ephraim wonders why God doesn’t heal someone who is doing a lot of good for others & feels like it’s unfair; Ophelia came to a place of peace about putting aside her dreams to support his husband’s dreams (God uses their combined desires to serve a greater purpose); A former brothel worker doesn’t think God bothers with her because of her past (she makes a handful of comments throughout the book); A former brothel worker hopes that God takes the baby in her womb from her; A woman quotes her father talking about God helping those who help themselves and that if God is real, He will help good people and because He’s powerful, she doesn’t need to help Him; A man at a revival talks badly about the former prostitutes and would rather a preacher set fire to the brothels than talk to the people there (he also says that there are sins too big to be forgotten and is mad that the preacher brought the women into a church); Lida says that God let her loose years ago or perhaps she let Him loose; *Spoiler* Towards the end, Ophelia prays with Lida *End of Spoiler*; Someone thinks she is being carried by an angel to Heaven (she is not); Many mentions of God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, freedom in Him, trusting Him, His will, following Him, forgiveness, sins, sinners, & salvation; Many mentions of prayers, answered prayers, praying, blessings over food, & thanking and praising God; Many mentions of churches, church going, revivals, sharing the gospel, professions of faith, reverends, preaching, sermons, ministries, worship, choirs, & songs/hymns; Mentions of Bibles, Bible reading, Bible studies, & devotions; Mentions of those & events in the Bible; Mentions of God-given talents and gifts; Mentions of a baptism; Mentions of Heaven; Mentions of Christians & being Christlike; Mentions of miracles; Mentions of blessings & being Blessed; Mentions of holier-than-thou people, condemning faces at a church towards former brothel workers, & Ephraim’s parents’ ministry being run out of two prior towns by those who opposed their ministry; A few mentions of God’s commandments; A few mentions of God enacting judgment on the wicked; A few mentions of Methodist & Presbyterian Churches; A couple mentions of the book ‘Pilgrim’s Progress’; A couple mentions of a woman’s name being stricken from the church’s membership list for having a child out of wedlock; A mention of a man being called a saint; A mention of a preacher being called a “religious fanatic”;
*Note: A few mentions of luck (which Birdie wonders about wanting luck for a new job because luck hasn’t been in her Bible reading); A mention of good Christians praying instead of wishing (which at that reminder, Ephraim plays a hymn singing out a prayer); A mention of the phrase about idle hands being the devil’s workshop; A mention of a family’s “curse” of weak hearts.
Negative Content- Minor cussing including: two ‘stupid’s; A mention of curses (said, not written); Eye rolling; A fire, smoke, saving someone in a burning building, & injuries (up to semi-detailed); An Illness, Pain, & Injuries (barely-above-not-detailed); Grief & sobbing over a death (barely-above-not-detailed); Ephraim eavesdrops on his father’s private prayer & feels guilt for doing so; A man at a revival talks badly about the former prostitutes and would rather a preacher set fire to the brothels than talk to the people there (Ephraim agrees with him about burning down the brothels *Spoilers* until he sees one on fire and rescues a woman out of the burning building; He is ashamed of his prior thoughts; Ophelia is scared that he started the fire but doesn’t ask him about it; A woman says that part of her wishes she died in the fire *End of Spoilers*); Ephraim bites back bitter comments towards his parents after learning upsetting news; Birdie tells a fib (knowingly, but doesn’t want to tell someone a sudden revelation); Birdie faces a girl who is mean towards her & her snide comments, but Birdie shows her grace; Mentions of deaths & grieving families (including for children, barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of an illness progressing (weakness of the heart), fainting, injuries, pain, & early deaths because of it (*Spoiler* Ophelia has this and knows her time is near *End of Spoiler*, up to semi-detailed); Mentions of a fire, attacks, violence, & injuries (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of people running the ministry out of town (including threatening to burn their house down and cause harm/injuries to them); Mentions of thieves, stealing, & stolen items; Mentions of mothers leaving their children (including Birdie’s mother leaving her); Mentions of cigars & smoking; Mentions of bullies & their snide comments; A few mentions of a father dying after being kicked in the stomach by a mule (Birdie’s father); A few mentions of an injured dog & the dog being shot at (but will be okay); A few mentions of a liar, lies, & lying; A few mentions of jealousy; A few mentions of a child becoming mute after inconsolable weeping; A couple mentions of wars & battles; A couple mentions of threats & bribes; A couple mentions of prisons & jails; A couple mentions of rumors; A couple mentions of hunters & hunting; A mention of possible murder; A mention of arson; A mention of vandalism; A mention of a fist fight; A mention of a drunk; A mention of manure;
*Note: Birdie’s mother left her and ran off with a man; Birdie recalls her mother’s hurtful words & yelling at her; Mentions of the deaths of infants & a mother holding herself aloof from another baby that made it past infancy (*Spoiler* Birdie’s mother with her, which Birdie isn’t sure she agrees with her father’s thoughts on the second part *End of Spoiler*); A few mentions of a book & author (Les Misérables); A mention of a man treating his wife like she’s stupid.
Sexual Content- Light touches, embraces, & nearness (barely-above-not-detailed); A married couple shares seven barely-above-not-detailed kisses and touches (barely-above-not-detailed); Birdie works at a house of ill repute and there’s comments on and many mentions of it (such as Birdie being tricked into staying there, Birdie feeling dead inside because of it, wearing bawdy costumes, a woman asking if a man was eager the night before after seeing ripped clothing, a woman tells Birdie that she doesn’t have anything “worth buyin’” for a man, the women competing against each other, men buying their bodies, the actions there being a sacrifice to strangers of something “that is meant to be shared as an expression of love to a devoted husband”, a madam calling the girls her “merchandise” and belittling them, a madam saying there will be more girls coming to work for her because the world is full of men that will visit them, the women there being used instead of cherished, some women going back to that former life after living it for some time, a couple of the women feeling unclean, their desperation forcing them to sell their bodies, & the money earned from it); The words prostitutes, fallen women, and soiled doves are all used when referring to those who work/worked at brothels or houses of ill repute; Birdie prays that if God is as loving as a reverend says, there won’t be a baby inside of her; Birdie is concerned about seeing men who visited the brothel at a church, but then berates herself thinking that they wouldn’t come to the church; Birdie feels disgraced because of the stain of being at the brothel and feels unclean and not good (this becomes aware to her after seeing condemning faces at a church); Ephraim’s father frequently visits house of ill repute to help the women there and preach to them (Ephraim never went in before this book starts and thinks that he received “enough ridicule and rejection” as a result of his father’s actions by those who don’t understand their ministry; When he goes in, he keeps from looking at the woman because of their clothing, but does look at their faces later); Ephraim’s parents have warned him about remaining professional to the women at Hope Hill so that the women aren’t distracted about a relationship with a man instead of with God & encourage him to find joy and fulfillment in God (like they encourage the women); A woman is infatuated with Ephraim and tries to impress him with her actions and appearance & attempts to be near him often (he’s aware of it and does not encourage her); Ephraim says that the men who go to brothels “engage in depravity, sullying an act God intended to be holy between a husband and wife”; Ephraim comments on the depravity of prostitution resulting in unwanted conceptions and the babies being before in shame, but his mother says that the child is innocent of wrongdoings and that a child’s conception never takes God by surprise adding that every child is a blessing and not a burden; Ephraim struggles with the thought that what his family is doing for the former prostitutes isn’t enough and that the men who frequent brothels should be held for their actions with the women (instead of just the women being shunned by others in town); *Major Spoilers but important trigger note regarding mentions of a sexual assault* Ephraim was conceived when a pastor violated the young piano player at his church who was a 16-year-old girl; That young teen girl was Lida, the brothel owner, and Ephraim is very angry, hurt, and embarrassed by it, thinking less of himself and that his parents lied to him; Ephraim thinks that she became a prostitute because of him and what happened to her; He feels tainted and unworthy after finding this out and for a couple chapters he thinks this; The assault is only described as a violation of the girl and of her trust of the man, no other terms like assault or rape are used in the story part of the book (assault is used in the discussion questions) *End of Spoilers*; *Spoilers* The other woman who leaves the brothel with Birdie, Olga, is pregnant; She would have seen someone who would get rid of it, but didn’t want to hurt the baby because it did nothing wrong, so she was thankful when the reverend came; Olga doesn’t plan to keep the baby, however, thinking it would be best of both of them; Olga says she isn’t good or clean and the baby proves it; She plans to give the baby to a place that will find a good home for the infant; *Major Spoiler* She chooses to get married to a widower and keeping the baby which seems to be a very good solution for her and the man *End of Spoilers*; Many mentions of houses of ill repute/brothels, prostitutes, the women of the house of ill repute’s “visitors”, the women bragging about how many favor them, & being “more friendly” to the men; Mentions of abortions (never directly named, but said as “the person who could make babies leave a mother’s womb” and getting rid of a baby); Mentions of out-of-wedlock pregnancies, the prostitutes who get pregnant at a brothel being casted out if they got pregnant, them leaving the brothels to give birth elsewhere, & seeing someone who would get rid of it so they could continue to work at the brothel (one women didn’t want to do that because the baby did nothing wrong but doesn’t want to keep the baby herself); Mentions of crushes/liking someone, infatuation, & being jealous; Mentions of flirting; A few mentions of adultery; A few mentions of Birdie’s mother running off with a man; A few mentions of some of the women being attracted to Ephraim since he is the only available man around them (this has happened since he first had whiskers; It’s added that sometimes the loneliness would tempt him to respond to the women, but his mother encouraged him to find his joy and fulfillment in God while praying about a future spouse); A couple mentions of a prostitute getting a pair of horses in a trade for her services; A couple mentions of others making speculations if a single man ran a home to rescue and rehabilitate fallen women; A couple mentions of a teenaged girl’s father kicking her out after seeing her kiss a guy which lead her to go to work at a brothel; A couple mentions of reputations & scandals; A couple mentions of married couples kissing (barely-above-not-detailed); A mention of the possibility of women being molested; A mention of Birdie knowing how babies are made; A mention of a father calling his teenaged daughter “bad names” when finding her kissing a guy; A mention of a woman appraising Ephraim; Some love, falling in love, & the emotions;
-Elizabeth “Birdie” Clarkson, age 17-18
-Ephraim Overly, age 26
P.O.V. switches between them, Ophelia
Set in 1895 (Epilogue in 1890)
352 pages
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Pre Teens-
New Teens-
Early High School Teens-
Older High School Teens-
My personal Rating-
{ Add up to a full star for Older Teens who may relate to the feeling of not feeling worthy enough for God‘s love or a “lost cause”.}
Even though I’ve read and enjoyed many books by this author, I was hesitant to read this book due to it being compared to “Redeeming Love” and “Where the Road Bends” by Rachel Fordham, two books which I admittedly didn’t like due to content and how events in those books played out. That said, I decided to try this book because I’ve enjoyed the faith content this author puts into her books and thought she wouldn’t go into the details of the unfortunate lifestyle that Birdie was tricked into. The actual parts of that house of ill repute are actually only in the first two chapters, so it while there’s many mentions of prostitution and the women feeling ashamed by their pasts, it was kept PG in terms of the actual content, I venture to say, but would still say it’s better for ages 16+.
I was concerned that this book might have the “savior” trope that is very common with this type of plot-line—that is, when the male lead is looked as the main girl’s savior out of a hard or terrible situation and their love is what is the main message of this book. But, once again, I had hope in this author’s faith content shining through and being the true redemptive message and that’s exactly what happened. The faith content was so strong throughout this book and there were very few pages where God wasn’t thought out or prayed to on page. The faith content truly makes this book stand out with the message of God wanting everyone to come to Him no matter your past actions.
I do think that Ephraim fell a bit quickly for Birdie as he wanted to protect her more than the other girls, but the romance was definitely second fiddle to the important faith content and faith moments throughout the book.
Both Ephraim and Birdie could be considered sheltered in different ways, so they did have their moments and thoughts that felt younger than their ages—but then again, Birdie was only seventeen so it makes sense for her. I did find it hard to connect to both of them and I wouldn’t say this is a new favorite by this talented author, but I did enjoy all of the faith moments and discussions.
See y’all on Friday with a new review!
*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.
*I received this book for free from the Publisher (Revell) for this honest review.
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