Product Description

Linda Hall's thrilling fiction, which confronts the toll domestic violence takes within American homes and explores how the church might address it, melds contemporary characters with a powerful story's punch. Sadie's Song opens with the disappearance of nine-year-old Ally Buckley, which bears too much resemblance to two recent and chilling events. As fear spreads throughout the New England fishing village of Bowden's Landing and the local church that Sadie and her family attend, she discovers a drawing by Ally among her abusive husband's possessions-and odd evidence that danger may be closer to home than she'd ever known.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #149120 in Books
• Published on: 2001-05-03
• Released on: 2001-05-03
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 304 pages

From Publishers Weekly
In this haunting tale, a seasoned author (Margaret's Peace) explores the mind of a domestic violence victim, inviting readers to peer in at Sadie's "marriage full of secrets." When Sadie married Troy, she was impressed by his ministry of "righting wrongs." But even as she longs for them to be a normal Christian couple, Troy's smothering control gradually sucks her into a horrifying spiral of abuse. Sadie comes to believe the problems in her marriage are her fault. "Maybe," she thinks, "all I need is to buckle down, start making lists, learn to manage my time better, watch what I eat, pray more, have devotions every morning." As she struggles with Troy's escalating anger, which spills over into the lives of their five children, she befriends Judith, whose only child, Ally, has disappeared. When she finds Ally's paintings in Troy's workshop, Sadie is tormented by the question: is his dark side even darker than she knows? Hall is adept at giving the reader just enough information to build suspense and using symbols to add dimension to the story. The church is portrayed evenhandedly as both an imperfect entity that aids the abuser and a caring group of people that comes to the aid of the victim. Although several fine novels dealing with domestic violence and the church have been released recently (Velma Still Cooks in Leeway; Serenity Bay), this title adds a fresh and welcome voice to the chorus.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
*Starred Review* In Sadie's Song Hall turns from her contemplative mysteries to the finely wrought character of Sadie Thornton, a stay-at-home mom with an obsessive, rule-bound husband who, when his job goes sour, begins to beat her. Wife abuse within Christian families has become a common theme in Christian fiction. Hall's effort is distinguished because of her understanding of the dreary minutiae of Sadie's life, expressed subtly and lyrically: "Crocuses are finished and the daffodils are up and blooming, and two little girls have disappeared, one was found dead, and everything is perfect and fine in this life of mine." Nothing much happens in Hall's novel, and her mystery plot is vestigial, but Sadie is believable and affecting. John Mort
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author
Linda Hall is the author of seven novels, including the bestselling Margaret's Peace, and six nonfiction works. A journalist and former creative writing teacher, she grew up in a pastor's home in New Jersey and attended Moody Bible Institute in Chicago where she met her husband, Rik. The couple lives in Fredericton, New Brunswick, and have two grown children.

Customer Reviews

Believable fiction about a serious problem
After I had bought and read this book for myself, and given it to someone to read, I went and bought two copies for a therapist friend to give to religious women patients who had abusive husbands. Written from a Christian perspective, Sadie's Song allows the heroine to wrestle with the question of how God could let her be so miserable. Or is God waiting for her to take the first step out of the seemingly hopeless situation? Among the book's many virtues is its honest portrayal of abuse in a seemingly normal churchgoing family. There are no angels or devils here, just people making wrong choices and sometimes pulling back from the brink.

Can't put this one down
Ms. Hall weaves a tight, exciting, and suspenseful tale from the first page. Written in the first person, Sadie's Song, artfully puts the reader into Sadie's head as she goes about "this little life of mine" as she refers to it. Sadie lives with an abusive husband and five kids and the insurmountable task of looking like the happy, contented wife of a godly husband. The signs of abuse are all around her, from her comments about hoping dinner will come out just the way Troy likes it to a son who sits under furniture and growls. A missing child, mysterious music that only Sadie seems to hear, and a friend with enough secrets of her own, will keep the reader turning pages. I loved reading this book and wondered as I neared the end how everything would be wrapped up in the few remaining pages.

Another One Difficult To Put Down!!!
If I thought Bette Nordberg's "Serenity Bay" was a fast-pace suspense, this one is catchy from the go - another one difficult to put down! We need a wider range to rate these books - one to five stars just isn't enough.

The writer, I'm sure, has a real feel of what having five small children would be like - the busy schedule and the constant interruptions, the whining and fighting. Sometimes, it probably would be tempting and easier to just give in to their tantrums. That would take care of the issue for the short term but it would cause a problem in the long run.

Sadie is just such a mother in this story with a grouchy husband who is one way in front of church members but totally different with his family. He's mean-tempered but that's not all. Sadie has a nagging feeling about her husband's involvement in something but she doesn't know if and who to talk to about this - afterall, it's just a feeling - maybe just a coincidence. Then she finds out something else and that "coincidence" is looking more like a reality and less like a "feeling".