The Silent Gift

The Strength of a Mother's Love

Imagine your life lived in a cocoon not penetrable by sound, or for that matter, much of anything. Now, imagine your life as the mother of a little boy, whose less-than-ideal entrance into the world, left you with a love so strong that you would do absolutely anything to protect that little boy, but not strong enough to break through his silent cocoon.

In this book, Michael Landon Jr. and Cindy Kelley bring you immediately into a time of desperation and confusion in the height of the Great Depression as the mother of a little boy who is deaf and mute, but endowed with a gift far greater than either one of them can comprehend. You will go through the ups and the downs of their lives; from the palace to the prison and back up again. You will be brought to the brink of desperation and cheer with them as their lives begin to make sense. You will be brought to tears at the hard and lonely times of this little family as time and time and time again they have to fight for everything they have only to end up exactly where God wanted them with the maximum amount of lives being touched.

This book was provided to me free of charge as part of Bethany House Book Reviewers.

Loved It!!

When I saw that this book was by Michael Landon Jr., I knew I wanted to read it no matter what it was about. I was curious to see how talented a writer the son of "Charles Ingalls" was. All I can say is "WOW"!! Landon and Kelley have written an amazing book!!!

The book takes place in the 1930's during the depression. It's about Jack, a child who is deaf and mute, and Jack's mother Mary. She will do whatever it takes to protect Jack, even if that means leaving her husband who is not what she wants in a father for her son.

Mary is having a difficult time, as if the years during the depression aren't hard enough, her marriage dissolved, and overall things just are not going well. She loses her home, money and is losing her faith. She also discovers that Jack has a God given gift, but with it also comes more hardships for them.

This is a very sad book at times, but it is also full of hope and love. There were some unanswered questions I had while reading this book, but I think overall it was very well written and the descriptions of that era were incredible.

If you haven't read this book, I suggest you either buy it or borrow it from a friend or check to see if your library has it. You will not be disappointed.

Hallmark Channel Movie Material

Maybe his background in directing and producing films, also makes Michael Landon Jr. is an adept writer. Or perhaps it's the other way around. Having directed Hallmark Channel movie like Love Come Softly, it is no surprise that The Silent Gift really does read like a Hallmark Channel movie. This collaborative effort by him and Cindy Kelley is without a doubt one of the best books I'll read all year.

It is classified as an historical fiction and it's published by Baker Publishing Group's Bethany House division which primarily published Christian content. If you don't normally read Christian fiction, I still recommend this book to you, as it's not preachy and the story is wonderful.

WOW

I give this 500,000,000 Stars(just a little exageration)But An AMAZING BOOK! BY Far the BEST book I have had the PRIVILAGE of reading. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes reading. Because it is a story that most anyone can understand and maybe some can relate to. And is very Heart Wrenching. It might be a little confusing if you are not a believer and follower of Jesus Christ(if not you should still try it out. It will touch your heart)This book is GREAT!

review of the silent gift

The silent gift by Michael Landon Jr. and Cindy Kelley is a fictional story of an unusual gift, and how it is used, misused, and misunderstood, and of the people touched by it. People tried to use God's gift for profit. It made me consider God's gifts in my life and how I use them.
The main characters are a young boy and his Mom. Later in the book, the story is told by the boy, looking back. The love of the Mother for her son is portrayed through struggles and separation.
It is set in small towns in America, beginning in the late 1930s. The author makes you feel a part of the setting, from the Salvation Army and house filled with riches, to a travelling circus.
This book is thought provoking about God's gifts- how we use them, or even misuse them, as demonstrated by some of the colorful characters.
Bethany House publishers provided me with a copy of the silent gift by Michael Landon Jr. and Cindy Kelley. In return for this book, I get to blog about it and share my opinion.

Heartwarming Read

If you're in the mood for a book that has a moving story and will touch your heart while you read, this is the book for you. Once you start reading, you'll feel connected to Mary and her son Jack who steals your heart almost immediately. The book takes place in the 1930s and shows how difficult life was back then if you were poor and had a handicap that made you different from everyone. The relationship between Mary and Jack is very deep and the love that Mary has for her son is very strong. Jack's gift for a time brings them hope and financial security but at the same time it questions Mary's faith and makes her become wary of everyone she meets.

What I really liked best about this book was that this wasn't a happy go lucky, everything ends up alright story. From the beginning, you can tell that Mary and Jack have things rough. With every turn of the story things get even worse for them. Even at the end of the story, even though they do eventually get help, there is no making up for the past. I think the biggest evidence of this is the actions of Mary's husband and Jack's father, Jerry. He's just the bad guy from the start and treats his family with disdain and disgust. Throughout the story, his character shows no signs of repentance. I was so glad at the end of the story that he ends up divorcing Mary instead of having a conversion scene where she's forced to forgive and forget everything he's done to make their lives miserable. Now divorce is something that can be a taboo topic in Christian fiction, but I believe in this scenario it can be justified.

The only qualm I had about the book was that I felt that Jack's gift is never really explained. I understand how it's shown as a gift from God, but I guess I'm the sort of person who likes there to be explanations. I also wondered, if Jack is the narrator of the story and is able to tell us what happened later on in his story at the end of the book, how did he learn to fully communicate with others? He has either learned how to read and write, talk or sign. I guess this was just a loose end I wish had been tied up.

Overall I really enjoyed reading this book. The story is written in a easy to read manner that will keep you turning the pages. Even with the Gift aspect, it's a very realistic story and I believe the historical details to be accurate and not misleading. The scenes in the asylum are heartbreaking as to how the patients at the time were treated and viewed. It makes one grateful to be able to appreciate how well off people of today are who have the same kind of problems. If you are a fan of historical fiction in the style of Tracie Peterson, you'll really enjoy this book and I would love to see Michael Landon Jr. turn this into a movie one day!

The Silent Gift

I really enjoyed this book--it's a compelling, sweet story about a mother's love for her son. Mary is a single mom and her eight-year-old son, Jack, is deaf and mute. They're also on the run from her husband, who is not a very nice person. It's hard for her to find jobs, because she has to keep him with her and most would-be bosses frown on that.

Then it turns out that her son is sort of psychic, and this is sort of a mixed blessing. On the one hand, it's possible to turn that into money (money = security) and on the other, it brings attention (attention = possibly being found by the ex).

I recommend this for anyone who's in the mood for something uplifting.

Wonderful to read

I have to say what first drew me to this book was the author. But, the description sounded interesting as well. The first chapter draws you in quickly. I was a little nervous about the religious connections in this book at first, but the story never came across as preachy. In fact, I ended up really enjoying that aspect of it. The story is set in the 30's, but it felt very modern most of the time. I think what I ended up identifying most with was Mary. She sacrificed everything for her son. The book was a refreshing change from the normal books I read. I couldn't put it down!

A beautiful story that will embrace you no matter where you are in life

It is almost 3:00 in the morning as I write this review. Why? Because I just finished the last page of a book that gripped my heart from the first paragraph and didn't let go until the last sentence had me in tears. I was swept away into the life and times of the 1930's with such abandon that I would have sworn for a short while that I could smell the circus, see the sunlight reflecting off the windows at the Edmundson's estate, glimpse the red skin barely peeking out from under Mary's white kid gloves and feel Jack sitting next to me in comfortable silence, sharing companionship with an old friend. The fact that the storyline was fresh and original and always left me wondering what was around the corner was sheer bonus.

The story opens with Jerry driving his young wife Mary to the hospital in labor. On the way there things go horribly awry and we are left wondering if Mary and Jack even survive. From there we move forward seven years and things aren't good. Mary finally sees an opening to leave Jerry and she does just that, taking Jack and fleeing to safety... maybe. Along the way she discovers that Jack has a gift... of prophecy, but he can't speak. This is incredibly interesting and then suddenly the world is turned on its head and Jack is taken away from Mary. Time passes and Mary can finally go looking for Jack, but her search does not reveal what she was hoping for. Is God really watching out for her? Who can she trust? Has Mary let down her son when he had no one else?

Venture carefully into this story because you may not want to leave after meeting Mary and Jack, and I dare you not to love them and sob at the last sentence in this wonderful book.

The Silent Gift

From beginning to end, The Silent Gift kept me in suspense. This story of the unequalled and unforgettable love of Mary for her child with disabilities is a guaranteed page-turner. The authors took me right into the heart of the characters whose stories are told, and I felt their pain, anticipated and hoped for God's intervention, and sometimes cried with them. Cindy Kelley and Michael Landon, Jr. deserve two thumps up. This book should be a best seller and if they wrote the script and Michael directed, it would make a great film.

No text was provided for this review.