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Elizabeth CamdenBethany House / 2013 / Trade PaperbackOur Price$20.004.4 out of 5 stars for Into the Whirlwind. View reviews of this product. 58 ReviewsAvailability: In StockStock No: WW4210242
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merryteeSpokane, WAAge: Over 65Gender: Female5 Stars Out Of 5One of Ms Camden's BEST!October 8, 2014merryteeSpokane, WAAge: Over 65Gender: FemaleQuality: 5Value: 5Meets Expectations: 5I LOVED this story. It is one of Ms. Camden's BEST yet! As I read "Out of the Whirlwind" it was as if it was ME running thru the streets of Chicago during the legendary Big Fire of the 1800's seeking help and direction. Elizabeth Camden describes in such detail the effects of the fire throughout it's progress rampaging the great city of Chicago and the main characters affected. It is a wonderful story of bravery, endurance, passion and faith. As usual she doesn't disappoint in any aspect. This is a book that you won't, no, CANNOT put down!
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Carole JarvisJonesboro, GeorgiaAge: 55-65Gender: female5 Stars Out Of 5Historical fiction with depth and emotionNovember 1, 2013Carole JarvisJonesboro, GeorgiaAge: 55-65Gender: femaleInto the Whirlwind is a turbulent love story set amidst the rubble of Chicago as Mollie endures the challenge of survival and the triumph of rebuilding the city. This stand-alone novel is steeped in history and filled with rich characterization, emotional impact, and beautiful prose. I greatly enjoyed this character-driven drama and will be reading more of Elizabeth Camden's work.
There's often a tendency to skim over descriptive passages, but not so in this book! Elizabeth excels at capturing the feel of a historical event, bringing it to life and making you feel as though you are there. The story begins on October 8, 1871, as the raging Chicago fire is destroying everything in its path: "The fire had burned a four-mile path along Lake Michigan that was almost a mile wide. More than a hundred thousand people had been left homeless, and half the businesses in the city had been burned out." One of the disastrous results of the fire was the collapse of the local insurance industry, and I loved how Elizabeth creatively worked this into her narrative through Zack's efforts in reform.
Mollie and Zack are strong leading characters. 26-year-old Mollie Knox excels at business and runs her father's 57th Illinois Watch Company. She is a hardworking, compassionate leader who trains fifteen wounded veterans from her father's military unit in the art of high-end watchmaking and devises ways to keep the company afloat.
Zack Kazmarek is an attorney for Hartman's, the only store in Chicago that could afford to carry Mollie's expensive watches. Zack is a bold, confident man, protective of those within his care - and he embodies characteristics that we love in a hero - he is hardworking, honest, loyal and kind. It was especially touching to see how he loved and cared for his Polish immigrant parents.
While the fire taught Zack how important Mollie was to him, she wasn't ready for a relationship. "Zack was a wild, unpredictable force of nature, while she lived in an orderly world of ticking watches and production schedules." And to further complicate matters, the handsome and gentlemanly Colonel Richard Lowe comes sweeping in to rebuild Mollie's company. "He was Lancelot without the pesky adultery problem."
As much as I admired Mollie as a caring employer who struggled to succeed in business because she was a woman, she wasn't my favorite heroine. I felt that she made some bad decisions out of pride, with heartbreaking results in one instance, and I cringed at her often harsh, unfeeling words spoken to Zack in anger. On the other hand, I felt that Mollie not being a "perfect" character added to the depth and enjoyment of this story.
There is a strong cast of supporting characters, especially in the wounded veterans who work with Mollie. I also came to love Sophie, the young girl rescued by Zack and Mollie during the fire. "Extraordinary in her insolence" at first, she blossomed when given the opportunity to find purpose in life through hard work and being part of a team.
Into the Whirlwind is a fascinating and engrossing story that I highly recommend to all readers.
This book was provided by Bethany House in exchange for my honest review. -
Cindy5 Stars Out Of 5Into the WhirlwindAugust 30, 2020CindyFabulous book++ The characters were likeable, the setting so imaginable with the vivid imagery,the cover gorgeous(bonus) and a pleasure to read! Will and have bought more by this author. I loved it after borrowing it from the library so I purchased my own copy...
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Jocelyn Green, author of Faith DeployedCedar Falls, IAAge: 35-44Gender: female5 Stars Out Of 5Smart and meaningfulNovember 20, 2017Jocelyn Green, author of Faith DeployedCedar Falls, IAAge: 35-44Gender: femaleQuality: 5Value: 5Meets Expectations: 5Absolutely loved the setting (Great Fire of Chicago and its aftermath) and the cast of characters in this novel. Having such a fascination with the Civil War, I was delighted that the heroine runs a watchmaking company that employed wounded veterans of her father's regiment. That endeared the book to me from the beginning, and it only got better from there. Love the history that went into this novel, and how vividly it was portrayed. Beyond the main romance and the plot for the heroine to reshape her work after the fire, other subplots addressed several important life truths in ways that supported rather than distracted from the overall story arc. This novel was a pleasure to read from the first page to the last.
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Skywriter5 Stars Out Of 5Into the WhirlwindJanuary 30, 2015SkywriterThis is a well written novel with admirable historical research. The characters were developed to the extent that I still miss them weeks after I finished the book.
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