Book Review – Head in the Clouds

Review by Carrie Fancett Pagels






By: Karen Witemeyer

Published by: Bethany House, October, 2010

Review by Diana Flowers top and by Carrie Pagels bottom


DF:  A highly entertaining read!!
Quality: 5 out of 5 .Value: 5 out of 5
This book far exceeded my expectations!


I read some great books in February, with alot of substance, so I thought I would pick something out that would be light, relaxing, and fun to read for a change. I saw the title "Head in the Clouds" and looked at the front and back cover (which was amusing) and I decided to read it. I felt like it would be your typical young lady becomes governess to ranch owner's child, she bumbles her way through, alot of laughs...and they lived happily ever after after! Was I ever wrong! Adelaide, the main character, finds herself in a shameful situation, so she quickly answers an ad to become a governess to the child of a sheep rancher. Typical storyline, right? Not quite... Adelaide finds out that her new little charge has not spoken since she witnessed the unspeakable murders of her mother and father. My eyes teared up continually with pity for this child and the first time she laughed I smiled. The author has a way of making this story so realistic you can't keep yourself from turning page after page, and not wanting to put the book down. 


There are some amusing things in the book that made me smile, and when a near sexual assault occurs my heart was pounding. The author was descriptive, but not offensive in this part of the book, and I could feel this woman's pain. My eyes teared up when a near fatal injury occurs, and does this child ever speak again?...you'll have to read this book and find out. There is alot of intense action at the end when an unscrupulous relative comes to kidnap the little girl. 


This book embodied real life...joy, grief... laughter, tears... fear, courage. This is not the typical type of book I normally read, but then again, I guess it was! Fantastic job, Karen Witemeyer! 



CFP: I would give it four and a half stars.
Disclaimer: I received my copy from the publisher. There is no requirement to post a favorable review. I met Karen online in a historical Christian writers group.

Link to Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Head-Clouds-Karen-Witemeyer/dp/0764207563/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpi_1

Link to CBD:
http://www.christianbook.com/head-in-the-clouds/karen-witemeyer/9780764207563/pd/207563


Bibliotherapy aspect: Mute child due to PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). Karen’s profile shows her have a B.A. and a Master’s degree in Psychology. Having done therapy with children left mute from tragedies, I was somewhat surprised at the longevity of the child’s silence. Of course the child character did not have a therapist, either! This is Karen’s second published book, the first being the delightful A Tailor-Made Bride, which I loved. This current book is getting rave reviews from readers on both CBD and on Amazon and quickly went to multiple formats (see the following).

Disability Friendliness: The book is available in audio CD (which I wish I had) but I read it in the paperback version. This is also available as an e-book with Kindle having it in text-to-speech format enabled. Large print, hardcover also available at Amazon. I would recommend it in audio because there are few current Christian historical audiobooks out there at any time.  This would have been a great listen. 

Head in the Clouds had an unusual hero – an Englishman who raises sheep in Texas. Ms. Witemeyer’s heroine was most sympathetic in the beginning as a young woman being strung along by a traveling (married! Interesting twist!) salesman. She did a good set up on the romance between the hero and heroine. I found the characterization and storyline gripped me better as A Tailor-Made Bride did but it was still a very good book.

As a psychologist with over twenty-five years experience working with children and adolescents, I found the mute child storyline to not be as realistic as it could have been. However, the average reader would not be a psychologist and as mentioned, this book has been receiving very good reviews. I would have enjoyed this better as an audio listen as it was a tad slower than the first, particularly in the middle, which is not an issue for me with audio listens. I am going over to see if her newest release is available on audio!


Giveaway:  Leave a comment and your email address for a chance to win my gently used copy of this book.