Waiting for Summer's Return

By: Kim Vogel Sawyer

Narrated by: Barbara Caruso

Length: 11 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

Suddenly all alone in 1894 Kansas, Summer Steadman can't find the employment she needs to settle near the fresh graves of her husband and four children. Bitter against the Lord and refusing to eat, she collapses in despair. Remembering his own painful loss, godly widower Peter Ollenbuger offers her food and shelter for tutoring his 10-year-old son.

Kim Vogel Sawyer has penned an inspiring debut novel whose unforgettable characters resonate with emotional intensity and compelling authenticity.

©2006 Kim Vogel Sawyer (P)2006 Recorded Books LLC

Critic reviews

"Fans of historical prairie stories will feel at home with Sawyer's warm and tender voice." (Romantic Times)
"This outstanding inspirational story reveals true faith and love that transcend grief and prejudice." (Historical Novels Review)

Typhoid Fever, Faith, Fear in 1894 Kansas

Summer Steadman, alone after losing her four children and husband to typhoid fever, was weak and barely eating. Looking for a way to support herself, and every day finding nothing, she returned to the local hotel where she was staying. She couldn’t return to Boston, where they had lived before coming to Kansas. Her in-laws had never cared for her, and had never wanted the family to moved westward. Her parents were dead. She was alone. So, when Peter Ollenburger, Mennonite widower, showed up at the hotel looking for the educated woman, as a teacher for his ten-year-old son, Thomas, Summer accepted his offer. Hardened and bitter, Summer refused to eat, but the gentle bear of a man, Peter, coaxed her and eventually she ate, became stronger, and the bitterness fell away. Thomas was the first to win her heart. But soon Grossmutter (Peter’s wife’s grandmother) came to love Summer, too. The Mennonite neighbors, however, were harsh and judgmental, saying the most hurtful and hateful things about Summer and the Ollenburger family for allowing her to stay in their shariah (a storage building) while she taught Thomas. Yet Peter kept his temper and did not reply out of anger to their accusations. He began teaching Summer Bible lessons and she began to understand where his peace and joy came from, until she, too, accepted Christ as her Savior. This is a wonderful, heart rending story of faith, pain and life in 1894 Kansas.

Amazing book, very heart warming.

I would recommend this book to anyone of my friends and family. I looked forward to listening each day.

Amazing how God Works

This is a sweet Christian romance of second chances. Love this author and her love if God!

Fellowship and grace

Liked the conflict with the “friends” and the interaction of the church with the faithful and the community at large

Nice clean romance

The story is a fun romance. Very sad at the beginning but grows into a beautiful love story. My only gripe is the narrator has a nose whistle. Kind of distracting. But great story!!

A Favorite

This is by far one of my favorite audiobooks so far - consistent with all the other reviews, I found it to be a great story, and the narrator was outstanding in her conveying the different voices and personalities. I hope Kim Vogel Sawyer keeps writing, and I would especially love to see this book have a few sequels!!

Loved this story and reader!

I really enjoyed everything about this book. This is a very well written story with very true to life characters. The reader is Barbara Caruso, one of my all time favorite narrators. So good!

Inspirational!!!

What a refreshing story of lives lived with and for God. Thank you, Kim Vogel Sawyer.

Narrator makes the book come alive

This was a very different story, about a tight-knit German Mennonite community and a new widow with no place to live, nor money to travel back East. The narrator’s voices are amazing. It took a little getting used to, but ended up being perfect for this story. A sweet story of God’s love in the midst of sorrow and growing love in a wary town.

Wonderful characters and story. Loved it!

This is such a great story! I feel like I know the main characters, they are so richly developed. It has a good pace, you’re never left wishing things would move along. I was sorry when it ended.