The Viola Girl

Publisher's Summary

She plays from memory just like her sister. Her memories.

Princess Wren begins a journey to Yonder to see Alia, her older sister, and to say the goodbye that was never said.

Alone, and only 15, she has many lessons to learn, including one that costs Wren her heart.

This prodigal daughter story is filled with problems, prayers, and plenty of danger.

©2016 Sherri Schoenborn Murray (P)2017 Sherri Schoenborn Murray

Delightful!

This sequel to Piano Girl was such a pleasure to take in. I love the way the author captured the spirit of the main character and her mischievous ways. I am hoping there will be more in this series. Love the author's imagination. This book has convinced me that historical Christian romances are something I can actually identify with, as I love Viola Girl's spunk. It takes place in the 1860's and has made a lasting impression on me. It definitely held my attention. I don't really know how to accurately describe the satisfaction I felt with this story. One to remember for sure. The narrator also did a nice job. I only have one more of this author's books to read, so I hope she publishes more in the near future. Delightful.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Delightful read

What a delightful read full of suspense and romance as well as mystery and fun

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Wonderful!

I really enjoyed this story. The writing was fantastic, and the narration was incredible. I thought the narrator was easy to listen to and did a great job differentiating between characters. The growth of Wren through the story, and her faith, which remained strong although tested, was neat to follow.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Delightful & unpredictable fairy tale

This is an exceptional 'fairy-tale' Christian fiction!
Told in the first person, this is the story of Princess Wren.
Beginning when she's a young girl, it goes through her life till she arrives at her own 'happily-ever-after'.
I expected it to be a traditional, 'normal' fairy-tale, but was pleasantly surprised!
The characters include a delightful old viola teacher, a handsome young guard, giants and other villains, the betrothed prince, and more!
I found it full of twists and turns. Yes, although I found some parts were a bit predictable, overall, I found it very intriguing and delightful.
One of Wren's earliest memories is seeing her beloved older sister and sent off to be married to some unknown gentleman. She is determined to see her sister again. Wren is independent and a bit headstrong. This story betrays how she learns important life lessons along the way.

This is my first introduction to this author, and I was enthralled by this book, and I will definitely read more of her work!
I believe this could also be classified as a Young Adult book, and have already encouraged my daughters to read it too!!
I received a complimentary audiobook version of this story, all opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Completely charming.

I may have even loved this story more than the first one. May. It’s hard to say. I honestly really really love them both.

Sherri Schoenborn Murray has so captivated me with her unique storylines and her writing style. There is depth, there is feeling, there is so much I want to say but don’t even have words for.

The Viola Girl is all about Wren, the younger sister of Alia (The Piano Girl: Counterfeit Princess). I love that this book gave me the opportunity to get to know Wren, but I also really appreciate that it goes back in time and retells the beginning of Alia’s story – from Wren’s perspective. This gives an added dimension and provides a lot of insight into Wren’s emotion, choices, and her character as a whole.

Without giving away the story, Wren’s decision to run away to see her sister goes completely awry, leading to unexpected adventure and romance. I always find that I’m surprised by this talented writer… not necessarily in everything that happens (because there are things here and there that I suspect might happen) but I’m typically surprised by how things happen. By the twists, both large and small.

Danielle Winter is fabulous at giving Wren her own voice, as well as differentiating between characters.

I’d like to compare this story to a fruit-filled pastry. Sweet, yet not overly so. Just right. It’s a beautiful story, and one that I will revisit many times.

I received a free copy of this audio book in exchange for my honest review.. but I also have a purchased paperback setting on my bookshelf.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Added to my list of favorite romances

I was under the spell of this Christian fairytale, a sequel to Sherri Schoenborn Murray's The Piano Girl (also an excellent story). The story follows Princess Wren, the little sister left behind when sibling Princess Alia (from book one) is forced to disguise herself as a peasant on her long journey to the land of her future husband. Although readers of The Piano Girl know Princess Alia's fate, Wren doesn't understand and feels that her father King Frances betrayed their family by sending her beloved sister away. What follows is Wren's attempts to see Alia one last time before her father the king arranges a marriage for her too.

I don't want to give any of the plot away, but I loved every minute of the story, from Wren's scheming to her plans going awry, as plans do when you don't let God guide your decisions.

This is a Christian romance, so there is a love story. And what a story. I'm not going to compare the plot or style to other books I've read, but the love between these two characters reminded me of the love between Moray and Sophia in Susanna Kearsley's The Winter Sea, the love between Marius and Cosette in Victor Hugo's Les Miserables, and the love between Silas and Eden in Laura Frantz's Love's Reckoning. Sigh.

Like The Piano Girl, this book has giants and folklore and old hags. If you enjoyed reading about Princess Alia's adventures, you'll enjoy reading about Wren's. Wren is smart but headstrong and angry. As Princess Alia learned empathy and selflessness in The Piano Girl, Princess Wren learns forgiveness and joyfulness in The Viola Girl. In their respective stories, each princess learns to trust God and ask for his aid in difficult times during their misadventures.

I think you can enjoy this book by itself since Wren herself recalls important moments from the previous story. However, I would highly suggest you get both books because they are not to be missed.

The narrator Danielle Winter was perfect for the story. I forgot she was there. I was just listening to Wren telling me her wonderful enchanting tale. And Danielle Winter's male brogue... another sigh.

If you enjoy stories like Rapunzel and the Princess and the Pauper or Julie Klassen's historical Christian romances, I think you'd love this book. Tweets, teens and adults who like swoon-worthy but sweet fairytales will eat this one up.

More please.

I was gifted a copy of this book and asked to write an honest review, which I have done.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Fantastic!!!

Such a wonderful book. It is very well written. Highly recommended!!! A great story of God’s hand in our lives.

Too long

This was one of the first books I received from #AudiobookBoom, and it’s taken me over a year to finally decide not to finish listening after 10 chapters.

IMHO, this book is just too long, with too many stories strung together. I really enjoyed the beginning, but it dragged a lot after a while. I kept setting it aside and now have abandoned the story because I just don’t care enough. The narrator kept putting me to sleep. I can’t really recommend the audiobook but I love fairytales and if I ran across the book, I might actually try reading it 3/5

Excellent story!

This author is extremely creative in storytelling! What a treat to FINALLY find a Christian author that knows how to write a great book that doesn’t need smut to sell it. Thank you Sherri Murray for not only an exceptional story, but for a superb narrator to deliver it!!!! Whatever it cost you to hire Danielle Winter was worth every last cent!

A wonderful follow-up to The Piano Girl

My third read from author Sherri Schoenborn Murray The Viola Girl (Counterfeit Princess II). When I got this book I went out and read The Piano Girl parts I & II (Counterfeit Princess I) before I read/listened to this. A Christian Historical Fantasy Romance was a thoroughly entertaining book that I very much enjoyed reading/listening to. The narrator’s (British?) accent lead enjoyment to my listening, she did such a wonderful job of narration. The book started slowly and built speed all the way until the end.