Hark!

by Chris Breme

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1598791680
• ISBN13: 9781598791686
• Release Date: October 2006
• Publisher: Lifevest Publishing, Inc.
• Length: 190 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.3" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

A MUST READ!!

No matter what the time of season, HARK! is a superb, heart-warming story that brings us back down to earth probing the real meaning of Christmas and our relationships with God and each other.

Inspiring, Captivating, Heartwarming

Inspiring, captivating, heartwarming. Hark is more than the story of a man finding faith in God while "lost". Chris Breme has created believable characters and placed them in realistic settings. Anyone who has waited for news of an overdue loved one will feel the fear and anxiety of Sam's family as they search for him. Breme masterfully interweaves the story of Sam and his journey with scripture and quietly leads the reader to examine their own faith. Hark is more than a reminder of the "true meaning of Christmas". It reminds us of the fragility of life and the need to cherish our relationships with God and family.

Uplifting, Inspiring, Entertaining

"'Hark!' ...Do you know what that means? It means, `To listen.' That's right! It means "to listen attentively." Which was something I was not capable of doing until last week. It was clearly more than just a coincidence that God used "Hark! The herald angels sing" to draw me closer to Him. He knew my weakness and exploited it until it became my strength. He talks to each one of differently, in ways we will know it is He who is talking." - Sam Sargent Hark is a story about Samuel Sargent, a recently divorced man, who is now depressed and lost amidst his once beloved holiday. He concludes that he has "lost" his way, and decides to return to his family with whom he has not spent Christmas for ten years. Yet the night before he leaves, a woman who broke his heart ten years ago enters into the scene claiming her life has been changed and that she is now a new woman. His spirits soar and he begins his journey to spend Christmas with his family and his long lost friend. However, a sudden blizzard hits the region, and Sam is involved in an accident, throwing him into a journey where he finds that he has truly "lost" his direction. As he works to survive the night, the true meaning of Christmas is revealed to him, as the author puts it, "in a most unusual manner." As an avid reader, I have found myself quickly turning into a literary critic. Whether it is Nathaniel Hawthorne or a modern-day author, my intense study of literature and writing this past year has improved not only my own writing, but also my understanding of what makes great literature. And speaking of Hawthorne, he just happened to be the last author I had read (in novel length), before reading Hark. So Hark was up against some high standards. But I have a love for Christmas novels, and this was no exception. The mood was quickly set as I found myself enveloped in a Christmas spirit, smelling the basting turkey and smiling at the glimmer and glow of the lights on the houses. I heard the blaring music and aroma of coffee in the local diner. I felt the cold of the night, and tiredness, the heartache, the pain, and all the emotions Sam and his family and friends experienced clearly. Hark is like watching a movie on the Hallmark channel while you snuggle up with your family and favorite cup of coffee. One problem or criticism could be that Hark follows the formula nature of a typical Christmas novel. A man alone. A woman alone. A lost son returning home to the family. And the wonderful endings filled with tears and hugs. But Hark avoids being overly stereotypical by inserting interesting twists and a good bit of irony, all greatly appreciated by the reader. One of the purposes is to entertain, and entertain it will - I read the book in one afternoon. Other shortcomings of the book are found at the beginning within the first three chapters, including some minor spelling errors and neglect of contractions which make the early dialogue somewhat cumbersome. Yet those are easily overlooked and do