Whither Shall I Go?

by Gina Holder

“I miss him too, Bitty, but God knows best. Someday you’ll see.” If only I could believe that…



In 1911, Ellie Williams struggles to see God’s hand in her life when she loses both parents and is sent to live with her wealthy, estranged aunt, who transforms her from awkward country bumpkin to socialite heiress. Six years later, she meets a young preacher and finds hope as they serve the Lord together.



Robert Hampton is deeply devoted to God and desires to take the gospel to the unreached natives of Brazil. He didn’t expect to fall in love. When he is drafted, Robert is torn between his duty as a soldier and his budding affections for Ellie. Will Robert survive the trenches? Will he lose the only woman he’s ever loved?



Ellie's journey takes her from her home in Cades Cove, Tennessee, to the concrete jungle of New York City, and finally to the harsh unforgiving world of the Amazon River Basin, where she meets Paul, a doctor who's lost his way, and Jack, a soldier with amnesia. Encountering anacondas, jaguars, and an antagonistic shaman, will Ellie give in to the fears that threaten to overwhelm her?



Or can she depend on God’s grace to bring about His will for her life?



Whither Shall I Go? combines compelling characters, sweet romance, vivid setting, and historical details in this emotionally-charged story of one woman's struggle to surrender to God's plan and allow His grace to work in her life. Can life take her anywhere that his hand does not lead and his presence cannot be found?

Genres: Historical Fiction, Christian Fiction

413 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 1, 2017

About the author

Gina Holder is an indie author and stay-at-home mom. She’s had an infatuation with books for as long as she can remember. She loves sharing uplifting messages from God’s Word and introducing readers to new and new-to-them authors on her blog. When she’s not writing, Gina enjoys playing the piano, cooking, reading, watching Hallmark mysteries, and solving “escape room” puzzles. She loves growing in her craft as an author. She published her debut novel in 2017. Gina lives in Wyoming with her husband and daughter.

Reviews

[Linda J.B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

July 1910, Manaus, Brazil ... "Where's our son?" will peek your interest from page one! Gina Holder author of Whither Shall I Go? introduces us in following chapters to several families that will tug at your emotions, while interweaving their direction of this romantic story.

Eleanor Grace Williams (aka Ellie) faces a devastating loss as a young girl, which leads her into a new and challenging life. While developing her faith in God she intersects with a bold young preacher that puts questions in her mind about her future. From this point on, family and questionable events happen that disrupt a growing bond between the two, as once again a blow to Ellie's new life has struck her heart and laid out plans.

Holder has cleverly woven the characters for us to wonder who can be trusted as the story moves from the easy life of civilization to the harsh depths of Brazil. Missionary work is not meant for everyone, and just who will survive this outcome after surprising secrets are revealed?

[Abby Breuklander · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love this story! What a beautiful reminder that God is orchestrating every single detail of our lives, right down to the tiniest detail. It's hard to trust when everything around us is falling apart, but He truly does have our best interest at heart. There is always a plan and a purpose in every moment.

[Raechel Lenore · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved how this book started out with a Bible passage before the prologue. And how so many verses were sprinkled throughout the story - I very much appreciated that and enjoyed that aspect! To me, you can never get enough Jesus. His Word, His truths, they're amazing and should be used more often in fiction.
Another thing I really liked about "Whither Shall I Go?" was the emphasis on waiting and following God's will - that His will for our lives is so much more important than following anything else. If God leads us to do something, we must forsake all else to follow Him.
This is a book that follows the main characters through their lives. Ellie is the majority of the book's main character, but we also follow along with Robert and his journey, and Paul and his family's journey too, till they all meet up in a satisfying ending.
This book was a little slow at times, and didn't have a huge build-up - it was really more of a journey - but it was still good, and I enjoyed reading it. It was really neat to see how God's plan for the characters lives was orchestrated completely, and glory given to His name for it.
There were some instances of behaviour by the characters that I couldn't relate to - things would happen and the characters wouldn't react to it - they wouldn't do anything about it, and were...passive. Which seemed weird to me. I'd explain more but I don't want to give any spoilers.
I didn't agree with all of the character's behaviours (like the parents of Paul sometimes), but they were realistically portrayed.
I did enjoy how a fair part of this book was missions-related, as missions are close to my heart.

"Whither Shall I Go?" is a unique story, filled with Biblical truths, and the real factors of life

[Trisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written with beautiful detail and word imagery, you are sure to enjoy this story of devotion and faith. I found it to be both realistic and heartfelt. While I may have not always fully agreed with some of the choices the characters made, it wasn’t outside the boundaries of reality.

Those who enjoy reading epic stories filled with vibrant details are sure to enjoy time spent immersed in the pages of this book. Journey with Ellie, Robert, Paul, and the other cast of characters as they bring this grand story to life. For me, there were a few areas that seemed to have almost too much detail, and subsequently, the story seemed to slow down there.

I appreciated how the author seamlessly wove into the story verses from the Bible in such a way that you felt the characters had written the word of God on their hearts, and it flowed out of them without hesitation.

I enjoyed reading this book and give it 3.5 stars. I look forward to reading more books written by Gina Holder in the future.

(I receive complimentary books for review from publishers, publicists, and/or authors, including Netgalley. I am not required to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own.)

[Chloe Flanagan · Rating 4 out of 5]

From Fifth Avenue mansions, to the jungles of Brazil, with a few stops in between, Whither Shall I Go? is a sweeping, edifying historical novel. The characters are diverse and sympathetic and face very real faith journeys that inspire reflection.

I would recommend this book to any reader that enjoys Christian fiction that involves adventure, romance, and a faith narrative.

[Christine Dillon · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75 star

A good debut. Easy to read with some good issues in it. I loved the fact that part of the book was set in Brazil as I do get tired of books set in the US.
Keep writing Gina.

[Ruth Ann Farmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good Christian read!

Enjoyed the scripture quotes, history and romance. Kept me wanting to finish the entire book in one sitting. Looking forward to her next book.

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whither Shall I Go? by Gina Holder is a wonderful Christian historical romance. It spans the years from 1911 to a few years after the end of the first World War.
The reader crosses from the American countryside to New York City to France and to the jungles of Brazil. From log cabin to expensive town house to the trenches to native villages, the reader is in for a real treat as Gina Holder's descriptions bring the novel to life.
God is at the heart, as characters seek Him and try to do His will. "Trust God and take a risk." Following God is not always easy but it is always rewarding.
The will of God links to the missionary theme. Everyone, whether they are in drawing rooms, trenches or jungles needs to hear the Good News of Jesus. "His heart broke at the thought of one of them dying without Christ." Wherever we are placed, we need to tell others about Jesus.
Trusting God in the good times is relatively easy. Trusting God in the bad times is harder. "God wasn't fair... Where was God when she needed Him?" When life is hard and we cannot see God, we have to trust Him in the dark.
There is the theme of loss. "Why does everyone always leave?" Knowing God doesn't mean death isn't upsetting but we have the hope of heaven and we know that we will see our loved ones again.
The novel shows how it is not wise to be unequally yoked in marriage. "She wanted a man... more concerned with eternal investments than the stock market." We want the person that God has in mind for us and we want our spouse to love the Lord and not love money and power.
The prodigal son is another theme. The reader sees the pain of the younger son as he feels the comparison with his elder brother and comes up short. In contrast to the biblical story, there is a stubbornness in the heart of the characters.
If we lock up our hearts, we think we cannot be hurt. "If you don't love, you cannot be hurt." If we shut our hearts away, we may become bitter. The novel explores the consequences of this and the resulting isolation.
The main message of the story is trust - trust God is good even when life seems to say otherwise. Trust God with your life and surrender to His plan. My very favourite quote was "The will of God won't lead you where the grace of God can't keep you."
Whither Shall I Go? was an absolutely wonderful debut novel from Gina Holder. It was a smashing storyline that had me hooked from the start. Her characters were endearing and I loved her style of writing. I hope that Whither Shall I Go? is the first of many more tales from Gina Holder.
I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.

[Marilyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whither Shall I Go was a lovely historical fiction novel that captured my attention from the beginning. Travel through time with young Ellie Williams from Cave Cove, TN to New York then to the jungles of the Amazon in Brazil. Robert Hampton’s journey was a little different from California, to New York, drafted to fight during WWI and finally the jungles of the Amazon with a fellow soldier. This extraordinary novel is a beautiful interwoven tale of the hero, heroine and others learning to follow wherever God lead them instead of their own inner will. The heartbreak for young Ellie living in poverty to living with luxury then despair of losing others during a difficult time caused her to question but relinquish her life to what she felt was God’s will. There’s adventure, love, healing, forgiveness and faith that made this debut novel by Gina Holder a captivating tale to read. There were plenty of Scriptural references, songs and twists and turns of the primary and secondary characters to keep the pages turning. The rich words and description of each setting for this book placed me right in the midst of poverty, riches, fighting, jungles and God’s abiding peace the characters discovered through their trials. One quote by the hero abounded, “The will of God won’t lead you where the grace of God can’t keep you.”

This debut novel by Gina Holder is like a seasoned author novel. I look forward to reading more wonderful Christian historical fiction books filled with God’s amazing grace, love and peace in the future by Gina Holder.

I received a complimentary copy of this book as a winner on a blog giveaway. I was not required to write a review, but have expressed my sincere thoughts.

[Hannah Corner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this story very much! I loved that there were Scriptures and the gospel message throughout without it being "preachy". I really enjoyed the missionary story and the descriptions of Brazil! The events that happened all through the book were exciting and fun. I did have a hard time with the chopped off scenes...I'd love for them to have a smoother transition. Also, I'd love a lot of those scenes to be expounded upon and the thoughts and feeling of the characters more deeply written about. A really good story that I will recommend! Thank you so much for gifting me with this book, Gina!

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fulfilling read

This book took me on many adventures, into the lives of a wide variety of people, questioned my devotion to God and taught me many great things about his love. I would read this 10 times over.

[Elaine Bain · Rating 5 out of 5]

God'sGift

It took me a little to get it straight in my mind. But enjoyed the story. Well written. A gift of grace and a willing heart is what this book is about. You will enjoy.

[KRISTEN LAWRENCE · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great historical roy

I really enjoyed this story. It is a different genre then I usually read. There were enough twists to keep it interesting. The gospel story was woven throughout.

[Eloise White]

very good read, thank you. Enjoyed reading.

[Alysha (For The Love of Christian Fiction) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A historical fiction, with love, loss, heartbreak and second chances.

Full review on my blog:
fortheloveofchristianfiction.blogspot.com

[A.D. Lawrence · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this story so much. Very encouraging to be reminded that God is working even when we can't see it.

[Lily · Rating 3 out of 5]

To begin, I had the pleasure of meeting this author at a book event in Buffalo, which was really nice! I always love learning a little bit about the people who craft the stories I read. However, based on the synopsis, I mistakenly assumed that a lot more of this book would take place in Brazil, especially with Ellie on her own. Having gone into this as an adventure book probably impacted my final feelings towards it!
I really did love Ellie as a protagonist, with a combination of manners learned from her aunt to the skills and grit she had from her wilderness upbringing.lo She had a really healthy amount of self-possession and faith in her own abilities, as well as an unwavering faith in God's plan for her, and I appreciated how she ignored so many people who tried to put her down. Her conflict with Judith was especially gripping with a nice resolution. I wish that her relationship with her aunt had been explored more post-death, given the discoveries she made about Ida's actions pre-death. Ida herself I found fascinating as a character, protective, regretful, repressed and resentful. I would have loved to read more about this complex woman who never fully lived life on her own terms. I do with that Ellie's relationships with her brothers was further explored given how much time she spent away with them. The one reunion we got was underwhelming, and I wish there had been more attempts to reconnect with the rest as it was clear she still missed them.
The romantic relationship throughout this book was really sweet, given that the two of them were already knowledgeable about their places in life and suited each other well, but the final reunion felt a little underwhelming. They were really sweet at the beginning, trying to deny their own feelings, and I wish we'd gotten more of that initial sweetness!
I also disliked the way a lot of the characters, especially Judith, treated or thought about the natives and how this never went addressed or challenged. There were a lot of undertones about wanting to civilize them, or how they were all evil, and I wish that we had at least one native character who wasn't tragically murdered or had more dialogue.
I did enjoy, however, the clear amount of effort that went into researching the settings for this book. Holder includes a lot of great historical detail, from the streets of New York to the customs of the real-life tribe in Brazil. The descriptions of everything, from the delis to the fruits, was excellent!
Overall, this is a solid debut novel! I'm really glad I picked it up.

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whither Shall I Go

Very interesting and entertaining storyline about dealing with loss, finding God's will for one's life and accepting the things that come with life without feeling bitter or abandoned.

[Elle Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I went through half a box of tissues in the first five chapters of this book. It's not my usual type of read, but the story was well-written. I was concerned I wouldn't be able to finish reading when it ventured into the war, but it wasn't graphic.

I've rarely read a book that had so much scripture and used it in proper context. The spiritual thread was strong, clear, and biblically spot-on. Despite all that, the story didn't feel "preachy."

The love story was beautiful. It would've been better without the deception near the end, but it still worked. However, the ultimate love story was about drawing closer to the Lord and trusting Him in all circumstances.

[Amy M Rupert · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't put the book down!

Excellent story, Gina, that I'm sure involved a lot of research. It truly captures the fact that God always has the best plan if we only trust Him!

[Karon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Faith and grace

Without being raised to have a live of God her life would have been so different. Thankful God's word never left Elle.