Whisper on the Wind

Whisper on the Wind by Maureen Lang

Review by: Melissa J. MacDonald

Genre: historical Fiction

Publisher: Tyndale

Date: 2010

Whisper on the Wind takes the reader on an intriguing historical journey into Belgium during World War 1. Occupied by the Germans Belgium is no longer safe for its people and they are longing for escape. Against all odds Isabelle Lassone manages to sneak into Brussels in a desperate attempt to rescue the love of her life Edward Kirkland. Edward, however, has no desire to be rescued as he is busy running a very important underground newspaper that brings hope and revolution to his country.
Okay, let me pause for a moment. Don’t immediately dismiss this book because Isabelle and her
“daring” rescue into Belgium sounds simply ridiculous. I almost did and if I would have I would have missed out on an excellent historical read. At first Isa seems foolish and stupid and in many ways she is, she’s not even 18 yet and she’s from a wealthy family. Her heart is good but her methods are naïve. She soon realizes that she is not going to get her own way with Edward so she begins to work on his behalf.
Isa makes herself indispensible to the cause and to Edward’s family. She houses them in her Belgium mansion and eventually the entire printing of the illegal newspaper takes place in her secret basement. As the plot grows so does Isa’s maturity and faith. In the end she becomes quite likeable and admirable. Edward begins to find himself quite drawn to the brave beautiful young woman.
Danger lurks in Belgium in World War I and the plot twists will keep you guessing and cause you no small amount of anxiety. Germans invade the mansion and the woman Edward loves in suddenly in extreme danger.
And that’s all I’m going to tell you.
Lang writes with wonderful description and thoroughness. However, if you are looking for a light easy read this is not the book for you. The plot is a bit slow moving at times and the extremely descriptive war chronicles can get very long especially if you are not familiar with World War I. Isa is completely unlikeable at first but I promise she will grow on you. Edward is entirely intriguing either but he too becomes a character rich with depth. The plot is clever and will keep you guessing. As always, I appreciated the historical aspects but in many ways this was even a bit much for a history buff like myself. It’s definitely worth a read though, just be ready to sit down for awhile.  

Rated: Pg-13 for war violence