Tuesday, October 9, 2018

The Sound of Distant Thunder by Jan Drexler

Katie Stuckey and Jonas Weaver are both romantics. Seventeen-year-old Katie is starry-eyed, in love with the idea of being in love, and does not want to wait to marry Jonas until she is eighteen, despite her parents' insistence. So much can happen in a year. Twenty-year-old Jonas is taken in by the romance of soldiering, especially in defense of anti-slavery, even though he knows war is at odds with the teachings of the church. When his married brother's name comes up in the draft list, he volunteers to take his brother's place. But can the commitment Katie and Jonas have made to each other survive the separation?

My Review

The setting of this book was very different than what I am used to with Amish fiction, and I was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed it very much! The setting created a tumultuous setting due to the Civil War, and the internal conflict created by the war intrigued me from the beginning. It's hard to think of the Amish in the background during that time, but I'd honestly never considered that the Amish were already in the United States when the war had begun. Before this book I had never considered that they might have been pulled into the draft or even compelled to fight. I knew that the Anabaptist way is non-resistance, but it finally hit me when reading this book that their beliefs were probably shaped due to situations arising where they had to define their faith and stance on hot topics like the war. 

The characters were compelling, and I enjoyed Katie's innocence as she falls in love with Jonas. I was surprised by a development in the first few chapters that concerned Katie, and after that particular revelation I understood why she was so dependent on Jonas and his love. I dug into the book after that, because I related to her life so much. I cannot ruin the book for anyone by relating certain elements, but I highly recommend you pick up a copy and read this author. The setting, the characters, the word imagery - all ties into a book that makes you feel like you can fall into and become a part of. 

This book was provided by the publisher for free in exchange for an honest review.

Friday, October 5, 2018

An Amish Homecoming


Four brand new Amish stories of coming home.
No Place Like Home by Amy Clipston
Estranged daughter Eva Dienner has been staying with her in-laws since her husband was killed in a fire, but now she wants her son to meet his maternal grandparents. Upon her return, Eva finds that the man her parents always intended for her is living in their daadihaus and running the dairy farm for them for free, despite her suspicions of him taking advantage of her family. Eva knows she should put the past behind her, but is she ready to move into the future?
When Love Returns by Beth Wiseman
Hurricane Harvey forces Sarah Zook to return to the home she fled six years ago when she couldn’t face her stern parents’ reaction to her unplanned pregnancy. Upon her return, Abram King can think of nothing but the pain she caused him—until he meets Sarah’s daughter and realizes that he never really stopped loving Sarah. Sarah and Abram must find a way to face the truth of their past so they can rekindle their first love.
The Courage to Love by Shelley Shepard Gray
After the death of her Englisch husband, Irene Keim seeks a fresh start by staying with her new friends Mary Ruth and Henry Wengerd in exchange for helping them around the house. But when Mary Ruth and Henry’s son Marcus comes around, he isn’t pleased with the woman they’ve taken in and is determined to push her out. Misunderstandings abound, but both Irene and Marcus learn that people aren’t always what they seem.
What Love Built by Kathleen Fuller
Independent and headstrong, Carolyn is determined to forge ahead with the opening of her bakery, a lifelong dream, in the Birch Creek home she left ten years ago. But she’s in over her head and needs help with the cleaning, shopping, and deliveries. Carpenter Atlee Shetler is visiting Birch Creek to escape the memories of his late wife. He takes a job renovating the new bakery and finds the project—and its owner—to be much more than he bargained for. Both Carolyn and Atlee must face pains of the past if they want to have the bright future God has planned for them.


My Review:


My initial thoughts about this book was a bit reluctant to dig into it, with it being 4 stories in one, and thinking it was a reprint of older material. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I was completely wrong and I got so engrossed in this book that I read it in almost as many sitting as there were stories! Each author brought her own flair to her story, with engaging dialogue, a peek into Amish life, and not a single moment of boredom. The one aspect that I really appreciated was the fact that this was not a traditional "Amish" read. These stories were fresh, exciting, and appealed to my Englisch ways. 

These stories were written by four of my favorite authors of the genre, with a very Prodigal son like feel. They were coming home stories that made me think about how hard it must really be to life that lifestyle, to have that faith, and then to face adversity despite their Godly living. It really made me realize that they are people, just like us, with the same struggles and trials. And that made them very relatable and as real as the people we surround ourselves with. 

This book was provided by the publisher for free in exchange for an honest review.