The year is 1777. America is in turmoil. And Amish life is far different
than today.
Pennsylvania in the late 18th century, once called William Penn's
Woods, was an assortment of different faiths living together for the first time
in American history. Included in this tapestry was a small and struggling
population called Amish.
Surrounding this peaceful people were unavoidable threats: both Patriots and
the British were pillaging land and goods for the sake of the war, young
Amish men were leaving the faith to take up arms and defend freedom. A simple
walk in the untamed forests could result in death, if not from bullet or arrow,
then from an encounter with a wild animal.
Amid this time of tumult, Adam Wyse is fighting a personal battle. To
possibly join the war efforts and leave his faith, which would mean walking away
from the only woman he's ever loved: Lena Yoder. But for that love he's made a
promise that may keep them apart permanently.
When Adam withdraws from Lena, she's forced to turn to his brother, Isaac,
for support. Must Lena deny her heart's desire to save Adam's soul? And
will life in this feral and primitive New World be more than this peace-keeping
people can withstand?
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My Review:
My two favorite genres are historical fiction and Amish fiction, so I was naturally drawn to a book that combines the two.
There were a few things I liked about the book. I enjoyed reading the historical detail of Revolutionary War times, and particularly the Amish view of it. It did seem that the author put a lot of research hours into this one.
However, I found the book to be very stilted. The growth in the characters happens very suddenly, rather than progressing through the book. Changes in the storyline also seemed very abrupt, which made it a little unbelievable.
The thing I most disliked about the book was the false inner-healing teaching. Now, I'm fine with ignoring theological error in fiction. It is, after all, just fiction. However, this book contains a "Bible Study" in the back that is designed to teach, and I was very disappointed in it both theologically, and in that it had nothing to do with the Bible - it was based on the book instead. Healing is not found in our past, but in Christs shed blood on the cross at Calvary.
Because of that, I cannot recommend this book.
I must mention that I received a complimentary review copy of this book from Book Sneeze.
*For more information on Inner Healing I recommend Healing of Memories or Cleansing of the Conscience?
