A brighter dawn

Reviewed by:

Ceil Carey, retired public librarian and long time book discussion leader

REVIEW INTRODUCTION

Title:

A brighter dawn (Amish memories 1)

Author:

Leslie Gould

Publisher:

Bethany House

http://bakerpublishinggroup.com/bethanyhouse

Publication date:

March 2023

Format:

Paperback

Length:

421 pages

Overview:

Ivy Zimmerman is a young Mennonite woman attempting to take control of her life and achieve her goals. She is concentrating on herself and certainly not giving her family much thought. So when her parents are killed in a car accident, Ivy’s life is turned upside down. She suddenly has her own grief to deal with, the needs of her sisters, a rocky relationship with her boyfriend and her grandparents’ super strict Amish ways. Ivy also feels there is something suspicious about the accident that caused her parent’s deaths but how to prove that?

One bright spot is Ivy’s upcoming trip to Germany for a Mennonite youth convention. She is also intrigued by an ongoing story her great-great-aunt is relating to her about Claire Simons, another young woman who traveled to Germany in the1930’s. Perhaps her Aunt Roseen’s story will help Ivy with the many decisions this young woman must make in her own life.

The overall story is rather fascinating but the plot is very character heavy, so much so that the reader has a difficult time keeping track of all of them. Also, the writing is quite staccato and does not read smoothly. Thus the three rating.

Rating:

3 out of 5

Suggested audience:

Fans of Amish fiction; fans of historical fiction and time slip fiction

Christian impact:

Several themes are very evident in this book: accepting and forgiving ourselves as well as others and trusting that God has a plan for our lives.

https://www.christianbook.com/

https://www.amazon.com/