By Judith Miller
Published by Bethany House
In the Amana Colonies in 1877, two very different young ladies are about to learn more than they ever bargained for. Johanna Ilg is hardworking, faithful and responsible. Her only unfulfilled desire is to visit her brother in Chicago and see the world beyond the borders of her village. Yet her parents are deadest against it and she longs to understand why.
Thrust into this strange new world when her parents suddenly gave up all their possessions and move to the colonies, Berta Schumacher is angry and full of mischief. After learning her father is a philanderer, she sets out on a path of self-destruction that will have lasting consequences.
Somewhere To Belong is intended to be a story of forgiveness. Unfortunately, the novel missed the mark for me. There is a great deal of concentration on the character development of the irritating and devious Berta. Besides Berta, the novel is so filled with characters who are constantly lying and deceiving each other, that the little attention that is given to the Word feels insincere and flat. I would have liked to have read more about the beauty of Amana and its people. Instead I was left with the impression that the people were liars, gossips and a bit cultish, which I know was not the intent.
I received this book free from Bethany House Publishers as part of their book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions I have expressed are my own.
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