Monday, April 18, 2011

Beside Still Waters

Beside Still Waters: A Big Sky NovelAuthor: Tricia Goyer
ISBN: 978-1-4336-6868-5
Publisher: B&H Fiction
Source: Litfuse Publicity
Purchase Link: Beside Still Waters: A Big Sky Novel
Watch the Book Trailer
Blog Tour Schedule

About the Book:
Marianna Sommer believes she knows where her life is headed. Nineteen years old and Amish, her plan is to get baptized into the church, marry Aaron Zook, and live in the only community she's ever known.

When Marianna's family moves from Indiana to Montana she discovers life and faith will never be the same. As she builds an easy friendship with local guy, Ben Stone, Ben not only draws her heart, he also gets her thinking about what loving God and living in community is all about.

As Marianna struggles to find "home", she also encounters God in intimate ways.

Review:
Being uprooted from your home, the only place you’ve ever known, is never easy. Being brought to a new place, different from the only rules, regulations and mindset of your former home is even harder. Doing all of this to help your family, even though it is not what you want, is love and selflessness. Beside Still Waters is one of the most unique Amish novels I have read thus far. It took quite a different look at the Amish from other novels I have read. This novel takes a different approach and questions the strict and rigid beliefs that Marianna has grown up with. Her families move to Montana shows her the nature of others who are different from her yet alike. She starts to see people for who they are and not what they are classified as. She is given the opportunity to know God on her own with a personal relationship rather than one that is kept at a distance.

This book was fairly average, incredibly easy to read and flowed at a steady pace. I enjoyed this story, full of heart ache, trials, joy and peace. It was very easy to read. I really enjoyed the Montana setting.  I have been to the area of Montana in which this is set, which made the novel fun to read.  The author sets a steady pace and leaves the book open to the possibility of a sequel. While I was satisfied with how this book ends, it definitely left me wondering about all the loose ends that were not tied up. I would read a second novel if this book turns into a series.
-----------------
About the Author:
Tricia Goyer is the author of twenty-six books including Songbird Under a German Moon, The Swiss Courier, and the mommy memoir, Blue Like Play Dough. She won Historical Novel of the Year in 2005 and 2006 from ACFW, and was honored with the Writer of the Year award from Mt. Hermon Writer's Conference in 2003. Tricia's book Life Interrupted was a finalist for the Gold Medallion in 2005. In addition to her novels, Tricia writes non-fiction books and magazine articles for publications like MomSense and Thriving Family. Tricia is a regular speaker at conventions and conferences, and has been a workshop presenter at the MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) International Conventions. She and her family make their home in Little Rock, Arkansas where they are part of the ministry of FamilyLife. Visit www.triciagoyer.com for more info.

Tricia is hosting a book giveaway on her blog during the tour – Also – she’s giving away a Montana Amish Calendar to everyone who enters the giveaway! Be sure to head on over to her blog and enter yourself: http://triciagoyer.blogspot.com/2011/04/beside-still-waters-giveaway.html.

PhotobucketPhotobucketPhotobucket
*I was sent a free copy of this book by the publisher for my honest review in conjunction with this blog tour*

1 comment:

Thank you so much for leaving a comment! I appreciate any comments or feedback! It is great to interact with other book lovers! If you read a book after seeing my review I would love to read your review! Come back and leave me a link ( : Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!