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45 of 46 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Enjoyable and thought provoking read, February 20, 2010
This review is from: Somewhere to Belong (Daughters of Amana, Book 1) (Paperback)
Living in Iowa, and having visited the Amana Colonies several times, I was easily drawn to this book. I felt a connection to each character and the challenges they presented. Often the people at Amana are confused with the Amish. They are not the same. This book helps understand this. I found the book difficult to put down, as I was not always able to predict what the characters would do. I found myself wondering what I would have chosen, had I been the different characters in the book. I found this an enjoyable and thought proving read for a break from the routines of life.
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18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Wonderful Surprise, February 26, 2010
This review is from: Somewhere to Belong (Daughters of Amana, Book 1) (Paperback)
I love books that surprise me. :o)
This book managed to encompass so many elements at once. It is a coming of age story. One of the girls is a young woman, the other a teenager and both grow more into their "skin" as the story progresses. Thrown together because Berta needed someone responsible to train her, neither girl could foresee how much they would need each other for the trials ahead of them or how close they would become.
It is also a story of family ~ what that means and why it is important. It examines how those bonds hold us together, what can break them apart, and if they can be mended again. I can't think of a more important topic. And it's a story of romance (gotta have that) and what makes that a real love or not and how to tell. And of course the love God has for all of us.
The author pulls all of this off because she invests so much in the characters of Johanna and Berta. Although on the surface the girls may seem near opposites, neither girl is one dimensional and both are easy to love. Johanna is the obedient, responsible daughter. However she sneaks fashions magazines from her brother (who lives in Chicago) in from the outside and hides them in her room and she longs to visit the world outside her village borders. Berta rarely thinks beyond her next opportunity for fun and despises anything resembling work. When told she can't wear her pink skirt to work in the kitchen, she puts it on underneath the plain skirt so she can still wear it without anyone knowing (or so she plans). She does try to make others happy and cares about people's feelings far more than even she's willing to admit. She has a natural gift for cheering people up as well. Both face adversity, mystery, and being lied to by people they have trusted. Both really want to know where they fit in. How they come through the journey is something to behold.
Judith Miller has done an excellent job with this book.
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20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Life in a Religious Commune, July 6, 2010
This review is from: Somewhere to Belong (Daughters of Amana, Book 1) (Paperback)
Books about the Amish seem to be the current trend in the Christian market. Although not strictly about the Amish, Somewhere to Belong fits right in. The setting is a strict religious community in Iowa in the nineteenth century. The twist is that it is communal and the legalism overshadows the love. Two girls struggle with their place in this community.
Johanna has been raised in the Amana communities, and loves it. But she is curious about the outside world where her brother has fled, and wants to visit Chicago, just once. Berta was raised in Chicago by her rich parents who have decided to simplify their lives by moving to the Amana communities. She hates it. The two girls are thrown together because Johanna is expected to teach Berta how to behave. As they get to know each other, they begin to share their inner lives. They also discover that each set of parents is hiding something from their daughters.
Although the book is written well, and Miller brings the Amana communities to life, I found that I didn't care a lot about the girls and what happened to them. The pace is slow, Berta is not only predictable, her rebellion is extreme, and the people they both encounter are harsh and unloving. Even the mystery of the parents' secrets wasn't enough to hold my interest. Perhaps an adolescent reader would find it more compelling.
Pros: Good depiction of an alternative lifestyle, with a little mystery to keep the plot moving.
Cons: Slow start with characters that are hard to care about.
The original review was posted on Pix-n-Pens [...]
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