If you are like me, you enjoy reading novels about different times, places, and ways of life. These fiction books provide information, and I always learn something. In author Kim Vogel Sawyer’s Ours for a Season, I was taken into a small part of the Old Order Mennonite world. It is part Amish but with a modern touch. In this novel, you will find a lot more depth than a normal fiction book. This is not your typical Amish or Mennonite story. It deals with real life issues in heavy doses. Anyone will be captivated with it.
In Ours for a Season we meet Old Order Mennonite husband and wife, Anthony and Marty Hirschler. They are part of a small close knit community in Pine Hill, Indiana. They have lost a child and have not been able to have any other children. Doctors have confirmed they will not have any others. Each deal with this loss in a different way. Anthony pours himself into his construction business. Marty is battling depression and yearns for a child. She struggles with living in a community where children are so important as are large families. Their marriage is a bit rocky.
Brooke Spalding, is a childhood friend and reconnects with Marty. She offers the Hirschlers an opportunity to get away from Indiana which they hope will mend their fragile relationship. Brooke has ulterior motives. This journey is a roller coaster one filled with twist and turns, mystery, faith, intrigue, action, hope, and love.
All of the characters in this exceptional book are so well conceived. It is easy to become invested in their lives. They come alive on the pages. The author has done a wonderful job with tackling so many issues we face in today’s life. Tough, heartbreaking issues. The message of redemption, trusting and turning to God is in the forefront of this hauntingly beautiful, power story. There is no confusion about whether or not this is a Christian novel. It absolutely is.
I completely loved this emotionally charged story. It pulled, not tugged, on my heartstrings more than a few times. The author has done an exemplary job in researching, planning, and writing this novel. Her talent is evident in this “do not stop reading me” book. It drew me in within the first few chapters and I was hooked. Completely hooked.
This is a definitely yes, 5 star recommended book from me. With the issues broached I would lean toward teenagers and up as it might be too much for tweens to handle. The storyline is too good to share any more and ruin experiencing it for yourself. As I read this page turner, I kept saying WOW. Yes, it is a wow read that you need to experience yourself. Then find sometime to discuss it. Maybe a reading group.
Abba's Prayer Warrior Princess 