My latest review for Bethany House is A Breath of Hope, #2 in the Under Northern Skies series.
A Breath of Hope starts where the first novel, The Promise of Dawn, has left off. The Under Northern Skies series picks up back in Norway, where Rune's sister Nilda and brother Ivar are eagerly saving their money for their own emigration to America.
Rune and his wife Signe are now getting established on his Onkel Einar and Tante Gerd's homestead in Minnesota. Not everything has been peaches and cream since they've settled as they find their Onkel Einar to be an intolerable, grumpy old man who is both stubborn and angry with all those around him. Rune ignores Einar's negativity to focus on building his own house on the land he has been granted, and felling trees to clear land for more farming.
Nilda and Ivar manage to make it over to their new land by way of a tough boat trip in steerage (with help on land from Mr. Thorvaldson....More to come between Nilda and him, I'm sure!)
And so begins the united family's new stateside journey, with tensions continuing to climb with Onkel Einar, and the new family trying to find their place among the friendly people of their small town.
I liked this novel. The story was churned out like fresh butter, with subtle action and descriptive writing depicting the families everyday lives on their homestead. I'm a fan of Amish stories, so this has been a refreshing change. This would be a great book for those who have Norwegian heritage.
No comments:
Post a Comment