Title: Mattie's Pledge
Author: Jan Drexler
Publication Date: September 20, 2016
Publisher: Revell
Provided by: Revell
Series: Journey to Pleasant Prairie #2
Subjects: Amish, patience, big decisions, adoption
Setting: Pennsylvania to Indiana, 1848
Rating: 2.5
Pages: 377
Cost: $14
Amazon Link
Synopsis
Mattie Schrock is no stranger to uprooting her life. Even as her father relocated her family from one Amish community to the next, she always managed to find a footing in their new homes. Now as the Schrock family plans to move west from Somerset County to a fledgling Amish settlement in Indiana, she looks forward to connecting with old friends who will be joining them from another Pennsylvania community--friends like Jacob Yoder, who has always held a special place in her heart.
Since Mattie last saw Jacob, they've both grown into different people with different dreams. Jacob yearns to settle down, but Mattie can't help but dream of what may lie over the western horizon. When a handsome Englisher tempts her to leave the Amish behind to search for adventure in the West, will her pledge to Jacob be the anchor that holds her secure?
Tender, poignant, and gentle, Mattie's Pledge offers readers a glimpse into Amish life in the 1840s--and into the yearning heart of a character they'll not soon forget.
My opinions
The book opens talking about religious persecution, of people who were forces to hold church gatherings in their homes because it was not safe anywhere else.
This made me nervous at first but it was fine. Though this intro, the author was able to talk about the Amish culture and what they find extremely meaningful.
In many ways, this book is your average Amish book: Someone is moving. Some people die. Everyone freaks out. The main characters agree to marry.
If thats your thing, you might like this book more than I did.
Usually I prefer books which have more action and less dialogue, and this book seemed to have a lot of dialogue.
I liked the prodigals son theme of the story: Constantly Mattie wanted to try new things. She wanted to go new places and forge her own path.
But I feel like the author had too many repetitive conversations to get this point across, dragging out her "I want go to Oregon" feelings for hundreds of pages, and its only in the very end of the book that her rebellion causes problems.
Because they were traveling west, that might have almost been intentional, to create more conflict, because it just got really old.
Day 1:
Male character: Do you want to marry me?
Female character: No.
Day 5.
Male character: Do you want to marry me?
Female character: Still no.
Day 18
Male character: Do you want to marry me?
Female character: Nope.
Day 23
Male character: Do you want to marry me?
Female character: *shakes head*
And so on.
Also, there were so many other conflicts I wish the author would have taken more time to explore!!
There are constantly big decisions being made and the characters tell each other to pray about it but we never see what that looks like. Should I say that this is a book about prayer?
I dont think so. It mentions prayer but wont teach you anything you dont know already. The passages about prayer go like this:
Character 1: Do you think I should get married?
Character 2: idk. Pray about it
Character 1: Okay
*fades to black*
In the same way, at the end of the book, one of the characters really wants to adopt an orphan boy. I think the author could have talked about these thoughts before and transitioned better so it was less randomly thrown in the story. I got the impression that initially the female man character, Mattie, initially was going to adopt the boy but since she's so adventurous the author realized that it wouldnt work.
To me, the target audience seems to be readers who like Amish fiction or maybe who would like to read about prayer, adoption, and decision making
You can order a copy from Amazon here.
About the author
Jan Drexler brings a unique understanding of Amish traditions and beliefs to her writing. Her ancestors were among the first Amish, Mennonite, and Brethren immigrants to Pennsylvania in the 1700s, and their experiences are the basis for her stories. Jan lives in South Dakota with her husband, their four adult children, two active dogs, and a cat. She is the author of The Prodigal Son Returns, A Mother for His Children (winner of the 2013 TARA award), A Home for His Family, and Hannah's Choice.
Author: Jan Drexler
Publication Date: September 20, 2016
Publisher: Revell
Provided by: Revell
Series: Journey to Pleasant Prairie #2
Subjects: Amish, patience, big decisions, adoption
Setting: Pennsylvania to Indiana, 1848
Rating: 2.5
Pages: 377
Cost: $14
Amazon Link
Synopsis
Mattie Schrock is no stranger to uprooting her life. Even as her father relocated her family from one Amish community to the next, she always managed to find a footing in their new homes. Now as the Schrock family plans to move west from Somerset County to a fledgling Amish settlement in Indiana, she looks forward to connecting with old friends who will be joining them from another Pennsylvania community--friends like Jacob Yoder, who has always held a special place in her heart.
Since Mattie last saw Jacob, they've both grown into different people with different dreams. Jacob yearns to settle down, but Mattie can't help but dream of what may lie over the western horizon. When a handsome Englisher tempts her to leave the Amish behind to search for adventure in the West, will her pledge to Jacob be the anchor that holds her secure?
Tender, poignant, and gentle, Mattie's Pledge offers readers a glimpse into Amish life in the 1840s--and into the yearning heart of a character they'll not soon forget.
My opinions
The book opens talking about religious persecution, of people who were forces to hold church gatherings in their homes because it was not safe anywhere else.
This made me nervous at first but it was fine. Though this intro, the author was able to talk about the Amish culture and what they find extremely meaningful.
In many ways, this book is your average Amish book: Someone is moving. Some people die. Everyone freaks out. The main characters agree to marry.
If thats your thing, you might like this book more than I did.
Usually I prefer books which have more action and less dialogue, and this book seemed to have a lot of dialogue.
I liked the prodigals son theme of the story: Constantly Mattie wanted to try new things. She wanted to go new places and forge her own path.
But I feel like the author had too many repetitive conversations to get this point across, dragging out her "I want go to Oregon" feelings for hundreds of pages, and its only in the very end of the book that her rebellion causes problems.
Because they were traveling west, that might have almost been intentional, to create more conflict, because it just got really old.
Day 1:
Male character: Do you want to marry me?
Female character: No.
Day 5.
Male character: Do you want to marry me?
Female character: Still no.
Day 18
Male character: Do you want to marry me?
Female character: Nope.
Day 23
Male character: Do you want to marry me?
Female character: *shakes head*
And so on.
Also, there were so many other conflicts I wish the author would have taken more time to explore!!
There are constantly big decisions being made and the characters tell each other to pray about it but we never see what that looks like. Should I say that this is a book about prayer?
I dont think so. It mentions prayer but wont teach you anything you dont know already. The passages about prayer go like this:
Character 1: Do you think I should get married?
Character 2: idk. Pray about it
Character 1: Okay
*fades to black*
In the same way, at the end of the book, one of the characters really wants to adopt an orphan boy. I think the author could have talked about these thoughts before and transitioned better so it was less randomly thrown in the story. I got the impression that initially the female man character, Mattie, initially was going to adopt the boy but since she's so adventurous the author realized that it wouldnt work.
To me, the target audience seems to be readers who like Amish fiction or maybe who would like to read about prayer, adoption, and decision making
You can order a copy from Amazon here.
About the author
Jan Drexler brings a unique understanding of Amish traditions and beliefs to her writing. Her ancestors were among the first Amish, Mennonite, and Brethren immigrants to Pennsylvania in the 1700s, and their experiences are the basis for her stories. Jan lives in South Dakota with her husband, their four adult children, two active dogs, and a cat. She is the author of The Prodigal Son Returns, A Mother for His Children (winner of the 2013 TARA award), A Home for His Family, and Hannah's Choice.
