Monday, April 4, 2011

Beside Still Waters by Tricia Goyer (Review)


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.


My Review:
I thought this was a good start to the Big Sky Amish series by Tricia Goyer. This is the author's first Amish book and her descriptions are great. Marianna has been trying her whole life to make up for the death of her twin sisters in a buggy accident the night she was born. She has her life planned out or so she thought. One day her Father and Mother told her they were planning on moving the family to Montana for a little while. I expected the majority of the book to take place there but it takes a while to get to that point. The book is not really what you expect in a typical Amish book. The main characters struggle with the rules they are supposed to live by and their faith. I liked how different it was but I did not like the ending. It was abrupt and leaves you feeling like the book is incomplete. I know book two is going to pick up there but I still would have liked more. This is a three book series with Marianna as the main character. I look forward to reading more of her story in book two. Recommended. :)


About Tricia:
 Tricia Goyer is the author of twenty-four 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.

For more about Tricia please visit www.triciagoyer.com.


Be sure to stop by Tricia's Blog It's Real Life - she's giving away 10 copies of the book and some (super cool) antique Amish salt & pepper shakers. Also - everyone who enters the contest will receive an Montana Amish calendar (while supplies last)! 
  • Paperback: 320 pages



  • Publisher: B&H Books (April 15, 2011)



  • ISBN-13: 978-1433668685
  • 1 comment:

    BrendaC said...

    I am hoping to read this one in the next week, great review.

    Classics Club Spin 18

    My Classics Club Spin List for August This is a hodgepodge of books left on my list I made in 2017 for the Classics Club. Tomorrow the clu...