Friday, December 6, 2013

Emma of Aurora: The Complete Change and Cherish Trilogy: A Clearing in the Wild, A Tendering in the Storm, A Mending at the Edge

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Author: Jane Kirkpatrick
Pages: 1170

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for free from Waterbrook Multnomah Pulbishers as part of their Blogging for Books program in exchange for an honest review.

In a time and culture where women were subservient and seen rather than heard, Emma was fiercely independent, outspoken, and opinionated. Growing up in the German communal-living colony of Bethel, Missouri under the almost autocratic leadership of Wilhelm Keil, Emma was often at odds with the way things were done. The community practiced the Diamond Rule: To make someone else’s life better than your own. Though in her youth Emma’s independence and strong-will made her do some selfish things, as she grew and matured and struggled through life’s difficulties she learned to lean on those around her and became a very generous woman.

The trilogy follows Emma Wagner Geisy from her teenage years until she was in her late 30s. It is a fictional story based on a real person. Many of the larger details that carry the story along are factual.

Throughout her life, Emma experienced adventure, love, hardship, and loss. The books take us through her journey as she goes from being fiercely independent to being dependent on the people around her and happy to be. Emma grows so much as a person and as a Christian. Life softens her rough edges, as it has a tendency of doing.

I enjoyed reading this book. I could relate to Emma and her independent streak and strong will. Emma’s independence and strong was both an asset and a liability as it led her to both good decisions and bad.

When you’re as strong-willed as Emma was and I am, life isn’t always easy. You tend to learn things the hard way and through being broken and remolded, eventually you become more pliable in the hands of God. At least that’s what happened with Emma, and I hope will happen with me. Over time Emma learned to depend on God and others and trust them more.

I liked the characters in this book. They were very well-developed and each had their own individual quirks about them that made it easy to keep them separate. The story was gripping in a way that you didn’t always like it, but also couldn’t put it down.

I would recommend this book.


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