A Shining Light by Judith Miller

Shining Light, A (Home to Amana)

FROM THE BACK COVER: 

The kind people of Amana have been her guiding light, but her greatest trial is yet to come...
West Amana, Iowa, 1890

After Andrea Wilson receives the devastating news that her husband has been lost at sea, she returns home to Iowa with her young son, Lukas. But what she finds there causes more heartache: The family farm has burned and her father has died, leaving Andrea with nothing.

Andrea must rely on the kindness of the people from the nearby Amana village who invite her to stay with them for a time. She discovers much generosity and contentment among the Amanans--especially from the tinsmith, Dirk Knefler, who takes her son under his wing. But is the simple, cloistered life in Amana what Andrea wants for Lukas's future? Is she willing to give up the comforts and freedom of the outside world? And when yet another round of shocking news comes her way, will Andrea ever be able to find the serenity and hope that have eluded her for so long?

MY THOUGHTS:

Can I be completely honest and say that I read this book in one day? I absolutely could not put it down. This is the second book I have read by Judith Miller, (the first being A Simple Change) and it will not be my last. 

A Shining Light begins with Andrea Wilson, a young mother, receiving the news that her abusive husband has drowned at sea. Having no money and no family nearby, Andrea decides to move her and her son to Iowa to rejoin her father at his farm. However, upon returning she learns that her father had sold his farm and had died in a fire to the family home. Having no resources, Andrea accepts the offer to move into the Amana colony located nearby. There she comes to find peace, love and grows closer to the Lord all the while protecting her son. But circumstances change, which causes Andrea and those she has drawn closest to, including the town's tinsmith Dirk (who has fallen in love with Andrea and has become a father figure to her son Lukas) to question whether this is really in God's plans and all the characters must learn to trust in God's plan. 

I love how Ms. Miller wrote this story in the voices of several different characters. I feel that this help to develop the story line and to keep it very interesting. I loved the suspense and the twists and turns that Ms. Miller included. Not to give anything away, I totally did not see the ending coming. 

I would highly recommend this book as a fun, suspenseful, great read. 

DISCLAIMER: I received this book for free from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.