Hannah's Choice (Journey to Pleasant Prairie, #1)

Hannah Yoder loves her quiet life on the banks of the Conestoga Creek. In 1842, this corner of Lancaster County is settled and peaceful--yet problems lurk beneath the placid faade. Hannah's father worries about the spread of liberal ideas from their Mennonite and Brethren neighbors. And Hannah blames herself for a tragedy that struck their home nine years ago. She strives to be the one person who can bind the threads of her family together in spite of her mother's ongoing depression and her sister's rejection of their family. But her world is threatening to unravel.

When two young men seek her hand in marriage--one offering the home she craves and the other promising the adventure of following God's call west--Hannah must make a choice. Faithfully perform her duties to her family? Or defy her father and abandon her community?

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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. 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. When she isn't writing, she enjoys hiking the Black Hills and the Badlands. She is the author of the Love Inspired novels The Prodigal Son Returns, A Mother for His Children, and A Home for His Family.

My Review

The title of the book Hannah’s Choice complements the theme of this story, and who will win her hand and heart.
This book takes place in the Lancaster PA area before the Civil War, and with slave hunters coming through the area looking for escaped slaves. We find at the end of this book that the author is related to former Amish, or Brethren who left the area and went to Indiana.
Hannah lives with her family on a farm that has been in her family for generations. It is situated on the banks of the Conestoga River, and we get to journey around on this beautiful land. How wonderful to live with so much family history surrounding them. Some is heart breaking especially with the death of three of her siblings.
When a couple of fellow Amish stop at the farm and offer up an opportunity to move to new land at low prices, Christian, Hannah’s Dad, thinks this will be a good solution to go to where there are more Amish, and to get away from the grief that has surrounded his wife and family. He is also worried about his children going worldly and marrying outside of their religion.
I was quickly consumed by this book and was turning the pages to find the answers, and I struggled, as did Hannah, as to whom she should choose to marry. If she chooses her neighbor and childhood friend Adam, she risks looking her family to the bann, but she can continue to live where she loves, and if she chooses the Josef will she be marrying for love, but she follows her religion.
This is a wonderful read about the Amish in Pennsylvania before it was a major settlement, and life in the 1840’s in America.
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Revell and was not required to give a positive review.