Hannah's Choice - A Book Review

Hannah's Choice is by Jan Drexler and is the first book in the Journey to Pleasant Prairie series.  It is set in the 1840's and focuses on Hannah Yoder and her family.  They live on the banks of Conestoga Creek in Lancaster County.  Hanna has such a good heart and tries so hard to keep everyone in her family happy and on the right path.  From the outside looking in, it appears that everything is great in Hannah's life, but under the surface the family life is far from perfect.  Her mother is in a deep depression after losing two children and she blames Hannah for bringing the sickness that took their lives.  Her father is consumed with worry and her sister Leisbet is heading down a rebellious path.

Two men seek Hannah's hand in marriage, one of them offers Hannah the home life that she has always wanted and the other promises an adventure of traveling west to follow God's calling.  Hannah has to make a choice.  She has to choose to stay true to the faith of her family or defy her father and community.  There is conflict between love and family.  Will Hannah choose to listen to her heart or to her family?

I enjoyed Hannah's Choice.  Hannah's mother's depression was so sad and the fact that she was consumed with grief and blamed Hannah made me admire Hannah and her good spirit all the more.  The way Hannah felt like she had to take care of everything spoke well of her character, but also made me feel so sorry for the burden she bore.  I know it is a great book when I actually feel emotion for the characters!  I was somewhat disappointed in Hannah's choice of men.  I won't say who she chose as to prevent a spoiler, but I connected more and was rooting more for a certain man and he was not her choice, but it was still a good book and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys Amish fiction!

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 Brethern immigrants to Pennsylvania in the 1700's.  Their experiences are the basis for her stories.

***Thanks to Revell Publishing for providing me with a copy of Hannah's Choice in exchange for my honest review.