FROM LIBRO.FM: 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 façade. 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? ( )

★★★★☆ - 4 out of 5 stars

Hannah Yoder lives a quiet life with her Amish family along the Conestoga Creek in Lancaster County. In 1842, the county is well established but as fellow Amish families begin moving westward to Ohio and Indiana, Hannah's parents begin to worry about the outsider influence on their children. Hannah is quickly faced with a number of choices and questions what the future holds for her and her family. Who is she to marry, should she stay in Lancaster County or move to Indiana, what should she do about her sister?

While I have read plenty of historical fiction in the past, this was my first experience with Amish literature. Right away I was drawn into the quiet Conestoga Creek setting of Hannah's home and felt a pull towards deciding what Hannah should decide. The book was well written, always keeping Hannah's story unpredictable and Liesabet's (her younger sister's) story a little more so (which I felt may have been a nod to more modern stories of young adults rebellion and their predictability). Additionally, I appreciated that the author wrote from her own family history, rooting the story in some truth . The book was well written and kept me hooked till the very end. I know a book is good when it moves beyond reading for enjoyment and wraps me in the moment where I find myself angry with the characters, laughing at some mistake or joke, and/ or crying over a loss. This book had all of that and more.

I do have to admit I didn't like how the story ended (don't worry, I won't spoil it for you), primarily due to my own opinion on what Hannah should have chose. This and the slight predictability of some of the family members is why I didn't give the book a full 5 stars. However, I fully understand why the story ended as it did and eagerly looked to see if there was a second book to the series. Tough topics were touched on and gracefully dealt with throughout the story (eg. slavery) as Hannah addressed how her faith played a part. It was for these reasons that I gave it 4 stars.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading historical fiction and/or Christian books.

Please note: I received a free hard copy of this book in exchange for my honest review from Revell Books, a division of Baker Publishing Group. All words and opinions expressed here are my own, as always. ( )

In Hannah's Choice, Hannah Yoder must work to sort out the troubles her family faces and to work to hold everything together. She is content where she is, but must deal with ideas from outside her Amish community and family issues within.
She feels responsible for many of these issues and feels like she must be the one to work through what has arisen as a result of the issues. She has to work at keeping her family together and being a peacemaker. She finds herself with another dilemma in choosing a mate. She has to choose between staying in her community and continuing her duties with her family, or choosing to leave and go west.
I have not really thought what it must have been like to face issues of today during the 1800's without all the outside support that is available today. Hannah had to try to work with her family and keep things together when others in her family were unable or unwilling to help. I enjoyed this story and felt like I was right there in the story itself.
I received a copy of the book from the publisher to review. ( )

Title: Hannah’s Choice (Journey to Pleasant Prairie #1)
Author: Jan Drexler
Pages: 400
Year: 2016
Publisher: Revell
My rating is 4 stars.
Hannah’s Choice is a riveting story of an Amish family named Yoder who find they are becoming a part of a smaller community. Neighbors are no longer part of the Amish community but Quaker, Mennonite and Brethren to name a few. The year is 1842 and slaves are coming north to escape their masters though some are captured and returned back to the south by bounty hunters.
The Yoders are approached to move to new land where a bigger Amish community is starting along with more land available at low prices. Hannah is the oldest and she tends to carry more on her shoulders, especially when her mother gets depressed and is unable to function or care for her other children. Hannah’s heart is torn between two suitors, one who is Mennonite but she has known since they were children while the other is a young man new to the area.
Throughout the book I was captivated by the desire to learn which young man, if either, Hannah would choose. I enjoyed the heart and soul of the book as depicted in the ways characters made wise and foolish choices. The timeframe is when diseases could easily take a life as not, plus I enjoyed the way marriage is depicted as going through life together whatever may come.
In the Fall of this year, book two of this series will be released and I cannot wait to read and see what has occurred with the characters I met in the first book. In our day when things are massed produced I love reading books where trades were handed down from father to son. I enjoyed reading about the family devotions led by the father after dinner each evening. The tension in the story was whether aiding the escaped slaves was going against God’s Word or not doing anything was the way to live.
The Amish community is not any better or worse as they are people too, so please don’t look at their lives as being better than yours. Their life is different and having visited some Amish communities I love the atmosphere and the work of their hands. Yet, I love where God has me and I enjoy stories of characters of faith. I hope you will enjoy Hannah’s Choice before the sequel is released in the fall; I did!
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255. “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” ( )

Hannah’s Choice by Jan Drexler is set in Conestoga Creek in 1842. Hannah Yoder is eighteen years old. She lives with her parents (Annalise and Christian) and her siblings (Liesbet, Margareta, Peter, William, and Jacob. There were more children but they died nine years earlier from illness (all the children got very ill). Since then Annalise has been extremely depressed (and has treated Hannah horribly). Hannah is good friends (all her life) with Adam Metzler. Adam, though, is a Mennonite. He is in love with Hannah, but Hannah is Amish (her father would never approve the match). Christian Yoder is worried about the lack of Amish in the year. More Amish are leaving the area for greener pastures. Christian is worried about the non-Amish influences on his children (he wants to make sure that the stay Amish). Christian gets an opportunity to move his family to another state where a new Amish community is being started. With this news comes Josef Bender who is instantly attracted to Hannah. Josef starts spending time with Hannah. Hannah will have a choice to make? Stay in Conestoga Creek and marry Adam (with all that is familiar). Or marry Josef Bender and move to a new state (a new life). Adding to Hannah dilemma is an issue with Liesbet. Liesbet (at sixteen) fell in love with an Englischer (who was just seducing Liesbet). Liesbet leaves her home (which makes their father more determined to move) and marries her young man. But life is not rosy for Liesbet (it is not at all what she imagined). What if Liesbet comes looking for them and they are gone? Hannah will have to make a choice.

Hannah’s Choice was a good book. It is the first book in Journey to Pleasant Prairie series. I read it straight through late one night. I liked the characters and it was easy to read. The setting sounded so lovely (I do not blame Hannah for not wanting to move). I give Hannah’s Choice 4 out of 5 stars (I liked it). If you like historical, Christian fiction, you will enjoy Hannah’s Choice. It is a well-written story and I am looking forward to the next book in this series.

I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley and Revell in exchange for an honest review. ( )