Hannah's Choice: A Novel (Journey to Pleasant Prairie)

★★★★☆ – 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 show more 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. You can read all my book reviews on my blog - TrekkieChick.Wordpress.com show less

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 show more 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. show less

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 show more 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. show less

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 show more 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. show less

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 show more must make a choice. Faithfully perform her duties to her family? Or defy her father and abandon her community? show less