Mattie's Pledge ~ Review

Mattie's Pledge
Journey to Pleasant Prairie #2
By Jan Drexler

It's 1848 and Mattie Schrock's family is soon to move from their home in Pennsylvania for a new one in Indiana.  But when her sister Annie and her husband Christopher decide not to make the move with them Mattie is torn over the split in her family. But when her old friends the Yoders and the Hertzlers join the move to the new Amish community Mattie is excited at the prospect of renewing her friendship with the other young women.

But as the group makes their way to their new home Mattie sees her friends begin forming attachments of the heart. Mattie has to wonder what her future holds - she doesn't she herself settling down to a life of the everyday of sameness she has come to know. Rather her dream is to see further west - a land with mountains and to see the ocean. But could she leave behind all she knows and those she loves? Or could her dream simply be a temptation to lead her away from the life she could be content with?

The journey to the Indiana settlement will give Mattie a chance to discover the path her life will follow. The path will not be one of ease or luxury as the group travels by wagon. Life in this time was never easy but traveling with no way to easily get aid if a need arose made it even more hazardous and uncertain.

I have not read this author's work before but was able to follow the story easily enough. The first few chapters gave me a little trouble getting into the story but once the actual move got under way I easily got caught up in the story.  I find it interesting that the different Amish groups, like many groups, have issues with the differing views held between the various groups - progressive verses traditional.

I was provided a review copy of this book by the publisher Revell with no expectation of a positive review, all expressed opinions are my own

About the Book:

When she feels the pull of both home and the horizon, which will she choose?

Mattie Schrock is no stranger to uprooting her life. Even as her father relocated her family from one Amish community to the next, she always managed to find a footing in their new homes. Now as the Schrock family plans to move west from Somerset County to a fledgling Amish settlement in Indiana, she looks forward to connecting with old friends who will be joining them from another Pennsylvania community--friends like Jacob Yoder, who has always held a special place in her heart.

Since Mattie last saw Jacob, they've both grown into different people with different dreams. Jacob yearns to settle down, but Mattie can't help but dream of what may lie over the western horizon. When a handsome Englisher tempts her to leave the Amish behind to search for adventure in the West, will her pledge to Jacob be the anchor that holds her secure?

Tender, poignant, and gentle, Mattie's Pledge offers you a glimpse into Amish life in the 1840s--and into the yearning heart of a character you'll not soon forget.