The Newcomer Book Review

I was so excited to see another book by Suzanne Woods Fisher that I didn't hesitate to order it.  The Newcomer (Amish Beginnings) by Suzanne Woods Fisher was the second book in a series that I hadn't even read yet.  WHAT?!  How did I possibly miss the first one!  I was still interested but then in reading the description I realized it was a historic fiction book which isn't something at the top of my list.  I was still interested in finding out what it was about so I grabbed it up.

In 1737, Anna Konig and her fellow church members stagger off a small wooden ship after ten weeks at sea, eager to start a new life in the vibrant but raw Pennsylvania frontier. On the docks of Port Philadelphia waits bishop Jacob Bauer, founder of the settlement and father to ship carpenter Bairn. It's a time of new beginnings for the reunited Bauer family, and for Anna and Bairn's shipboard romance to blossom.

But this perfect moment cannot last. As Bairn grasps the reality of what it means to be Amish in the New World--isolated, rigid with expectations, under the thumb of his domineering father--his enthusiasm evaporates. When a sea captain offers the chance to cross the ocean one more time, Bairn grabs it. Just one more crossing, he promises Anna. But will she wait for him?

When Henrik Newman joins the church just as it makes its way to the frontier, Anna is torn. He seems to be everything Bairn is not--bold, devoted, and delighted to vie for her heart. And the most dramatic difference? He is here; Bairn is not.  Far from the frontier, an unexpected turn of events weaves together the lives of Bairn, Anna, and Henrik. When a secret is revealed, which true love will emerge?

It took me a little bit to get into this book because it was a historical book with lots of characters that you had to keep straight.  Once I was in, I couldn't put it down because there were so many things going on with two family members stranded at another settlement, two family members on a boat and lots of things going on at the new settlement.  I needed to find out what was going to happen next and couldn't wait to find out what progress the settlement made in the new world.  My favorite character to follow was Anna because she was in the middle of a lot of action and always a very positive person.  Although she was missing her grandparents from the old world and all of the things that she expected to happen in the New World was not happening, she was still going through every day with a positive attitude.  I hope that you check out the book and see for yourself.  I think that you will enjoy it as much as I did.

**I received a copy of the book so that I can read the book and provide my honest opinion and review.  All opinions here are my own.  Book was provided by Revell Reads.