Book Review: A Brighter Dawn (Amish Memories Book #1) by Leslie Gould

 

Ivy Zimmerman is successfully navigating her life as a young Mennonite woman, one generation removed from her parents' Old Order Amish upbringing. But when her parents are killed in a tragic accident, Ivy's way of life is upended. As she deals with her grief, her younger sisters' needs, the relationship with her boyfriend, and her Dawdi and Mammi's strict rules, Ivy finds solace in both an upcoming trip to Germany for an international Mennonite youth gathering and in her great-great-aunt's story about Clare Simons, another young woman who visited Germany in the late 1930s.

As Ivy grows suspicious that her parents' deaths weren't, in fact, an accident, she gains courage from what she learns of Clare's time in pre-World War II Germany. With the encouragement and inspiration of the women who have gone before her, Ivy seeks justice for her parents, her sisters, and herself.

My Review:

A Brighter Dawn, the first in the series of Amish Memories, is a dual time book.  You will feel like you are in the present day as well as relive the memories of WWII that Aunt Rosene tells.

The struggle with grief on both timelines is real. Leslie Gould describes so well how the stages of grief can sometimes be unbearable and they are different for everyone.  The people can never be forgotten, the circumstances of what happened can not be changed but with knowledge there is hope of A Brighter Dawn.

This book kept me well up till the middle of the night.  It was a page turner especially the memories of WW2 for me.   It was both  amazing and sad what I didn't know.  Let it not be forgotten.

This book was sent to me by the publisher.  All opinions are my own. 

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