The Face of Heaven (CFBA Tour)

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing The Face of Heaven Harvest House Publishers (August 1, 2012) by Murray Pura
ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Murray Pura was born and raised in Manitoba, just north of Minnesota and the Dakotas. He has published several novels and short story collections in Canada, and has been short-listed for a number of awards. His first books to be published in the United States are the inspirational works Rooted and Streams (both by Zondervan in 2010). His first novel to debut in the USA is A Bride’s Flight from Virginia City, Montana (Barbour), which was released January 2012. The second, The Wings of Morning, will be published by Harvest House on February 1. Both of these novels center around the Amish of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

ABOUT THE BOOK

In April 1861, Lyndel Keim discovers two runaway slaves in her family's barn. When the men are captured and returned to their plantation, Lyndel and her young Amish beau, Nathaniel King, find themselves at odds with their pacifist Amish colony

Nathaniel enlists in what will become the famous Iron Brigade of the Union Army. Lyndel enters the fray as a Brigade nurse on the battlefield, sticking close to Nathaniel as they both witness the horrors of war--including the battles at Chancellorsville, Fredericksburg, and Antietam. Despite the pair's heroic sacrifices, the Amish only see that Lyndel and Nathaniel have become part of the war effort, and both are banished.

And a severe battle wound at Gettysburg threatens Nathaniel's life. Lyndel must call upon her faith in God to endure the savage conflict and to face its painful aftermath, not knowing if Nathaniel is alive or dead. Will the momentous battle change her life forever, just as it will change the course of the war and the history of her country?

If you would like to read the first chapter of The Face of Heaven, go HERE.

MY THOUGHTS SO FAR

With an intriguing premise and a compelling beginning, The Face of Heaven has been an interesting read so far (I'm about 1/3 of the way through the book). Since I took a class specifically on Civil War Era history last fall, as well as an American Military History class (from the Colonial Wars through Reconstruction) last spring, I thought this combination of the Amish and that turbulent time would make for a thought-provoking story. And it has been thought-provoking, although the storytelling hasn't completely pulled me in. We'll see how the next 2/3 goes! My full review should hopefully be posted soon.

*With thanks to Harvest House through CFBA for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for my honest opinion - with a full review to come!*