About the book: It is 1906, and sixteen-year-old Stella’s life in Durliosy, Poland, is bleak. Her only hope of surviving is to travel to America, a land of freedom and opportunity, and reunite with her brother in Baltimore. There she’ll find new challenges, and perhaps, if she can put her painful past behind her, a new chance for love and lasting happiness.
My review: This book was so great! I enjoyed the plot, the characters, the settings. And what made it even better for me was when I got to the end of the book and realized that it's actually a fictionalized account of the author's ancestors. I LOVE that kind of thing!
The whole book is from the perspective of Stella. Things were not ideal for her as she was living in Poland. I loved the love you could tell Stella had for her sweet niece. But even that was not enough to keep her in Poland in her circumstances. I loved that Stella was willing to step into the unknown and move to America, against her brother's wishes.
I hadn't realized just how hard life would have been for those who immigrated. She wouldn't have known the language or anyone at all beyond her brother who helped her to immigrate. Wow! I don't think that would be something I could do, even in our time of ease and she had none of the modern convenience we have.
The author of this book did such a great job, weaving her family lore into a novel that will keep you turning it's pages late into the night trying to figure out just what happened to the character!
I was sent an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Purchase Link: Amazon - Deseret Book
About the author: Being the youngest of four sisters and one very tolerant older brother, Heather grew up on a steady diet of chocolate, Anne of Green Gables, Audrey Hepburn, Jane Austen, and the other staples of female literature and moviedom. These stories inspired Heather to begin writing at an early age. After meeting and marrying her husband Mark, Heather graduated magna cum laude from Brigham Young University and finally settled down in a small farming community in southeastern Idaho with her husband and four children. In her spare time, Heather enjoys time spent with family, volleyball, piano, the outdoors, and almost anything creative.
This post contains an affiliate link, which simply means that if you click my link and make a purchase, I may receive a small amount of money.Labels: Cedar Fort, Heather Chapman, Historical fiction
