Promise Lodge by Charlotte Hubbard is set in Promise, Missouri. Mattie Schwartz, Christine Hershberger, and Rosetta Bender needed to get away from their town (Coldstream) and Bishop Obadiah (who tolerates violence against wives and turns a blind eye to his son's activities). They bought tan old abandoned church camp and have started the Promise Lodge Colony (a place for a fresh start). They are advertising for other Mennonite and Amish people to come and join them. Everyone is working hard to the buildings and grounds up to date (as well as put in a vegetable garden and plant crops). Noah Schwartz (Mattie's son) is glad to get away because his fiancé, Deborah Peterscheim broke off their engagement. Then Deborah shows up at Promise. Her father threw her out and she regrets her decision to break off her engagement to Noah. Will Deborah be able to show Noah that she has changed and regrets her actions? Can Noah ever trust Deborah again? Read Promise Lodge to see who wants a fresh start at Promise!
I enjoyed reading Promise Lodge. It is a nice, easy to read novel that is heartwarming. The setting sounded just lovely, and I liked all the characters (especially the elderly sisters that come to lodge at the house). It is a little too preachy (a lot of scripture quotes), but I liked the theme of forgiveness and God's will. I give Promise Lodge 4 out of 5 stars (which means I liked it). It is the first book of a new series by Charlotte Hubbard and I look forward to reading the next book in the series.
I received a complimentary copy of Promise Lodge from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I enjoyed reading Promise Lodge. It is a nice, easy to read novel that is heartwarming. The setting sounded just lovely, and I liked all the characters (especially the elderly sisters that come to lodge at the house). It is a little too preachy (a lot of scripture quotes), but I liked the theme of forgiveness and God's will. I give Promise Lodge 4 out of 5 stars (which means I liked it). It is the first book of a new series by Charlotte Hubbard and I look forward to reading the next book in the series.
I received a complimentary copy of Promise Lodge from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The writing in this book isn't bad, but overall I didn't find it to be an enjoyable read.
There is SO much abuse in this book. Spousal abuse, child abuse, rape and attempted rape, and the list goes on⦠It was really disheartening to read. A lot of it also seemed unnecessary to the plot - as if it was just added in for dramatic effect.
Several of the conversations in this book were sexual in nature, which I found bizarre since all the characters are Old Order Amish or Mennonite. It seemed extremely inappropriate and awkward for them to be discussing such things - multiple times. Some of their other actions also struck me as odd for Christians - like eavesdropping on other people's conversations, and running away from home without so much as leaving a note.
There is a theme of men vs women in this book. It started off as bold, strong women standing up against tyrannical men in their lives but eventually it just turned in to a power struggle, in my opinion, where none of the women EVER wanted to be advised on what to do⦠It was tiring to read about. Also, having every single woman be so headstrong and independent made it difficult for me to differentiate the characters as I was reading. All the female characters blended together in my head.
Most of the book revolves around Deborah and Noah's relationship, and I just found it tedious. I'm not sure how old they're supposed to be. By their actions and conversations I would've guessed 16, but considering they've already been courting/engaged for years they're probably in their early to mid-twenties. I found them both immature and their relationship full of unnecessary drama.
I already have the second book in the series, so I'm going to read it and see if I like it more.
There is SO much abuse in this book. Spousal abuse, child abuse, rape and attempted rape, and the list goes on⦠It was really disheartening to read. A lot of it also seemed unnecessary to the plot - as if it was just added in for dramatic effect.
Several of the conversations in this book were sexual in nature, which I found bizarre since all the characters are Old Order Amish or Mennonite. It seemed extremely inappropriate and awkward for them to be discussing such things - multiple times. Some of their other actions also struck me as odd for Christians - like eavesdropping on other people's conversations, and running away from home without so much as leaving a note.
There is a theme of men vs women in this book. It started off as bold, strong women standing up against tyrannical men in their lives but eventually it just turned in to a power struggle, in my opinion, where none of the women EVER wanted to be advised on what to do⦠It was tiring to read about. Also, having every single woman be so headstrong and independent made it difficult for me to differentiate the characters as I was reading. All the female characters blended together in my head.
Most of the book revolves around Deborah and Noah's relationship, and I just found it tedious. I'm not sure how old they're supposed to be. By their actions and conversations I would've guessed 16, but considering they've already been courting/engaged for years they're probably in their early to mid-twenties. I found them both immature and their relationship full of unnecessary drama.
I already have the second book in the series, so I'm going to read it and see if I like it more.
