Beside Still Waters Book Review

Ever since I was a little girl, I have had a fascination with the Amish lifestyle.  It is amazing to me that people can still keep the ways of long ago, without sucumbing to the pleasures (and frustrations) of modern life.  I know that I am way too addicted to the internet to ever give it up, but it still amazes me that there are people who happily do without.

I have enjoyed several books (such as Plain Truth by Jodi Picoult) and movies (such as ), so I was excited when I was given the opportunity to read Beside Still Waters by Tricia Goyer. 

The novel follows the life of a young Amish girl, 19 year old, Marianna Sommer who like most young adults thinks that she knows the way her life is headed.  She is prepared to follow the traditions of her Amish Community.  She looks forward to being Baptized in her Church,  marrying a good Amish boy, Aaron Zook, and settling down in the same community that she has always lived in to raise a family.  Then unexpectedly, her father makes an announcement that will rock her world and force her to question all that she has known.

Marianna and her family make the trek from Indiana to Montana and find a new Amish Community that is not as strict as the one they have come from.  Suddenly Marianna is faced with questions and doubts that she has never had before. Should she keep the ways that she has always known?  Will she find a way to be true to both her family and her faith?  Further complicating matters is her budding friendship with Ben Stone, a young man outside of her community.  I found myself rooting for Marianna to keep her traditions, while at the same time wanting her to forget everything to be with Ben.  It was almost as if I was struggling to make the decisions along with Marianna!

Although I had never read a book by Tricia Goyer prior to this, I must say that I have found a new favorite writer to follow, an am looking forward to reading more!  The characters were so deep, compelling, and real.   Beside Still Waters is a rich and emotional tale of coming of age, of finding your faith, and your place in the world as you grow up and begin to live your own life away from your family. 

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of the Beside Still Waters Campaign and received a copy of the book and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.