Somewhere to Belong (Daughters of Amana Series #1) [NOOK Book]

A Good Read

Johanna Ilg was raised in the Amana Colonies. Why wouldn't she belong there? It's a peaceful life in 1877, where a community of Christian believers work and worship together. She and her parents embrace the doctrine and cooperative style of living. Johanna expects to remain in Amana, perhaps even marry and raise a family.

In contrast, seventeen year old Berta Schumacher came to Amana thinking she was only visiting. Upon finding out that she and her parents will stay and not return to Chicago, Berta knows that she doesn't belong in Amana. She wastes no time throwing a fit, revealing her temper and spoiled nature.

Johanna is assigned to teach and monitor Berta at work in the Kuche, or community kitchen. Unaccustomed to work of any kind, Berta is not only slow to learn, but very uncooperative. This unlikely pairing tests Johanna's mettle as interesting situations unfold. Will Berta ever settle down? Can Johanna's faith survive her unruly charge?

Meanwhile, Johanna's parents think that it might be time for her to settle down and get married, now that she's reached her 21st birthday. Does Carl Froehlich, a newcomer from a neighboring Amana settlement, have anything to do with this plan? How does Wilhelm, Johanna's older brother who left the colony to live in Chicago; factor into all of this? Johanna thinks she belongs in Amana, but does she really?

Miller's story unfolds in an entertaining and amusing way. I never knew what Berta might try next and how Johanna and the Amana community would react. I was pleasantly surprised at the layers of secrets that came to life through the course of the book. If you want to find out who really belongs in Amana, you will need to pick up this book. It's a good read for any day, rain, shine, or in between.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Great Book!!

I had never heard of the Amana Colonies until I read this book. I was amazed at how interesting their life was. I was just reading along on my NOOK and didn't even know that I was at the last page until I "turned" the page and the book had ended. What a great book!!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Enjoyable

Really enjoyed this book. Good read

Lovely Story

This was a good book - simple and easy to read. There were many times it was difficult to put down.

Highly recommended

This was the first book I've read about Amana and I was very pleasantly surprised how this book kept my interest to the end. The author's method of incorporating the two main character's thoughts and feelings by "chapter" worked very well. Kept me reading to the end. I do wish that the author put in more detail about Johanna and Carl. Since this looks to be a series, maybe we will get to learn more about them and what happens to Berta and the rest of the characters in this book. Looking forward to that!!

Recommended

If you like historical fiction with no sex, this is a good one. It's a nice story & an easy read. Happy ending!!! Rated G!

great book

This book started slow, but it is a good book.

Enjoyable

Judith Miller's book Somewhere To Belong is the first in a series based upon the Amana colonies in Iowa. The colonies were a group of God fearing people who believed in communal living. Their livelihood came from farming and fabric mills. These people of faith believed in spending as much time as possible in studying the Bible and in prayer. They were assigned jobs by a Bruderrat council; the jobs included working with children, gardening, cooking, working in the mills, stable work, and many other duties. They lived a devout, simple, hard working life.

Johanna had lived all of her life in Main Amana and yearns to see the outside world. She longs to begin her adventure by visiting her brother in Chicago. Berta is a young lady who had lived the life of wealth in Chicago. When Berta's parents decide to move to the colonies, she struggles to adjust to this new life. Johanna is assigned the responsibility of teaching Berta and the adventure begins. Both young ladies discover that not even parents always live a life free of deceit and both learn the importance of truth and honesty.

If you enjoy the Amish books that have become popular, then this book will be one that you appreciate. Honestly I did struggle with hearing some of the requirements the families had to live with in the colonies, but the book was interesting, well written and educational.

Thank you to Bethany House for providing this book for review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255

Belonging is about more than location.

Somewhere to Belong is the story of Johanna and Berta. Johanna is a young woman who has lived in Main Amana, a sort of devout Christian community, all of her life. In Main Amana, simplicity and community are valued above all things. Community members dress alike in greys and blacks and work hard at various aspects of the community (some do farming, some gardening, some work in the kitchen). Johanna has secretly always wanted to visit the outside world, but after her brother Willhelm left the community and never returned, she knows that it would break her parents' hearts to even suggest a visit.

Berta is a young woman who has lived a fancy life in Chicago but who suddenly finds her family relocated to Amana. The culture of Amana is foreign to her, and frankly she doesn't like it. She rebels, she snoops, she causes no end of trouble for Johanna - who has been assigned to help Berta transition into the community.


All in all, I enjoyed the characters and the story in "Somewhere to Belong." I expected it to be a kind of average story about transitioning into a new community. Instead, there was a lot of drama and intrigue happening as family secrets were revealed and hearts were broken, as people confronted their fears and explored their true place in the world. I also thought that Miller did a pretty good job of painting a picture of what life was like inside small communities like this at the turn of the 20th century. 3 and a half Harper's Bazaar's out of 5.

1st in Daughters of Amana series is terrific novel of friendship

Somewhere to Belong by Judith Miller is the first book in the Daughters of Amana series. Johanna Ilg has always been the ideal daughter for her parents in Amana, Iowa. Living on a religious commune that focuses on work and prayer is often a austere existance, and Johanna has long desired to see the world outside of their small community. When Berta Schumacher moves to Amana, she's in for a rude awakening. The spoiled and petted daughter of a Chicago doctor and his wife has been forced to give up her big city life for the hard life in Amana because of her out of control ways. Johanna is both intrigued and angered by Berta, especially after the elders force her to teach the young woman about their community. Berta is free-spirited and has no understanding of the rigid life of rules of the town, despite who it hurts. The two girls become friends, despite their differences, and both just may have something to teach the other. While this book is ostensibly a romance, it is in truth a novel of friendship. Berta and Johanna are both of the cusp of womanhood (Johanna more so), and are both incredibly sheltered. It's only through their leaning on each other and God that they will be able to manage the terrible secrets their families have been hiding from them. I hope in the next novel Miller demonstrates more of the Amana lifestyle and introduces characters outside of the kitchen. But I look forward to reading about what Berta is up to next!

Somewhere To Belong: Not my favorite

This book does NOT do a good enough job to keep you up all night as you try to finish reading it because you want to know what happens and you just can't put it down. Johanna's lifestyle seemed to plain for me, I had more of a connection to Berta but as the people of Main Amana tried to force her to conform to their ways I lost interest.
I was given a free copy of this book from Bethany House Publisher to review.

Somewhere To Belong

This takes place in the Amana colonies in the late 1800s. (I hadn't heard of them before, but they're similar to the Amish in terms of dress, general demeanor and speech.)

Berta is dragged to Amana against her will. Her parents have had enough of her lies and disrespect. (Berta's 17 and is determined not to stay there and makes a huge nuisance of herself every chance she gets.)

Johanna has always lived in Amana and loves it there. She wants to travel, but she knows Amana would always be her home.

Will Johanna get to leave and will Berta be able to let herself be happy if she stays?

This is a story of unlikely friendship and (in Berta's case) unlikely faith. Very fun. :) (Especially when Berta's being rebellious.)

Somewhere To Belong

Johanna Ilg loves Amana, the plain community that she has always lived in. Though she longs to visit the outside world, she finds fulfillment by serving her people and her God. When the Schumacher family moves from Chicago to Amana, Johanna is given the responsibility of helping Berta Schumacher learn her responsibilities. The problem is that Berta does not want to be in Amana and she certainly does not want to work in a kitchen all day. Despite difficult moments, a unique friendship is formed between the two young women. When these young women discover family secrets that threaten to change their entire lives, they will only find restoration by pursuing the will of God. But will either of them be willing to face the difficult challenge of forgiveness?

I enjoyed this book, but it was one I would suggest renting from the library before buying. It was okay, but some things were confusing. I don't think Amana is an Amish village, but it has a lot of plain living characteristics. If you really like Amish stories, then you will probably love this book. The plot has a sweet love story woven within it, but focuses mostly on the lives of the two young women.

I suspect that there may be a sequel featuring more of Berta's life. The ending was very open. :)

Great Read

Somewhere to Belong
BY: Judith Miller
PUBLISHED BY: Bethany House
PUBLISHED IN: 2010
ISBN: 978-0-7642-0642-9
Pages: 364
Reviewed by Billy Burgess

Book one in the "Daughters of Amana" series is set in Main Amana, one of the seven villages settled by devoted Christians who believe in living a simple life. Johann Ilg has lived her entire live there and is devoted to God. A part of her has longed to see the outside world, but stays loyal to her community.

The Schumacher family leaves the big city life and moves to the Amana community. Their daughter, Berta, doesn't care for the change, and she wants to rebel.

Meanwhile, Johanna stumbles upon a dark secret.

There have been dozens of books released in the last few years about the Amish/simple life communities. "Somewhere to Belong," stands out from some of the others by using great descriptions of what life would have been liked in the late 1800s. I liked that the author threw in a bit of mystery. It's a great read.

Somewhere to Belong

Set in the late 1800's in a communal village, we find Johanna Ilg, a young woman who is devout in her faith, and looked upon as a suitable young lady to help train a new member into their village. Johanna is not so sure about this, once she meets Berta Schumacher. Berta is an only child who has been pampered and catered to all her days, living in a communal village, and having to work is something Berta rebels against strongly. The things she manages to get into is amazing. She is a trouble maker with a capital "T" and keeps Johanna on her toes.

She also makes Johanna realize how much she would like to see the outside world before she settles down and perhaps marries. Her parents worry that she will not return, just as her older brother did not. An incident where Johanna finds out that her family has not been totally honest with her, shakes her faith, causing her to act on her decision to see the outside world. Will she return to Amana? How will she handle this new and devastating truth? Will Johanna find love in the outside world, or back in her familar home village? This story is a very different story, it is similar to Amish books, in the faith aspect, but the communal living is a new concept for this reviewer. I enjoyed the story very much and look forward to more books in the Daughters of Amana series. 364 pages $14.99 US 4 stars



This book was provided by Bethany House for review purposes only.

An excellent read with good Christian principles.

Somewhere to belong tells the story of two young women that come together when the Schumachers move to Amana from Chicago, where they have lived a life of comfort and luxury; looks, things, trips to the mall and self gratification were taken for granted. They meet the Ilgs, who have lived in Amana since it was established. Johanna Ilg is assigned the task of helping Berta Schumacher to understand the Amana way of living and her role in the community. But Berta does not fit in, and she keeps trying to get her parents' attention; after all, she was told the family would be in Amana for some weeks, not for good. Johanna and Berta do not have an easy time together, but they learn valuable lessons, like the awareness of one's work and how it affects other members of the colony - a true lesson of unselfishness and responsibility; or how forgiveness and understanding can be the most valuable assets in life. Everything will test their faith, but Johanna explains that it is just getting stronger. Overall, a certainty of who we are, a certainty of life and a dependence on God are developed throughout the story.

The author uses a very interesting writing technique. One chapter, it is Johanna telling the story; the next one, it is Berta. This makes the story much more intriguing, as the reader is able to see how one character's decisions affect the other, and a sort of compassion and empathy between them is developed little by little, despite being so different. It keeps the reader wanting to discover what unexpected surprises the next pages keep. What Johanna and Berta have in common is that their families have kept secrets and they must decide whether to be selfish or see the issue from another point of view when the true facts are known. Both young women learn that we all go through difficult situations, but it is better to face the problems and not to run away from them; also, we must be prepared to live the consequences of our choices, and that of others.

I enjoyed this book so much, that I have been researching some about the Amana Colonies. There are many things we can learn from the Amana people, and I was thrilled to know that they are open to visitors.
I will definitely be reading more of Judith Miller. I can't wait for the next book in the series to be published!

Bethany House Publishers gave me a complimentary copy of the book for review, but this does not bias my opinion on the book nor on the author.

Inside The Seven Amana Villages

Journey inside the seven villages of the Amana Colonies, 1877, to share Johanna Ilg's troubling secret.
Is this where she truly belongs? Or would she be better off outside the restrictive rules and regulations of the Amana Colonies?
When willful, scheming Berta Schumacker appears with her parents and Johanna's job of training her becomes difficult, she wonders. When Carl is found in the arms of another woman, she wonders. Should she leave the Colonies as her brother did? Can she count on the family she knows, the family that held her secret for years without telling her?
Resolution to these troubling questions brings peace, and Johanna knows she has made the right decision.

Reviewed by Audrey Hebbert, author of Green Light Red Light

Somewhere To Belong

I loved this book. The author did an excellent job of describing life as it was in the Amana Colonies back in the days before "The Great Change". Having visited the Colonies numerous times since we discovered it, and having read practically every book published by members of Amana, I felt that she imparted a real feeling of the warm,simple life that was enjoyed there. It still is such a good place to visit. Upon purchasing this book I could hardly wait to get home to enjoy an afternoon with a good friend, It gave me a warm,fuzzy feeling of contentment as I read along. I am really looking forward to the sequel. WELL DONE1

Worth it - A Good Read

Somewhere To Belong by Judith Miller is a well-written novel with well characterized people, and compelling conflict. The seven villages of the Amana colonies in Iowa is not well known by most people. This book opened up a world that I was not familiar with from a region that is not often written about.
More than a historical novel, this is also a coming of age story of two very different girls. Johanna Ilg has lived her whole life in Amana, and Berta Schumacher who has lived a privileged life in Chicago before being transplanted to Amana by her parents. In addition, is the haunting of secrets and the impact of family.
The life in Amana may resemble the Amish but this was a different society. Based on historical facts, the story is not so much about the communal living as the lives of two very different girls and their reactions to that lifestyle.
Whether one agrees with the lifestyle of the Amana or not, this story is still of interest in revealing a time and place in American history and two young girls decisions as they are exposed to the conflicts of growing up in the midst of that world.
Just as Judith Miller gave us in The Carousel Painter, we have here a good read.

No text was provided for this review.