Review: Promise to Return by Elizabeth Byler Younts

My rating: 5 stars

Synopsis from Goodreads.com

It’s 1943 and Miriam Coblentz and Henry Mast are nearing their wedding day when the unthinkable happens—Henry is drafted. However, since he is a part of the pacifist Amish tradition, Henry is sent to a conscientious objector Civilian Public Service camp. When he leaves for the work camp, his gaping absence turns Miriam’s life upside down. Little does she know that it’s only the beginning…

When Henry returns home, he brings news that shakes Miriam and their Amish community to the core. He tells Miriam he believes God has called him to enlist in the Army and fight for his country, leaving her to make an important decision. She soon must choose between loyalty to the peaceful life she’s always known and her love for Henry and her faith in their shared destiny.

My Review

This was an intense and emotional book, and I thoroughly enjoyed it! The characters have vivid personalities and realistic struggles and emotions. The chemistry between Miriam and Henry is wonderful, especially for an Amish novel. Miriam had a peaceful, orderly life, but we journey with her through the turmoil of the choices she faces and makes as her relationships and loyalties are tested in her family and community.

I could not put this book down! Even though I have a baby that still wakes up twice a night, I finished it at 2:30 am, just in time to feed her and reflect on what I had read, how blessed I felt for the time we live in now, and amazed at the strength and sacrifices of the people who lived during that period of war.

(ARC provided via Netgalley for unbiased review)