1867. Ruth Holtz has more blessings than she can count—a loving husband, an abundant farm, beautiful children, and the warm embrace of the Amish community. Then, the English arrive, spreading incredible stories of free land in the West and inspiring her husband to dream of a new life in Idaho.
Breaking the rules of their Order, Ruth’s husband packs up his pregnant wife and their four children and joins a wagon train heading west. Though Ruth is determined to keep separate from the English, as stricture demands, the harrowing journey soon compels her to accept help from two unlikely allies: Hortence, the preacher’s wife, and the tomboyish, teasing Sadie.
But as these new friendships lead to betrayal, what started as a quest for a brighter future ends with Ruth making unthinkable sacrifices, risking faith and family, and transforming into a woman she never imagined she’d become....
About The Author:
E. B. Moore is a metal sculptor turned writer. Her chapbook of poems, New Eden, A Legacy, (Finishing Line Press, 2009) served as the foundation for her novel, An Unseemly Wife (forthcoming from NAL/Penguin on October 7, 2014). These writings are based on family stories from her Amish roots in Lancaster Pennsylvania. Ms. Moore graduated from GrubStreet’s Novel Incubator and has received full fellowships to The Vermont Studio Center and Yaddo. She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
My Review:
An Unseemly Wife is a very different Amish read then most of the other books I have read. Yes Ruth is willing to follower her husband Aaron as any Amish wife would; he is the head of her household, and makes the major decisions.
This story was so different in the way that the Amish try to stay together for the sake of their religion and the practice of their faith. What she never ever expected was for her husband to go against his faith and strike out on his own from Pennsylvania to the unknown of Idaho. He has been told that there are acres and acres of land their for the taking.
This is 1867 and the mode of transportation will be by wagon, packing up what they can transport to the unknown, and leaving behind some of her cherished memories. Hard to imagine how Ruth must have felt, she was leaving all that she had ever known, and her rock, her faith.
Doubt I would have made it out of the driveway, never mind across the country, Ruth was one strong woman. We travel each mile with her, and are there for the birth of her baby. Wow, again I can’t imagine.
If you want to read a story about what our country was like for a pioneering family, this will put you right into the wagon. Don’t miss this rather historical read; you won’t be able to put it down once you start. A really great read.
I received this book through the Publisher NAL Trade and Edelweiss, I was not required to give a positive review
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