Gretchen desire to be a better writer lands her in hot water with just about everyone in this closed community. Trusting a traveling salesman was just one of her mistakes. She also must deal with her grandmother’s growing dementia, her younger brother boyish enthusiasm (not always expressed in an acceptable way), and a strict father, still grieving for his deceased wife. Throw in a band of roving gypsies, and you have all the ingredients needed for an intriguing tale. Though part of a trilogy, this tale is really works as a stand-alone since none of the characters carry over from the first book. ( )

In this historical romance story you will find yourself journeying to the villages of the Amana Colonies in Iowa in 1885. I loved the way the author weaved this story in such a way that I could better understand the lifestyle and beliefs that these folks had.

Gretchen Kohler works in her father's general store and keeps an eye on her younger brother and her senile grandmother. She gets her real enjoyment though from her writing, even though the Amana village frowns upon artistic pursuits like that. But Gretchen continues to enjoy writing in her journal. A young man comes in on the train to their village one day and through conversations with Gretchen finds out her love of writing and encourages her to give him some of her writing so he can help her write even better. Soon Gretchen is sharing her stories with the gentleman, even though she knows it is wrong. She will eventually find that her trust in this man has been betrayed in the worst of ways. But Conrad, a man who has grown up knowing and loving Gretchen, is a man of noble character and I loved the way he patiently dealt with Gretchen and the love he truly had for her. Throw in some gypsies and a stolen little girl, and you have a very interesting and enjoyable story.

It is always enjoyable to visit a place (I have visited the Amana colonies several years ago), and then read about the people and their lifestyle. The author did a great job of creating a story that I enjoyed, while at the same time teaching me a little about these people. Although this is in the "Daughters of Amana" series, they can each easily be read as a stand alone story. ( )

Good look at life in the Amana colonies around 1885 with a character who loves to write. I liked how the author treated the problems of dementia and Gypsies. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series. ( )

This is the second book in the series "Daughters of Amana" I have read the first one also, and these were the first time I had heard of the Amana Colonies, but they are really interesting. They thrive within their own circle, grown their own food and supply almost all they need within this little community.
This story take up in Homestead Village, Amana Colonies, Iowa in the year of 1885. Gretchen is a young woman that takes care of her father, brother and her grandmother (Oma) and they run the general store within the colony. Gretchen finds herself trying to help with the store and looking after her grandmother who has dementia, she doesn't have much time for herself but when she had a minute she loves to write, which she is not supposed to do. She slips around and writes poems and sometime stories, then hide her journal where no one finds it, she thinks...but old those sneaky little brothers.
Oma keep running off and finds herself in all types of places that she does not need to be as in the apple tree trying to get apples in the spring. Gretchen has a boyfriend that is the town barber by the name of Comrad. He helps her keep her father from knowing about Oma's mind as Gretchen thinks he will send her away if he finds.
Then a Gypsy group sets up outside town and everyone is afraid of what they made do, but Oma slips off and makes friends with them, they really helped Gretchen and Oma instead of being mean to the town. The town has a lot of tourist that comes in with the train and buys from them, and looks............. One couple came to town and saw the Gypsies and fainted, it was learned then that a group of Gypsies had taken their little five year old girl the year before. How will things work out for Gretchen and Conrad? What will happen to Oma?
The story is a great read and very interesting about this group of people, somewhat like the Amish but so different.
This book was sent to me by Baker Publishing for my honest review.

Judith Miller was first introduced to me when I read her book, Somewhere to Belong, book 1 in this Daughters of Amana series. She instantly had a new fan after that! Her writing style is still the same and she was still just as seasoned as before!

More than Words is written to capture the reader in a way that completely engulfs them with emotional senses of heartache and betrayal, love and forgiveness, mixed with faith and friendship. Amongst this is wonderfully researched and written history to take the reader back into a time that was simpler and peaceful.

The characters are beautifully created with flaws and love. Gretchen, in particular , is an impressive heroine who's full of hopes and dreams, while trying to live her plain life. Allan, well, while I didn't particularly care for his betrayal of Gretchen, his flaws blended fabulously with the storyline and created that spark of suspense to the story.

I most definitely recommend this faith-filled, Historical romance with a 5 star praise. Ms. Miller deserves two thumbs up for creating a series that seems to get better with each addition. I'm looking forward to the Spring 2011 release of book 3! ( )