The author takes the reader from Indiana to Montana with the Sommers family. The family suffered a tragedy on the night Marianna was born-her two sisters died in a buggy accident. The family is broken and a move to Montana seems the only way to save themselves. Marianna does not want to go, she has plans to marry Aaron Zook, but feels she must obey her parents and travel with them. She plans on returning to Indiana soon in order to wed. She does not plan to stay in Montana but God had other plans for her life.

I felt as if I made the move with the family. The author Is one of my favorites and her characters are always so real. It was hard to put the book down and a few times I caught myself talking to the characters as if they were real and could hear my advice. ( )

Beside Still Waters– Tricia Goyer
Marianna and her family move from Amish Indiana to a small town in Montana where the English and the Amish work together to make it work. This causes a lot of questions for Marinna, who knew what her end result would be if she stayed in Indiana. She was going to get baptized and marry Aaron Zook and live happily ever after. Being of age she has the option of going with her family or staying, her father asked her to go for 6 months, Aaron asked her to stay, with her mother pregnant she decided to go help. In these 6 months she starts to question if Amish is the only way. She meets many English folks who show her how to have a relationship with God during the week not just every other Sunday. They show her the English Bible vs the German Bible. She meets a man and is attracted to him, although she is English. There are a lot of unanswered questions at the end of this book but the second one, Along Wooded Path is ready to pick up with this one ended.
I believe this is Tricia’s first book on the Amish and I love how she is writing it. She is doing a great job of keeping me interested and started to revisit my relationship with God.
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I've been a big fan of Tricia Goyer's book for the past 5 years. She's written books in many genres and has done a wonderful job switching between all of them. That being said, I was a bit worried about her turning to the Amish genre. I was hoping that she wasn't doing it just because it's the latest trend in Christian fiction and also was worried that it was going to cater to the average Amish reader. If you've read my reviews on Amish books in the past, you know that while I enjoy learning about the culture, I disagree with the way many Christian fiction authors have chosen to portray the Amish as the perfect and ideal lifestyle without going in depth about faith issues. Therefore, I started reading this book with caution afraid that I was going to be disappointed.

Well, my fears were for nothing. Goyer writes this book exactly how I wish more Amish books were like. She tackles issues and raises questions about why the Amish do things the way they do. The story makes it obvious to the reader and also brings awareness to the characters about how one shouldn't be doing things "just because" but instead they should know why they are doing them. It's never implied that what the Amish believe in is wrong and they should change their ways. Far from it in fact. But instead what is shown is that one should not be doing things blindly. It's ok to ask questions and learn why you are doing things a certain way instead of 'just because".

I actually felt bad for Marianna throughout the book. I do feel that she's been sheltered because of being Amish but then there's the added thing about her feeling like she has to be perfect. I fault her parents for how they treated her and being worried about what everyone else was thinking. So much hurt and misunderstanding could have been avoided. I understand that family is very important in Amish culture but it bothered me a bit that Marianna is an adult and still couldn't choose to live the way she wanted.

Since this is the first book in the series, we have a ways to go to find out what happens in the rest of the story. I feel like we just got the tip of the iceberg and I'm looking forward to finding out more. I'm eager to see more questions about faith arise with the characters and I'm looking forward to seeing what direction the story will go in. I have no idea why I doubted Goyer's work. She's never proven me wrong so why begin now? :) ( )

I typically read most books without delving into the book description. I am so glad I did that with this book. The beginning of the book was so jarring, so gripping, so unexpected I couldn't put it down. I loved the story. New beginnings, love, healing, family and faith made this book amazing. I am amazed by people who can pick up their lives and move across the country {even begrudgingly}. I felt like the move for this family was one that had to be done to get their life in order. I am anxiousl...moreI typically read most books without delving into the book description. I am so glad I did that with this book. The beginning of the book was so jarring, so gripping, so unexpected I couldn't put it down. I loved the story. New beginnings, love, healing, family and faith made this book amazing. I am amazed by people who can pick up their lives and move across the country {even begrudgingly}. I felt like the move for this family was one that had to be done to get their life in order. I am anxiously awaiting book 2 now since there were so many unanswered questions at the end of this book. I highly recommend this book. ( )

Marianna Summer's life started out on a tragic night when her two older sisters were killed in a horrible accident. At the age of nineteen she has always felt as if she doesn't really measure up, after all how can one life replace two, but she does her best to be a dutiful, helpful Amish daughter. While she isn't engaged to Amos Zook it is sort of understood that they are together, he is building them a house and they will eventually marry.
When her dad decides to leave their Amish community in Indiana for a fresh start in Montana, she tells Amos that she will only stay for six months to help her mother with the baby that is to be born and then will come home. Will she return after six months, or will she find a different life in Montana?

I am a huge fan of Amish fiction and was excited to read an amish story written by Tricia Goyer, a very talented author whose work I have always admired. I feel like in "Beside Still Waters" she really outdid herself. She takes the very popular genre of Amish fiction and gives it a very fresh perspective, by allowing us to see the characters as real, with real problems. Her story didn't idealize the Amish life, and make English life bad, instead by allowing Marianna to learn about Christianity, we easily see the similarities and differences between the two worlds.
The setting was fresh as well. Instead of taking place in Ohio or Pennsylvania she takes us to Montana, and her descriptions were outstanding, making you feel as if you were right there.
The characters are easy to like, and it was nice to see Marianna's character develop and grow throughout the story.Fans of Amish fiction will love this one, but even if the Amish Genre isn't your cup of tea, give this one a try because Tricia Goyer is a master story teller who adds a breath of fresh air to this one! A perfect kick off for the Big Sky Series, that left me wanting more!

A complimentary copy of this book was provided for an honest review. ( )