Fields Of Grace By Kim Vogel Sawyer

War has come to the Mennonite colonies of Russia, leaving no choice for Reinhardt and Lillian, their three sons, and Reinhardt's foster brother Eli but to take a chance on the fields of America--Kansas, to be more specific. But no sooner is their ship out of the dock and tragedy strikes. A tragedy that leads Eli and Lillian to a very serious decision.

Fields of Grace is the story of a family trying desperately to survive. To survive the loss of everything familiar. To survive tragedy. To survive their own inner conflicts.

As a young adult reader, the perspective of Lillian's teenage son, Henrik, did wonders to get me in the story. Where otherwise we would have seen him as nothing more than a rebel, the sections written from his perspective show us why.

Lillian's other son, Joseph, was also a stellar addition to the characters, especially near the end of the book. As Eli and Lillian try to sort out their marriage, showing how the dysfunction affects Joseph was a valuable point in the story and in keeping the story realistic.

The book does use a number of phrases in the language of the Mennonites in that time. While they sparkled and made the culture real, I wish there had been a glossary to define them.

Fields of Grace is a journey. And not all of it is graceful. Lillian and Eli doubt the God they have been devoted to so long. This book provides a good look at a relationship with God amidst tragedy, change, and hardship. It gave me a new appreciation of what some Mennonites went through for their beliefs. It's a journey of stubborn love--and stubborn grace.