Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Book Review: Courting Miss Amsel by Kim Vogel Sawyer

Courting Miss AmselCourting Miss Amsel by Kim Vogel Sawyer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Edythe Amsel is single, pretty, independent, and the new schoolmarm at a one-room schoolhouse in Walnut Hill, Nebraska. Although the single men in town would like an opportunity to court her, she has only one goal in mind. She wants to teach her students, not be a wife and mother.

Miss Amsel's students love her, but the school board is quite irritated with her discipline, teaching methods, and broad subjects, since the children will simply become farmers when they graduate. Miss Amsel believes the children should know of the opportunities beyond Nebraska farming, though.

When she pushes the school board's limits by proposing the students travel to see Susan B. Anthony and a suffrage speech, Miss Amsel may be out of a job.

I enjoyed this story, even more than other books by Kim Vogel Sawyer. Although there are plenty of stories written about schoolteachers of this time period, this one held my interest.

I enjoyed the characters like Edythe, Luthenia, and Joel and his boys. I also liked the conversations between Edythe and Luthenia about God and faith. The crisis that brings Edythe to a moment of decision had me turning pages quickly.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys historical fiction set in the 1880's. It's a lighter read but a good story about family, choices, relationships and faith.

I would like to thank Bethany House Publishers for providing me with a free copy of this book for review. I was not required to write a favorable review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

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