Somewhere to Belong (Abridged) Audiobook

" I wasn't sure what to expect when I started this book, but in the end I really enjoyed. Safe for ages 14ish and up. "

" Johanna decides to marry Carl, after her trip to see Chicago and her birth mother, Louisa--her mother's sister. Berta decides to follow God's lead for her life, after trying to do it her way and making a mess of her life and learning of her parents' mistakes. "

" After reading this book I felt a need to do some research on Amana (weird). I hope to visit this place sometime. Loved the book and the storyline. "

" This was a free download for my nook. I tend to like Amish novels, and I could tell by the cover picture that this was not about Amish, but along the same lines. It turns out it is about two girls in the Amana Colonies in Iowa, which were cooperative living communities settled by German Lutherans in the 1800s and early 1900s. The people of Amana dressed "plain" and lived simply and communally, several families to a house. The village leaders assigned each person a job... working in the gardens, with the animals, in the kitchens (which fed the whole neighborhood each meal, as there were no kitchens in their houses,) in the fabric factory. It was a very interesting look at a community that I hadn't heard of. A nice little story about the two girls, although the story of the younger girl (sorry, I don't remember the names, as I finished reading this a few weeks ago,) felt incomplete. My biggest complaint is that the book provided little to no background information about the setting... as I began to read, I was confused about what type of community this was, so I ended up looking it up online. More information was revealed as the book went on, but without having looked it up, I believe I still would have been a bit unclear on the concept. Perhaps just a one page introduction containing the information that I provided above would have been helpful. "

" Not my cup of tea. If you like Amish stories, you'll enjoy the Amana series though. "

" I normally don't like to read back in the day type of books, but after reading this book, it peaked my interest about the Amana Colonies and my husband and I visited the Amana Colonies in Aug of 2011. "

" All of the background and information on the Amana colonies was interesting, but the story itself didn't really draw me in. "

" I Love Historical Christian books. My first Judith Miller Book and I Love It!!! With each page I read I could visualize Amana. Cannot wait to read A Daughter's Inheritance:-) "

" Didn't care too much for this novel. It was mostly about two young girls in a religous setting. Should have paid better attention before ordering it! "

" Interesting to read about the amana community. "

" I liked this book not my usal type but i did like it "

" Free through Amazon, not a must read. "

" It was interesting enough for me to finish, but not to re-read. Not bad if you are into historical fiction, but the dialog could stand some improvement. "

" I liked this book. Mellow and easy to read with some good morals, a little suspense, and some fun moments. I think it was pretty good. Notice I'm not sayin' I LOVED it, but it was pretty good. "

" I thought it was enjoyable reading, about halfway through I felt it was getting a bit repetitious and mundane. However, about the time I was really feeling that way the pace and stoyline picked up and I really enjoyed finishing it. "

" This book surprised me. It was a free book and I wasn't really sure it was going to keep my interest (compared to the books I've been reading). There was a good story line and at the end I was hoping for another book continuing the story of Berta and Johanna. "

" Enjoyable, but not really enthralling. "

" Excellent book if you are into the Amish type stories, which I like. "

" got to say this was an ok book but a little plain. The only thing that kept it going was learning about the amana way of life. "

" I had never heard of the historical Amana colonies before. Sweet story. "

" What can I say, I'm enthralled by the Amish and anyone living a lifestyle similar to the Amish. It is all so foreign, yet amazing to me. This book is an easy read. The characters are likable and the setting is interesting. It was perfect for a lazy, rainy afternoon read. "

" I liked this book. Mellow and easy to read with some good morals, a little suspense, and some fun moments. I think it was pretty good. Notice I'm not sayin' I LOVED it, but it was pretty good. "

" I loved learning about their way of life. It just got a bit tedious waiting for the next way Berta would get into trouble. "

" Free through Amazon, not a must read. "

" I enjoyed this book...in someways it was predictable. Learned more about the Amana way of life, there is separation of the sexes. Where marriage is accepted, but not encouraged. I enjoy reading historical fiction, and this one pulled two cultures, the Amana Colony and the Gypsies! "

" I enjoyed this book. It is one my mother will like. "

" I thought it was enjoyable reading, about halfway through I felt it was getting a bit repetitious and mundane. However, about the time I was really feeling that way the pace and stoyline picked up and I really enjoyed finishing it. "

" I wasn't sure what to expect when I started this book, but in the end I really enjoyed. Safe for ages 14ish and up. "