This is a three book series, though the third book is the one that is now being released. I was given the opportunity to read all three. Though “A Mending at the Edge” can be read on its own, I highly recommend reading the first two in the series first.
These books are fiction based on historical records of a real woman, Emma Wagner Giesy. It reminded me a lot of the Little House on the Prairie books I read over and over as a child. Emma, however was a member of a religious group that lived communally.
Now that I have finished the full series, it was a really good story. I had a hard time through the middle book (not unlike Empire Strikes Back) because the middle of any good story is where all the real struggle is. Because I have the tendency to carry into real life the emotions of the books I am reading, I was somewhat depressed while reading the middle book. Emma had a very hard life. She made many decisions I wouldn’t have, which made it harder for me to read as well. Overall, though I am very glad to have read it.
For the official summary, please read summaries of each book down below.
A lot of historical information written in a way that I enjoyed it. That says something.
I’ll hang on to these books, mostly so I can share them. I might re-read them someday. While she did so many things that were contrary to my way of thinking, I did learn a lot about service and servanthood that I know I need to take to heart.
Not horrible, but really does warrant the time to be able to sit down and at least absorb a chapter at a time. I did read most of it in a page here and there, but I felt almost disrespectful. It’s so much better when you can fully get the word pictures in each scene, rather than having to scramble back a few pages or paragraphs to pick up momentum again.
Jane Kirkpatrick is the best-selling author of two nonfiction books and fourteen historical novels, including the popular Kinship and Courage series. Her award-winning writing has appeared in more than fifty publications, including Sports Afield and Decision. She’s won the coveted Western Heritage Wrangler Award, an honor shared by such writers as Larry McMurtry and Barbara Kingsolver. Jane is a licensed clinical social worker as well as an internationally recognized speaker. She and her husband, Jerry, ranch 160 acres in eastern Oregon.