Where We Belong

I have thoroughly enjoyed the Lynn Austin books I have read and this one was no exception. I enjoyed the historical aspect and it got me thinking about archeological discoveries of important Christian documents and artefacts which I have never thought about before and I always love to learn something new! I loved the characters in the book they seemed real and relatable, however, my only dislike with the book was the jumping around backwards and forwards in time. I personally find that aspect more confusing and harder to get into the book. A great historical fiction book and one worth your time in reading.

Where We Belong starts in 1890, in the Sinai Desert, with forty-five year-old Rebecca Hawes traveling to St Catherine's Monastery to search for ancient copies of the Bible. It's a start that hooked me immediately, both because of the historical setting, and because of the age of the heroine-it's refreshing to read a novel where the heroine is out of her twenties. \\r\\n\\r\\nThe most fascinating thing is that Rebecca and Flora are based on real-life adventurers, Agnes and Margaret Smith, born in Scotland in 1843. \\r\\n\\r\\nThis explains one of the strengths of the novel-the feeling of historical authenticity that can only be gained by extensive research (and then leaving out most of the detail of that research). The other strength was related, and that was the Christian element. Rebecca and Flora (like the real-life Agnes and Margaret) were women of deep faith. They were intelligent women who had the strength of character to choose to follow God, not society, and who had endless compassion for the poor. \\r\\n\\r\\nI'm a history fan, and I loved it from the first line to the last. (I don't think I stopped in between). Lynn Austin has yet to write a novel I haven't enjoyed, but I do think this is her best yet. \\r\\n\\r\\nThanks to Bethany House and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

With her remarkable turn of phrase and vivid descriptions, Lynn Austin's books are very hard to put down. Few authors can bring history to life as she does. Her characters become friends with whom readers can relate and empathise. As these characters navigate their way through the twists and turns of the story, the reader is challenged and encouraged by the way in which they live out or wrestle with their Christian faith. Scripture and discipleship are woven into the story beautifully and naturally. \\r\\n\\r\\nInspired by a true story, 'Where We Belong' takes readers on a journey through time as two sisters, Rebecca and Flora, take adventures across the globe. It is a story of struggle; resisting pressure from others to conform to expectation and the rules of propriety, and striving to discover God's purpose in, and will for their lives. The story is set in 'present day' 1890, and narrates through recollections of the lives of these and other characters. The changing timeframes and vast scope of life experience therein limited the extent to which I felt I knew the characters compared to a dozen other Lynn Austin books I've read, and there were some events about which I'd have like to read a lot more. However, I really enjoyed the book. I empathised with the characters, 'lived' the ups and downs of their experiences and lost myself in the scenes of their adventures! \\r\\n\\r\\nLynn Austin is an outstanding author!