Sound of Distant Thunder (The Amish of Weaver’s Creek)
The title reference is to the American Civil War. Being members of a peace church, most Amish do not believe in fighting wars. Yet Ohio needs soldiers and begins sending out draft notices. When his older brother receives a notice, Jonas Weaver decides to be Samuel’s substitute; since Jonas has not yet officially joined the Church, his ethical dilemma will be less complicated.
But it’s not easy for Jonas to leave behind a half-finished house and his sweetheart, Katie Stuckey. Katie doesn’t want him to go, but she also has doubts about what kind of a wife she would make. She is harboring a secret about an attempted sexual assault in her past. When a government letter about Jonas’s fate arrives, Katie’s future is doubly uncertain.
Drexler has Amish ancestors, so her family stories contribute to the authenticity of the setting. Readers will learn about the Amish way of life, yet the story’s emphasis is more on the romance between Jonas and Katie rather than their religion. The denouement is a bit rushed after the book’s long buildup to Jonas’s going to war, but fans of Christian fiction and especially of the Amish subgenre will enjoy it.
