At Morning’s Light (Home to Green Creek)
In the 1840s, a steady stream of Norwegians emigrated to Iowa in search of cheap arable land, establishing a cultural center in Decorah, immigration reaching its peak by 1890. At over 27,000, they formed the third largest immigrant group to settle in Iowa, where Snelling sets her story. Many were dairy farmers. The two main characters in this Christian historical romance are women – cousins. Amalia Gunderson manages a boardinghouse and is engaged to lawyer Absalom Karlsson. Maya Bredesen was planning to emigrate with her fisherman husband until he drowned at sea. Grief-stricken Maya feels lost but continues to Iowa supported by her brother, who will enter the seminary in Decorah. The themes of love, loss, resilience and family are evident. Family is more than blood relatives, to include chosen family as the empathetic and compassionate Amalia is caring for orphans. Both women become mothers. These hard-working pioneers are constantly building, preparing crops, making cheese, baking bread, and storing food for winter. They embrace their new surroundings, sharing recipes from their homeland. Maya is both physically ill and grieving in the beginning. Later she embarks on a sweet romance with shy, neighboring farmer, Eben Miller. It’s comforting watching it slowly develop. Reading this novel is like sipping a hot cup of tea on a chill winter’s day.
