Anna's Crossing by Suzanne Woods Fisher

Some endings are really beginnings . . . 

On a hot day in 1737 in Rotterdam, Anna König reluctantly sets foot on the Charming Nancy, a merchant ship that will carry her and her fellow Amish believers across the Atlantic to start a new life. As the only one in her community who can speak English, she feels compelled to go. But Anna is determined to complete this journey and return home--assuming she survives. She's heard horrific tales of ocean crossings and worse ones of what lay ahead in the New World. But fearfulness is something Anna has never known. 

Ship's carpenter Bairn resents the somber people--dubbed Peculiars by the deckhands--who fill the lower deck of the Charming Nancy. All Bairn wants to do is to put his lonely
past behind him, but that irksome and lovely lass Anna and her people keep intruding on him.

Delays, storms, illness, and diminishing provisions test the mettle and patience of everyone on board. When Anna is caught in a life-threatening situation, Bairn makes a discovery that shakes his entire foundation. But has the revelation come too late?

Bestselling author Suzanne Woods Fisher invites you back to the beginning of Amish life in America with this fascinating glimpse into the first ocean crossing--and the lives of two intrepid people who braved it.

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Meet Suzanne Woods Fisher:
Suzanne  is the bestselling author of the Lancaster County Secrets series, the Stoney Ridge Seasons series, and The Inn at Eagle Hill series, as well as nonfiction books about the Amish, including Amish Peace. She is also the coauthor of an Amish children's series, The Adventures of Lily Lapp. Suzanne is a Carol Award winner for The Search, a Carol Award finalist for The Choice, and a Christy Award finalist for The Waiting. She is also a columnist for Christian Post and Cooking & Such magazines. She lives in California. 
Follow Suzanne on Twitter @suzannewfisher.

My Take:
This book kind of got off to a bit of a slow start for me but about a third to mid-way through the pace picked up and I found myself more eager to read and see what was happening. Once Anna and Bairn's relationship deepens a bit, and things on the ship get a little "crazy" the book got a little more interesting. I enjoyed reading about Felix who seems to always be getting into a bit of trouble and really needs a man to work with him. Many of the experiences of the Amish and their journey to the New World were quite challenging and sad. I think Suzanne did a great job keeping the time period, and customs in context, as well as, what they may have gone through facing such a journey. The losses they suffered were sad, but their faith was an incredible inspiration.

A couple of characters I was not particularly fond of were Maria, who was the ministers wife, but didn't seem to act like one to me, and Georg Schultz, a conniving, man always out for himself, who was also a bit creepy. 

If you enjoy reading Amish and this time period you will likely enjoy this book. I can assure you the series gets better as they arrive in the New World and become established. But this book certainly sets the foundation for future events.

I received this book free from the author and publisher to read. I was not required to review this book positively and all opinions are my own.