What a delightful book. My thanks to Netgalley for providing an electronic copy for review.

I know it's going to be a good book when I stay up far past my bedtime to continue reading.

Not only that, historical fiction is not my usual genre... but I have read and enjoyed a few other books by Lynn Austin, so I decided to go ahead and request this one. I am very glad I did.

Other reviewers have provided fairly detailed synopses of the story, so I will not repeat their efforts. I will just say I enjoyed the characters, their adventures, and the variety of settings as the sisters travel through Europe and the Middle East. I will be searching out more Lynn Austin books very soon.

I love Lynn Austin's books. This one is not a race to the story kind of novel, but a slow build up to the fever pitch that dies down and then revs up again.

The story is written in a different style than some of her books, giving it to you in pieces, leaving you wanting in some areas as you travel through the pages and travel the globe with the two sisters. It is not a romance, even though there is mention of romantic attachments in the novel, but it is more the story of discovery. It would be excellent to go along with a homeschool study of Ancient history and world history.

Picture it: 1890 in the Sahara Desert looking for a monastery that is supposed to have ancient documents and codices that will prove the verity of the Bible. Two sisters, two of their servants, and several Bedouin guides as well as a sheik are riding camels across the desert toward the monastery. Each of the sisters and both of the servants get a voice in telling the story of this book.

Lynn Austin has woven together a cohesive narrative from four viewpoints that entertains her readers as well as challenges them. I love it when a book I read for enjoyment has nuggets of truth that will push me to see what there is beyond my own little world.

Rebecca and Flora are sisters who live for adventure. At the young ages of 14 and 12 respectively, they begin their first adventure by skipping school and planning a trip to Europe. They want all the information in hand to present to their father before asking for the trip. Rebecca is thoroughly engulfed in finding what her purpose is in God's Kingdom, she wants to know where she belongs. She is fearless in seeking her place and in her adventures because only God knows the end of her days.

Flora finds her purpose rather early on--to reach the children who have no one to speak for them or to protect them. She goes along with Rebecca's adventures because she doesn't want Rebecca to be alone. A "Good Samaritan" situation allows Flora to find the love of her life who will stand beside her and help her with her purpose--funding and founding an orphanage that will provide a place for children who have lost their parents, or been abandoned by them, or for whatever reason are living on the streets.

The two servants along on the last adventure are street children that Rebecca and Flora have taken in to show them what love is all about. Soren and Kate are incredulous that there are people in their small worlds who will put themselves out for them.

All of these characters are finding "Where We Belong" throughout the book. Sometimes the hunt for place is longer and more involved than at other times, but the getting there is entertaining and intriguing. I've read many of Lynn Austin's books and she NEVER disappoints. Five Stars, Two Thumbs Up, and a camel ride across the desert.

My thanks to Bethany House for allowing me to read and review this book.

SEPTEMBER 12, 2017
CMAREADS
EDIT "WHERE WE BELONG"
Where We Belong by Lynn Austin 5/5 ☆’s

Thank you to Bethany House Publishers and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions in this blog are my own.

Rebecca and Flora are unlike other women of their time. They take adventures and want more for their life than what is expected for a late nineteenth-century woman. As they find themselves in a sandstorm, they reflect on what God has done in their lives to lead them to this moment.

This book, though it’s fiction, has so much wonderful Biblical truth and wisdom embedded in the pages. As the journey of the sisters, past and present, moves through this story, the reader is able to see God at work. Austin doesn’t shy away from the gospel, and makes sure it’s woven into the story, without being so strong that it could make some non-believers shy away from its pages.

I really enjoyed how Austin portrayed the characters as having strong faith and the love of God in their lives. She has created a wonderful book that shows the Gospel alive and active. She makes the characters live the life of a true believer. In almost every chapter, we hear of God’s love, grace, and forgiveness.

This book is refreshing for the soul. The wisdom in it is wonderful, and there is much to learn from how these characters live their lives. I would HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone who is a believer, or is contemplating the Christian faith. Austin makes the characters lovable and the plot adventurous. This book comes out on October 3, 2017, and I highly suggest anyone who loves historical fiction or reading about God’s goodness to go and pre-order this book now. It’s by far one of my favorite books I have read all year!

This is my first book by Lynn Austin and I am interested to read more of her work. I did enjoy the adventure part of it, girls' travels and discoveries. However, the way the message is served is a little out of place. It did not seem believable that these two Victorian girls were able to make such decisions and trips at the time. It did not feel anything like Victorian or even historical, other than the dates themselves and mention of the events, such as the American Civil War. My impression is that the modern ideas are packed into semi historic wrapper. These girls could be just as successfully traveling today or two hundred years from now. I was hoping for a deeper attachment to the historic period.

"Where We Belong" is historical fiction set in 1860 to 1890 in Chicago and all over the world. The framing narrative occurred in 1890 as the four main characters try to reach the monastery at Mt. Sinai, but the weather and uncooperative guides are making that difficult. We get flashbacks to when Rebecca and Flora were young (in 1860) on up to the current situation to show how events brought them to undertake this quest. Near the end, we also get flashbacks for their two servants, Kate and Soren, so we see how meeting the sisters changed their lives.

The overall theme was living a life filled with meaning by finding God's purposes for your life. Rebecca loves ancient manuscripts and travel while her sister loves helping the poor and orphans. Throughout their narrative, the sisters do a lot of traveling to France, England, Egypt, etc. The characters were interesting and acted realistically. While independent for their day, the sisters still came across as women of their time (rather than modern feminists transported back in time). Historical details were woven into the story and prompted some exciting adventures.

The sisters trusted God with their safety and future, and Rebecca looked for ancient biblical manuscripts to help defend the accuracy of the Bible. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable novel.

I picked up this book for one reason--Lynn Austin! I'm a big fan of her books. Wonderland Creek is my jam. A Woman's Place, epic. I could go on and on.

Where We Belong starts in the late 1880's (90's? One of those...) and that is the "present day". Here we are introduced to Rebekah, Flora, Peterson, and Kate. Each character takes turns recounting their lives and how they got to where they are.

The goal, motivation, and conflict...three elements essential to fiction, are relegated to only the "present" day scenes, which are the minority of scenes, by the way. Because of this, I found the book read more as a fictional memoir than anything else.

I loved the uniqueness of the setting, part of the book taking place in the Middle East, and the indomitable spirits of the two sisters.

Lynn Austin is a talented writer and I could never find fault in her craft, but the style of the book was not exactly my favorite.

Based on two real sisters this book was an interesting read without being utterly engaging. It was rich in historical detail and vivid description but at times was a bit dry and lacked depth to some of the characters.