A Cord of Three Strands
by Christy Distler
Born to a French trader and a Lenape woman. Reared by Quakers. As the French & Indian War rages, one man strives for peace—between Pennsylvania and its Indian tribes, and between his own heart and mind.
As 1756 dawns, Isaac Lukens leaves the Pennsylvania wilderness after two years with the Lenape people. He’s failed to find the families of his birth parents, a French trader and a Lenape woman. Worse, the tribe he’s lived with, having rejected his peacemaking efforts, now ravages frontier settlements in retaliation. When he arrives in the Quaker community where he was reared, questions taunt him: Who is he—white man or Lenape? And where does he belong?
Elisabeth Alden, Isaac’s dearest childhood friend, is left to tend her young siblings alone upon her father’s death. Despite Isaac’s promise to care for her and the children, she battles resentment toward him for having left, while an unspeakable tragedy and her discordant courtship with a prominent Philadelphian weigh on her as well.
Elisabeth must marry or lose guardianship of her siblings, and her options threaten the life with her and the children that Isaac has come to love. Faced with Elisabeth’s hesitancy to marry, the prospect of finding his family at last, and the opportunity to assist in the peace process between Pennsylvania and its Indian tribes, Isaac must determine where—and to whom—the Almighty has called him.
A Cord of Three Strands weaves fact and fiction into a captivating portrayal of Colonial-era Quaker life, including Friends’ roles in Pennsylvania Indian relations and in refuting slavery.
Impressions: I think trying to make the language authentic was a bit challenging. It helps set the scene but it was distracting as well. Kind of like reading the KJV of the Bible.
Rated: War, discrimination, slavery, Indian attacks, rape, murder
Liked: After reading the personal note from the author; the story became more personal and interesting.
Disliked: The romance between these characters took forever… It was also doubtful that the Quakers would have been so permissive of their close and intimate relationship.
Quotes:
“Tisn’t my intention to judge, only to understand…”
“…what I learned is that with anger, we must ask questions to determine its appropriateness. What is its motivation? On what is it focused? Is it properly controlled? Is its duration suitable? And does it have an apt result?” – Good wisdom in this.
“So thee is feeling overburdened by thy duties? Or is thee feeling some resentment that Ethan has fewer duties? Or a bit of both?” -My boys are 4 years apart and this is literally our discussion daily.
“Thee is human, Abby, and as humans, we’re naturally inclined to selfishness. ‘Tis only through extending the love of Jesus Christ to others that we overcome that. We must learn to love them as much- or more than we love ourselves.”
“I didn’t mean that. I don’t know why I said it.’ I did- mainly because I’d spoken hastily so many times myself. ‘That is what happens when we are quicker to speak than we are to listen. God gave us two ears but only one mouth. Remember that.”
“Anger, as righteous as it felt, would only complicate the situation and undermine the path to an agreeable resolution.”
I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review shared here.

A well-written book with expert use of language, true to the time and people. Definitely a recommended book for Christian book club gatherings, or personal reading with a cup of coffee in hand. If there was anything I would change, however, it would be the ending, which seemed slightly rushed, but the last chapter was sweet, if anything,

When I saw the title of this book, I was very excited about reading it. It is from one of my favorite Bible verses Ecclesiastes 4:22. Of course one of the most meaningful portions of the book for me, is when as a child Elisabeth braids a lock of her hair, a lock of Isaac's and a lock of red wool to represent Jesus. Years later she finds it in her Bible and they are reminded at a very hard time of Gods promise. My favorite genre of novels is Christian Historical Romance, especially when they are done well. This book by Christy Distler was a cut above. I was drawn into the setting and characters write from the first few pages. There is a prologue at the very beginning explaining some of the words, terms and their meaning, so you do not get lost. Living in Pennsylvanian near the Pennsylvanian Dutch I found the language refreshing. The story was very sad and touching in places. Christy had such well crafted characters you can't help but fall in love with them. I was captivated and enjoyed this book from start to finish.
I thank BooksGoSocial for allowing me, through NetGalley, to read this great book. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.