The Messenger by Siri Mitchell

Hi There,

The Messenger is about a Hannah, who is a Friend. That is a Quaker, in a world filled with Rebels and Colonial spies the Quakers do not take sides. They do their best to remain neutral. But it is oh so much easier to be neutral when you don't have a loved one involved in a war, or when your home has been taken over to be used by the military. To make matters way worse, Hannah's twin brother has basically denounced his Quaker faith and joined the military. Now he is a prisoner which puts Hannah in complete conflict and turmoil about what is really right, and what is wrong. 

Jeremiah hates the British. They are the cause of a great many of his woes, and his pain, disabilities, and he would love to cause them as much heart-ache as possible. He is planning a prison break, but it isn't as easy as he would like it to be. Unless.... unless he can get Hannah to be an undercover "agent". This way she can visit her brother in prison, but at huge risks to her lifestyle if her parents find out. He wants to strike a blow for the Confederates, but can Hannah really pull this off and not become something she shouldn't be? 

The last two books  I read by Siri Michelle was impressive. Great attention to detail is worked in her books, and this one was just as detailed as the last ones. My reviews of them are here:

http://carolkeen.blogspot.com/search?q=Siri+Mitchell

I found this book to start off quickly enough in the first pages, and then sort of slow down for a while. It built back up several chapters in. I think those slower chapters were really needed to get across enough information to build the rest of the story. The book swaps back and forth between Hannah's first person story and Jeremiah's first person story. In this way you get almost two books in one because you have a full perspective from two different main characters which blends more together in the plot line as things progress. 

I liked it quite well, and as in her other books big questions are asked, and God is not left out. 

Carol 

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing The Messenger Bethany House Publishers (March 1, 2012) by Siri Mitchell
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Siri Mitchell graduated from the University of Washington with a business degree and worked in various levels of government. As a military spouse, she has lived all over the world, including Paris and Tokyo. Siri enjoys observing and learning from different cultures. She is fluent in French and loves sushi.

But she is also a member of a strange breed of people called novelists. When they’re listening to a speaker and taking notes, chances are, they’ve just had a great idea for a plot or a dialogue. If they nod in response to a really profound statement, they’re probably thinking, “Yes. Right. That’s exactly what my character needs to hear.” When they edit their manuscripts, they laugh at the funny parts. And cry at the sad parts. Sometimes they even talk to their characters.

Siri wrote 4 books and accumulated 153 rejections before signing with a publisher. In the process, she saw the bottoms of more pints of Ben & Jerry’s than she cares to admit. At various times she has vowed never to write another word again. Ever. She has gone on writing strikes and even stooped to threatening her manuscripts with the shredder.


ABOUT THE BOOK

Hannah Sunderland felt content in her embrace of the Quaker faith
...until her twin brother ran off and joined the army and ended up captured and in jail. Suddenly Hannah's world turns on end. She longs to bring her brother some measure of comfort in the squalid, frigid prison where he remains. But the Quakers believe they are not to take sides, not to take up arms. Can she sit by and do nothing while he suffers?

Jeremiah Jones has an enormous task before him. Responsibility for a spy ring is now his, and he desperately needs access to the men in prison, whom they are seeking to free. A possible solution is to garner a pass for Hannah. But while she is fine to the eye, she holds only disdain for him--and agreeing would mean disobeying those she loves and abandoning a bedrock of her faith.

With skill and sensitivity, Mitchell tells a story of two unlikely heroes seeking God's voice, finding the courage to act, and discovering the powerful embrace of love.

If you would like to read the first chapter of The Messenger, go HERE.

The book link is: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0764207962