Once again a delightful book by Lynn Austin! I fell in love with all of the characters and cheered them on aa they struggled through some difficult situations.
Elin, Kirsten and Sophia have lost both of their parents and their uncle has taken over the family farm. When circumstances become too much for Elin to handle she arranges a trip to America. They soon find out that America is not all that they expected it to be. Their bond becomes stronger and is tested through many trials but they each become stronger in their own way. They decide to pursue their dreams even if it means they must be apart. Read the book for more details! You won't be disappointed! ( )

I couldn't put this book down. You felt like you were right there with the three sisters traveling from Sweden to America for a better life. I highly recommend this book. ( )

Life in Sweden becomes unbearable and unsafe for Elin Carlson after the deaths of her parents. So she determines to find a safe haven for her sisters, Kirsten and Sofia, and herself. So begins a journey to America for these three Swedish young ladies. Here they believe they will be given a second chance. But the journey to America is hard and all 3 sisters struggle with secrets they aren't sharing with each other.

Hardship becomes their constant companion as they arrive in America, and Elin, Kirsten, and Sofia question their decision to immigrate to Chicago. Will their hopes for the future ever be realized? I liked how the author showed three very different young ladies who loved each other and stood by each other. The struggles seemed very real, but the blessings for each of them at the end were very precious. It was a hard story to read at first, but the love and courage of these 3 sisters kept me going and realizing the hardships the people faced who were coming to America made me appreciate my ancestors all that much more. ( )

Three Swedish girls make it through Ellis Island in 1897. This is the one with Sofia Carlson and Ludwig Schneider communicating via Bible verses in two languages. ( )

Wonderful story. ( )

My 1st Lynn Austin book. I literally couldn't put it down..I read it all day Saturday and I was left wanting more. This book could easily have been another 200 pages long.
There was so many unanswered questions left that kind of left me empty. I assume that everything works out as the author layed out.
I would like to read another of her books but I am not sure which one to pick up next.
This one was incredible and left me wanting more ! ( )

The book got off to a great start...then it became a sermon. The message was to "Have faith in God". I don't mind religion in books, but this was overkill in my opinion and overshadowed the story which could have been great. Sometimes less is more. ( )

Where I got the book: my local library

Elin knows that she has to get her sisters away from their farm in Sweden before they also fall prey to her uncle Sven. Finding a new home for three orphaned women in 1897 isn't an easy task, but Elin believes an uncle in America may help them to start a new life. She has to overcome her sisters' own resistance and the hardships of emigration to reach a promised land that turns out not to be what they expected.

I was surprised how much I enjoyed reading this novel. Its unpretentious writing and straightforward narrative occasionally made me feel that I was reading a YA book, but this suited a story about three young, relatively uneducated women. The spiritual themes did not emerge straightaway, which I appreciated; most inspirational authors seem compelled to drop a "God bomb" into the first chapter to establish their Christian credentials, but Austin holds back until we're familiar with the three women and understand their inner struggles.

There is a strong theme of the vulnerability of "unprotected" women (very true in the society of the 1800s, of course) and I was worried at times that the only solution would be the strong arms of a man. Thankfully, the male characters displayed many vulnerabilities of their own, and in the end the most dominant characters in this book were the secondary female ones. The solutions to the protagonists' dilemmas were slightly farfetched, but satisfying.

The Swedish settings were fascinating, and made me want to know more about Chicago's Swedish community, which I've only experienced very briefly in the neighborhood of North Park college (mentioned in the book). The details about Ellis Island were quite illuminating, and the depiction of life aboard an immigrant ship kept me interested. All in all, an enjoyable historical-inspirational-romance read. ( )

This is the story of three orphaned Swedish sisters who immigrate to America through Ellis Island, eventually to Chicago. I would categorize the writing style of this book as being young adult -- on about a sixth or seventh grade reading level. However, there are scenes that make you certain that this book was not intended for an audience that young. There is a lot of action that really doesn't build anything and just draws the plot out for more pages. This 428 page could have easily been edited to a book of no more than 270 pages and still achieved its desired outcome. It was so obvious each time you met a character what would happen later in the novel. In spite of all the novel's faults, I did eventually become engaged in the story line of the novel although I could already predict the outcome. Although I'm a Christian, I really don't read a lot of Christian fiction (although I did at one time). The main reason is because most Christian publishers need to pay more attention to editorial processes and quality writing. I read this novel because I'll be attending a conference in a couple of weeks where this author will be one of the keynote speakers. If you can overlook the writing, the story is somewhat interesting. ( )

the book was enjoyable, but the development of the plot lines tended to drag - to the point that some of the character developments seemed almost impossible. For example, just how long can one pregnancy last without anyone noticing?

But Austin did succeed in developing some interesting characters - and she needed that time to do so - and I found myself genuinely caring about what was going to happen to them. ( )

NCLA Review -Three orphan sisters, bitter at being forced to leave Sweden in the late eighteen hundreds, set out for America to find a new home. They experience waves of nausea and obnoxious odors on the boat trip, and have a gnawing fear of not passing Ellis Isle health inspections. Their joy at finally arriving on American shores is short-lived. Jobless, penniless and depressed, home often seems impossibly far away. The Bible takes on new life for one of the sisters as she remembers the comfort it brought her mother. Then a friend, unable to speak her language, communicates with her through the Bible. At last her desperate prayer, “Hang on to me Lord.” is answered. The sisters learn that love is not always a feeling, but an action, what we do for other people. They are home at last. Rating: 3.5 —MS 428 p, paper, Bethany 2008, 978-0-7642-0495-1, $13.99 [813.54] ( )

I enjoyed the book but it did move slowly and was predictable. ( )

I was so excited to get this book to read because I love Lynn Austin's writing. Once again, she does not disappoint! Reading about the experiences of the Carlson sisters teaches what real family love and loyalty looks like; it comes with disagreements and squabbles along with displays of affection. It's also interesting to see these young ladies search as individuals to understand, find, and experience God's love.

The characters are flawed; the reader quickly connects with them. They are three orphaned teenage girls with a fierce family bond. Each one has a secret that motivates her. The story moves along as each young lady wrestles with her worries and problems.

The setting is 1897 in Sweden, then Chicago, and finally home. The reader understands life for an immigrant as these young girls land on Ellis Island and struggle to adapt to the strange new land. I give this one a big thumbs up; this is indeed a good read. ( )

Elin Carlson lost both of her parents; so she must find a safe haven for her sisters, Kersten and Sofia. They decide to leave Sweden and go to Chicago. In Chicago they are hoping to find the true meaning of love, faith and a home.