Murray Pura's The Wings of Morning ~ Reviewed

THE WINGS OF MORNING
Murray Pura
Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Harvest House Publishers (February 1, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0736948775 
                
 Description:

Lovers of Amish fiction will quickly sign on as fans of award-winning author Murray Pura as they keep turning the pages of this exciting new historical romance set in 1917 during America's participation in World War I.

Jude Whetstone and Lyyndaya Kurtz, whose families are converts to the Amish faith, are slowly falling in love. Jude has also fallen in love with flying that new-fangled invention, the aeroplane.

The Amish communities have rejected the telephone and have forbidden motorcar ownership but not yet electricity or aeroplanes.

Though exempt from military service on religious grounds, Jude is manipulated by unscrupulous army officers into enlisting in order to protect several Amish men. No one in the community understands Jude's sudden enlistment and so he is shunned. Lyyndaya's despair deepens at the reports that Jude has been shot down in France. In her grief, she turns to nursing Spanish flu victims in Philadelphia. After many months of caring for stricken soldiers, Lyyndaya is stunned when an emaciated Jude turns up in her ward.

Lyyndaya's joy at receiving Jude back from the dead is quickly diminished when the Amish leadership insist the shunning remain in force. How then can they marry without the blessing of their families? 

Will happiness elude them forever?


The Wings of Morning takes place in an Amish Community.  Lyyndaya Kurtz and Jude Whetstone’s Family have only been part of the community for a few years, but already, their families are well loved.  Lyyndaya and Jude grew up as childhood friends, but have begun to realize that their feelings are running deeper.  Jude also discovered a love of flying, which, strangely, his Amish community allowed.  When flying for an Amish celebration, members of the US Military see Jude in action.  To force him to join up for the fighting in World War I, the military takes Jude and some of his friends captive and makes their lives miserable in order to force Jude into flying.  Eventually, he agrees, though he had sworn to his community that he would not fight as it went against their beliefs.  What no one but one of his friends knew was that he joined to save the other boys’ lives.  In doing so, he risked being shunned.  However, Jude began to become a hero, as he not only saved his own men with his flying abilities, but he purposefully did what he could to save the enemy as well, whether by flying circles around them, or purposefully shooting not to kill.  In the meantime, Lyyndaya is struggling as 
she has fallen in love with Jude, but is not allowed to communicate with him. 

This is one of the top Amish stories I’ve read, I think.  I really loved Jude’s character, and how he used the abilities that the Lord gave him to save lives on both sides, instead of being vengeful.  This was a great story line, one I never would have thought of for an Amish setting, but it was well written.

Reviewed by:Sarah Meyers