The Book Lovers

Posts Tagged ‘Books Reviews’

Courting Miss Amsel. Kim Vogel Sawyer. 2011. Bethany House. 346 pages.

‘ This certainly isn’t the way I imagined it..’

Set in Walnut Hill, Nebraska, in 1882, Courting Miss Amsel is about the story of a young woman’s first teaching job. When the year begins, Miss Amsel–Miss Edythe Amsel–is so enthusiastic, so passionate, about her new job. She’s thrilled to have this opportunity. But. The job isn’t without its challenges–as you can imagine.

Chances are if you’ve read a “teacher” book in the past–in the historical fiction genre–you know what to expect. You probably expect a single man (either an uncle or a widower) raising children on his own (usually boys, though not always) to fall head over heels with the new school teacher. How wonderful that this beautiful woman has such a big heart, that she has already taken a liking to his children. How great it would be if she could mother them full-time.

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It was difficult to revisit a book I read long ago.

I still remember the impact it had on me that book, although she had gone through my teens. I read it on a shortlist along with “Steppenwolf” and “Siddhartha. ”

Demian was devastating to me. Went along with “In Search of the Miraculous” by Piotr Ouspensky marking the end to a naive belief that had shaped from 14 years.

Suddenly everything I rejected me was part of Abraxas, a god who hung out the bad and the good. Suddenly I saw that things could have many interpretations and not a single line and finished.

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