The Wings of Morning

This past fall I read a great book called The Wings of Morning by Murray Pura. Now, this novel was so entirely different than anything I'd read before. First, its about the Amish, and while I know there are tons of books out there in that genre, I had only read one. But even if you're a long-time Amish fiction fan, this will probably be out of the norm for you.

Set during World War I, a young Amish man named Jude Whetstone discovers a love for flying airplanes. The leaders of their Amish community have not decided yet whether they approve of airplanes, but for now, Jude is safe. BUT, they definitely know that they are against war and violence.

Lyyndaya Kurtz and her family only joined this faith and community ten years ago, and her parents are always extra cautious, to make sure they don't offend any of the other Amish leaders and families. So although the pastors haven't deemed flying to be wrong, Lyyndy's parents won't allow her to be courted by Jude as long as he flies those contraptions.

So Jude starts receiving attentions from other girls in the community, while Lyyndaya is forced to watch from afar and left to wonder if the two of them have a future together.

I don't want to give away any more of the story, but just believe me when I tell you that this story has so many plot twists that I NEVER saw coming, and while not always super exciting, the characters feel real and lovable, there are tender moments and terse conversations, air battles and jail cells, the Spanish flu, and a shunning, and you will want to know what happens next!