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catrev's review
4.0
A Bond Never Broken by Judith Miller is the third book in the Daughters of Amana series, but each book is a stand alone, so you don't need to have read the previous two to enjoy this one. Jutta Schmidt is put into an impossible situation when she is forced to spy on the people of the Amana colony looking for signs of treason in the heated days of World War I when German ancestry was enough to create suspicion. If she refuses, the family bakery will be destroyed, her parents thrown into jail, and a worse fate awaits Jutta. She goes to work in a hotel run by the Redlich family in South Amana. Their daughter Ilsa is angry that her brother Albert has been forced to join the military and is fearful that her boyfriend Garon may follow him. Ilsa had prayed again and again for Albert to be able to remain home, and when her prayers go unanswered, she starts to question God. Jutta feels as though her prayers have also been ignored, so the two women quickly bond, but when pressure is placed on Jutta to provide some information, she has to decide what matters to her more: her parents and their livelihood or the Redlichs who have treated her like a daughter. Miller's Amana series gives readers a wonderful look into this enigmatic religious group who was known for their quality goods and communal property. But during WWI when sauerkraut became "liberty cabbage" and German measles "liberty measles", people began wondering about this unusual group who spoke a form of German and refused to serve in the military. Miller really brings to life the horror of people using power and suspicion to attack others during wartime. It took a bit of doing for me to swallow my disbelief at the Iowa Council of National Defense's blackmail of Jutta, but once I did, I was sucked completely into the story. Readers can't help but be outraged at the unfairness and humiliation the Amanan people face. Jutta and Ilsa's friendship is natural and the foundation of the book. This story of bravery and friendship is a terrific read for fans of historical fiction or Christian fiction.
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