Review: Until We Reach Home by Lynn Austin

November 8th, 2008 |

Author: Kara_S

This week, Christian Fiction Blog Alliance introduces Until We Reach Home by Lynn Austin.

Until We Reach Home is a wonderful story of the hope and tenacity that has drawn so many immigrants to America. The story follows three orphaned sisters on their journey from Sweden in 1897.

Elin, the oldest, who feared for her two younger sisters’ welfare on the family farm, makes arrangements for the girls to travel to their uncle in Chicago. Upon arrival at Ellis Island, things don’t go exactly as planned, and then when they reach Chicago, things get even more interesting threatening the sisters’ future.

Each sister harbors her own fears on the journey. Elin struggles with trust, particularly of strangers. Kirsten deals with a lost love while Sofia just wants to go home to Sweden. Admist their fears are individual, potentially life-changing, secrets that threaten to break the girls apart.

Initially, I found the book hard to get in to. I really wanted to like it since I’ve done a considerable amount of research recently on Ellis Island and the immigrant experience.

However, early on, I was turned off by each chapter being from a different sister’s perspective. I found myself confused about which sister was which. Eventually I put the book down to read another. Then wanting to give it another try, I picked it back up.

I’m so glad I did. I fell in love with the story. The historically accurate details and descriptions made the scenes jump off the page. Lynn Austin crafts each sister as an individual, unique in every way except for their love for each other.

I have to admit that my favorite sister is Sofia. She started the story young and afraid, but learned that trust is the best gift you can give someone. I loved the scenes where she and Ludwig sat on the bench in the courtyard at Ellis Island sharing Bible verses despite their language barrier. To me, Sofia is also the sister that grows up the most in the story, perhaps because she was the youngest.

Until We Reach Home is definitely worth the time to read it. And don’t give up after the first couple of chapters! If you have trouble keeping the sisters straight, their names are in alphabetical order – E, K, S – oldest to youngest. Oh, and the ending is the absolute best!