Angels, Eagles and Fire

The Baker Family Saga #3

by Allison Kohn

The Baker family is growing up along with their town. Linda is old enough to start a fire, Dianna gives birth to her first child, Alice's belief in angels saves her life, and then there's Richard. Richard Baker has finished his college course and is now an ordained minister of the Gospel and the possessor of lessons that one can't learn in books. His lesson about falling for the wrong girl leaves him more heart-whole than he thinks but as he heads home alone he is glad she isn't going along with him or coming later. He has spent the necessary years in class rooms and his boots and soft feet aren't meant for walking. But he discovers life is full of all sorts of surprises - not the least of which is an attractive brown- haired girl with a big heart - just what he needs.

Unknown Binding

First published August 11, 2012

About the author

I was born in 1938 in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. My grandmother was the first white child to enter the valley and I heard stories about pioneering from the time I was laying in my basenette. That was the beginning of my love of history and telling stories. When I discovered the power of the written word, I used it, not only for writing serious pieces for for expressing my views on politics and religion, but to tell parables - interesting stories to demonstrate helpful truths.
I published devotions on line for about three years and numerous newspaper articles through the years. I also published some of my novels on line a few years ago, but now it is time to get my writing out to a broader public.

Reviews

[March McCarron · Rating 3 out of 5]

The blurb led me to believe that this story would be primarily a romance. It should be noted that this is not the case. The romance between Richard and Carol takes place entirely between the lines. In fact, Richard doesn't have much page time and I wouldn't call him the main character.

What this book is really about is a large Christian family living in Oregon during the western expansion. This novel and the characters within it are defined by their Christianity. As they face the ups and downs of life, they turn to prayer and scripture. Many of the characters are children (though I did struggle to nail down their ages), and the story frequently centers around the lessons they learn from their own errors and from their family, all leading to a greater understanding of the Bible. As such, the novel relies heavily on direct quotes from scripture. If you are looking for a story about a large loving family who regularly discuss and expand upon their Christian faith, than you will likely enjoy this novel.

My issues with the book were mostly with the execution. Their are many characters and the POV switches continually. Some scenes jump from head to head to head with such rapidity and linger so briefly that I was left feeling confused and detached. The timeline is also confusing, as it jumps forward and backwards, and I was frequently unsure whether I was reading the present or a flashback/flashforward. With such a vast cast of characters and so much jumping around I found it hard to feel really immersed in the story. It seemed too stretched out and lacking in focus. I also stumbled over frequent grammatical issues and typos. An additional round of editing would serve this novel well.

Despite all of this, the book does sustain a strong sense of morality and love, which will appeal to readers who seek parabolic fiction.

[Kiexiza · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the 2nd novel from Allison that i have read. There seems to be a theme here with mid-west travel, the past, and scripture... Not my usual kind of read, in fact far from it, though it wasn't my usual kind of read i found it interesting. I had to remember it was way past as the ages of these Children, by today’s standards, were talking about marriage, babies, husbands and such. There was some scripture quoting my characters especially as Theodore was learning the word. Young Alice and her decision that she surely would not be married, because she knew she would be unable to submit was a revelation to me. I wish some women a today would take that bold step... there was even some reference to the slavery that was going on around that time frame. I was glad the N word wasn’t used though that would have probably been correct terminology for back then. I don’t think i would of been able to read it if the N word was in it. There was a lot in the book that kept me reading, I don’t know how I would have reacted had my children been injured as the young girls were. I think my faith would have been tested as well. Though it took place a long time ago I did connect to the book and its characters. The scripture readings were not over the top but correct for the characters in which were reciting them… Another great read by this author.

[Abby Vandiver · Rating 4 out of 5]

Angels, Eagles and Fire is a story about family and perseverance. Kohn writes about several families that have made their way out west during the mid 1850s. As friend, family and foe, they followed the Oregon trail and now live in the wide open country. Their closeness and belief in God has seen them through.

There are many characters in this story and it quite difficult to keep up with who is who, and who is related to whom. None of the ages of the children are given but references made to them seem to suggest an age different than the way they talk. There is some depth to the characters and interesting dialogue. There are many exciting scenes in the book, bears attacking, giving birth to on the trail in wagon trains, and people seemingly being struck with insanity by God's hands in the midst of murderous events.

This would be a more enjoyable story if it had better editing. There are many grammatical errors, mostly with capitalization and some skipping around without transition sentences. But it is filled with the Word of God and I found that very well done and is what pulled me through the story.

[Callie Browning · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good Christian read

I initially thought this book was a romance based on the blurb and I felt a bit disappointed that it wasn't.

The pacing is a little slower than I'd like but there is a consistent thread throughout that the author must be commended on. But there are many virtuous lessons to be gleaned from Kohn's novel, especially considering the wanton, permissive age that we live in.