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Sowers #2
In Fields of Freedom
Life in America isn’t easy for Dimitri and Tatyana. Faced with the grim prospects of the Depression, Dimitri travels cross-country looking for a job to pay for his wife’s passage to the Northwest. Penniless and heartbroken, he becomes painfully aware that in the land of the free, everything has a price. — In this second book of the Sowers Trilogy, Tatyana and Dimitri brave dangerous underground mines, harsh Northwest winds, and the political bigotry of their neighbors to make a bright and shining way for their unborn child. But even as they prosper, Tatyana fears for her brother, imprisoned thousands of miles away in a Russian work camp.
309 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1999
42 people want to read
About the author
Bonnie Leon
32 books181 followersBonnie Leon is the author of twenty-three novels, including the recently released One Hundred Valleys, To Dance With Dolphins, the popular Alaskan Skies and bestselling The Journey of Eleven Moons.
Bonnie’s books are being read internationally and she hears from readers in Australia, Europe, and even Africa.
She enjoys speaking for women’s groups and teaching at writing seminars and conventions. These days, her time is filled with writing, being a grandmother and relishing precious time with her aged mother.
Bonnie and her husband, Greg, live in Southern Oregon. They have three grown children and eight grandchildren.
You can find bonnie at
https://www.bonnieleon.com
https://www.facebook.com/BonnieLeonAu...
https://www.bonnieleon.blogspot.com
https://www.@bonnie_leon
https://www.pinterest.com/bonnieleon/
Bonnie’s books are being read internationally and she hears from readers in Australia, Europe, and even Africa.
She enjoys speaking for women’s groups and teaching at writing seminars and conventions. These days, her time is filled with writing, being a grandmother and relishing precious time with her aged mother.
Bonnie and her husband, Greg, live in Southern Oregon. They have three grown children and eight grandchildren.
You can find bonnie at
https://www.bonnieleon.com
https://www.facebook.com/BonnieLeonAu...
https://www.bonnieleon.blogspot.com
https://www.@bonnie_leon
https://www.pinterest.com/bonnieleon/
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 18, 2021
Does anyone mind that at the writing of this review the only written review of this books doesn't talk about the book at all just the fact that it took me from around 7 PM to 10 PM to read this book. And I'm half pleased half annoyed. But I guess it just goes to show when reading a standard novel I read a hundred pages an hour. I've thought this has been my pace for a while, but this is more proof.
February 14, 2025
I liked this second book in this series better than the first.
This book is about Tatyana and Dimitri as newlyweds settling in the mining town of Black Diamond, Washington. Yuri's story continues in a prison camp in Siberia. He learns to forgive.
Things I liked:
- Dust Bowl experience on the train.
- It was interesting reading about them getting used to the Pacific Northwest - so close to Mount Rainier and yet not visible due to overcast.
- Tatyana and Dimitri go to a baseball game and it was interesting to read the reaction of seeing baseball for the first time.
- Tatyana's reaction to Dimitri about the sunset.
Things that I found odd:
On P. 75 a man on a train shares a photograph of his family and Tatyana notices the red hair. That would mean it's a color photograph. While color photographs existed in the 1930s and earlier, they were expensive and uncommon. It seemed unlikely to carry a color photograph in a wallet, or that a comment might be made about it being in color.
On P. 178, prisoners basically served themselves the sacrament. I thought that was a little sacrilegous.
Content considerations:
Most of the sketchy content is the conditions of the prison work camp: suffering from starvation or icky food, no clothes in icy weather, attempted murder, dead bodies. Also some sketchy conditions in the mine.
Here are some quotes:
"'I never really did understand the reason for saying prayers every time we ate, though.' 'I think God wants to hear from us any time. And if he's the one who provides our food, seems only right to thank him for it don't you think?'" p. 27
"'It wasn't the hate of one man, but the bitterness you carry from injustices to you and your family. I understand. You have experienced overwhelming pain, and you allowed it to grow. With each additional wrong, your hatred has swelled and festered like a boil within you'" p. 107
Editorial error:
"She considered the handsome man who's life she shared" (who's should be whose.) P. 125
This book is about Tatyana and Dimitri as newlyweds settling in the mining town of Black Diamond, Washington. Yuri's story continues in a prison camp in Siberia. He learns to forgive.
Things I liked:
- Dust Bowl experience on the train.
- It was interesting reading about them getting used to the Pacific Northwest - so close to Mount Rainier and yet not visible due to overcast.
- Tatyana and Dimitri go to a baseball game and it was interesting to read the reaction of seeing baseball for the first time.
- Tatyana's reaction to Dimitri about the sunset.
Things that I found odd:
On P. 75 a man on a train shares a photograph of his family and Tatyana notices the red hair. That would mean it's a color photograph. While color photographs existed in the 1930s and earlier, they were expensive and uncommon. It seemed unlikely to carry a color photograph in a wallet, or that a comment might be made about it being in color.
On P. 178, prisoners basically served themselves the sacrament. I thought that was a little sacrilegous.
Content considerations:
Most of the sketchy content is the conditions of the prison work camp: suffering from starvation or icky food, no clothes in icy weather, attempted murder, dead bodies. Also some sketchy conditions in the mine.
Here are some quotes:
"'I never really did understand the reason for saying prayers every time we ate, though.' 'I think God wants to hear from us any time. And if he's the one who provides our food, seems only right to thank him for it don't you think?'" p. 27
"'It wasn't the hate of one man, but the bitterness you carry from injustices to you and your family. I understand. You have experienced overwhelming pain, and you allowed it to grow. With each additional wrong, your hatred has swelled and festered like a boil within you'" p. 107
Editorial error:
"She considered the handsome man who's life she shared" (who's should be whose.) P. 125
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews