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Home to Amana #1
A Hidden Truth
Bestselling Author Judith Miller Debuts New Series Set in the Amana Colonies
When Karlina Richter finds out that a new shepherd will be sent to East Amana, she fears she'll no longer be able to help her father with the sheep. She'll be relegated back to kitchen work, a job she dislikes. Her fears increase when Anton Becker arrives and shows little interest in the flock--or in divulging why he's been sent to East. Dare she trust Anton to help her father, or is he keeping secrets that will impact them all?
After learning that her father will be transferred from Cincinnati to a job in Texas, Dovie Cates decides she wants to visit the Amana Colonies, where her mother spent her formative years. She writes to relatives still living in the Colonies and is invited to spend some time there. Soon after her arrival, Dovie meets Berndt, the handsome young man who delivers bread to the kitchen house each day. But when Dovie begins to ask questions about her mother's past, no one seems willing to tell her anything, so Dovie decides to take matters into her own hands. Will her decision spell disaster for her future with Berndt?
When Karlina Richter finds out that a new shepherd will be sent to East Amana, she fears she'll no longer be able to help her father with the sheep. She'll be relegated back to kitchen work, a job she dislikes. Her fears increase when Anton Becker arrives and shows little interest in the flock--or in divulging why he's been sent to East. Dare she trust Anton to help her father, or is he keeping secrets that will impact them all?
After learning that her father will be transferred from Cincinnati to a job in Texas, Dovie Cates decides she wants to visit the Amana Colonies, where her mother spent her formative years. She writes to relatives still living in the Colonies and is invited to spend some time there. Soon after her arrival, Dovie meets Berndt, the handsome young man who delivers bread to the kitchen house each day. But when Dovie begins to ask questions about her mother's past, no one seems willing to tell her anything, so Dovie decides to take matters into her own hands. Will her decision spell disaster for her future with Berndt?
354 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 1, 2012
160 people are currently reading
760 people want to read
About the author
Judith McCoy Miller
66 books632 followersJudith McCoy Miller is an award-winning author whose avid research and love for history are reflected in her bestselling novels. Judy and her husband make their home in Topeka, Kansas.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 84 reviews
January 18, 2020
Dovie Cates recently lost her mother who was always a mystery to her because she would never answer questions about her youth. She knew she grew up in an Amana colony so she decided to visit her relatives that she had never seen before.
Karlina, her cousin, has for the most part taken on the chores of a brother she lost, so she is now the shepherd assistant to her father. When a new shepherd is hired she's put out because he knows nothing of shepherding.
Meanwhile Dovie does everything she can to find information about her mother, but it's always such a mystery, and most of her questions go unanswered.
Both girls develop relationships that are in some ways problematic....the new shepherd and the bread delivery boy. And how did the secrets affect the future of one particular relationship?
It took way too long to get the story out with tons of detail on things that were unimportant. Pages and pages of sheep shearing were way more than I ever wanted to read. Seemed like page fillers were all over this book. I suppose it may have been of some interest to readers with farming background, but it bored me.
The history of the Amana Colonies was quite interesting, so I did appreciate that. I'm not sure if I would recommend it to everybody though. It seems to be written for a younger audience.
Karlina, her cousin, has for the most part taken on the chores of a brother she lost, so she is now the shepherd assistant to her father. When a new shepherd is hired she's put out because he knows nothing of shepherding.
Meanwhile Dovie does everything she can to find information about her mother, but it's always such a mystery, and most of her questions go unanswered.
Both girls develop relationships that are in some ways problematic....the new shepherd and the bread delivery boy. And how did the secrets affect the future of one particular relationship?
It took way too long to get the story out with tons of detail on things that were unimportant. Pages and pages of sheep shearing were way more than I ever wanted to read. Seemed like page fillers were all over this book. I suppose it may have been of some interest to readers with farming background, but it bored me.
The history of the Amana Colonies was quite interesting, so I did appreciate that. I'm not sure if I would recommend it to everybody though. It seems to be written for a younger audience.
November 8, 2012
While "A Hidden Truth" is not a gripping story it is very enjoyable. The writer has an engaging literary style. She incorporates the right amount of tension, mystery and romance to make this an interesting and compelling story. It is clear that Ms. Miller has done a great deal of research on the Amana Colonies and I especially appreciated learning about their origins, society and customs. These are Christian communities of which I had previously known nothing. There is a definite warning about reading this book - you will find yourself experiencing the kitchen life of Amana and all the good foods prepared. I don't bake cookies very often anymore but this book put me in the mood for Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. I sent them to work with my husband and had a few for myself. This is was a complimentary book sent to me by the publisher for review.
April 11, 2021
This book is about German immigrants to America. It is well written. It is interesting. However, the bottom line is it’s teaching one about how a society can be controlled and ruled by a governing body that is literally in charge of every faucet of life. A life where one has no choices, that is if one wishes to remain where they are with their family and friends. Where no one even owns land or their home.
This book is a classic example of Socialism. In this religious colony everyone must abide by the rules that the governing body sets. Parents cannot discipline their own children. They must do as they are told. A parent cannot give their children permission to marry. Even adults have to have permission to marry. Everything is controlled by the governing body. There are assigned places where you eat and it’s not your choice. The governing body decides what type of work you do. No choice is your own or even your family’s. Everything is controlled.
This is not a life where our God given free will is allowed. Imagine living in this type of society. If the radical left has their way this is exactly what will happen here in the USA. We must fight against their radical agenda. One must give any and all money earned to the community as well. Nothing is yours. Very sad.
This book is a classic example of Socialism. In this religious colony everyone must abide by the rules that the governing body sets. Parents cannot discipline their own children. They must do as they are told. A parent cannot give their children permission to marry. Even adults have to have permission to marry. Everything is controlled by the governing body. There are assigned places where you eat and it’s not your choice. The governing body decides what type of work you do. No choice is your own or even your family’s. Everything is controlled.
This is not a life where our God given free will is allowed. Imagine living in this type of society. If the radical left has their way this is exactly what will happen here in the USA. We must fight against their radical agenda. One must give any and all money earned to the community as well. Nothing is yours. Very sad.
October 19, 2016
This would have been better as a novella, and I thought this book was very slow. I did like the main characters and the ending. It was nice that they both got to have a happy ending. The setting was interesting. I like that it took place in Iowa; I rarely read books that take place there. I didn't enjoy the co-op, though. It was too weird for me. I liked the resolution to Dovie's mother's story. It wasn't at all what I thought it was going to be.
September 2, 2012
Story Description:
In the closed communities of the Amana Colonies, hidden truths are about to change everything for two young women....
East Amana, Iowa
1892
When Karlina Richter discovers that a new shepherd will be sent to her village, she fears she'll no longer be allowed to help her father with the sheep. She'll be relegated back to kitchen work, stuck inside all day. Her fears increase when the new shepherd shows little interest in the flock--or in divulging why he's suddenly been sent to East. Is he keeping secrets that will impact Karlina's family?
Dovie Cates visits the Amana Colonies to learn more about the place where her mother grew up. But when Dovie begins to ask questions about her mother's past, no one seems willing to reveal anything, so she decides to take matters into her own hands. Will the answers she finds spell disaster for her future plans and the longings of her heart?
My Review:
October 29, 1892 in Cincinnati, Ohio, Dovie Cates, twenty-two is attired in mourning clothing as her mother, Barbara had passed away two months prior from the influenza. Dovie was disturbed that her mother had passed as now she wouldn’t get the answers to the questions she had about her life: “her life before Iowa; before she’d met her father; and before she was born; and answers about her time in the Amana Colonies.” Her father was selling the house and moving to Texas for his new job but Dovie didn’t want to go with him nor remain in Cincinnati. When she told her father she was going to Iowa, to the Amana Colonies to learn of her mother’s past, “his jaw went slack and the pipe” he was smoking, “slipped a notch before he clamped his lips tight around the stem. Confusion clouded his dark eyes, and he shook his head – foolishness!” The only thing her father knew of his wife’s time in the Amana Colonies was that she had a cousin, Louise, and they wrote to each other for years. They live in a small village called East Amana and were close as sisters. When Dovie’s grandparents decided to leave Iowa her father never knew what happened except that it had something to do with Dovie’s grandfather. All he knew was that Dovie’s mothers’ German roots were important to her.
Dovie decided to write a letter to this cousin, Louise, and ask if she could come for a visit before joining her father in Texas. She would just address the letter to Mrs. Louise Richter in East Amana, Iowa and hoped she still lived there and would get it. That afternoon, Dovie sat down and put pen to paper.
Louise Richter, owned a small kitchen house in East Amana. She heard the mailman coming and sent her nineteen-year-old daughter, Karlina to fetch the mail bag. Louise, from her kitchen house served 3 meals a day, and a light lunch at midmorning and midafternoon were served to nearly 40 villagers who lived near her kitchen house. Every single meal was served on time and those working closest to her knew that any interruption in the schedule was not to Sister Louise’s liking. There were other kitchen houses in the area but none that served food as good as Louise’s.
East Amana was the smallest of the seven villages that comprised the colonies. The village cared for sheep. Each village was responsible for various jobs and East Amana’s was to distribute the mail and medicine. Louise performed those tasks in the “same orderly fashion as she operated her kitchen.” Karlina retrieved the mail bag and began sorting the mail into slots for pick-up later. However, Karlina would much prefer to be outside helping her father with the sheep but knew she should sort the mail for her mother first. As a matter of fact, the entire kitchen or peeling potatoes and carrots held no appeal for nineteen-year-old, Karlina at all. She much referred sorting mail and tending sheep. As she sorted, she came across the letter from Dovie Cates addressed to her mother. When Karlina asked her who she was, Louise replied: “She’s my cousin Barbara’s daughter,” slipped the envelope into her apron pocket indicating she’d read it later. Karlina noticed her mother’s complexion pale and then hesitate a moment before storing the letter in her apron.
After the food had been served, Karlina and her father, George followed Louise to the kitchen so they could learn the contents of Dovie’s letter. Louise, of course, was saddened to hear of Barbara’s death a couple of months prior but Karlina was over the moon at the prospect of having a cousin come stay for a week to meet them. She begged her parents who said they would pray about it first.
George’s health wasn’t very well and the elders of their village had finally decided to send him a helper who would be arriving tomorrow. Having the extra help to tend the sheep would be a God send for him.
It took several days for Louise and George to share the news with Karlina that they had agreed to allow Dovie Cates to come and visit. Since she wasn’t coming until Spring, it would give Karlina plenty of time to ready her room to share with Dovie since the new sheep helper would be staying in the spare bedroom.
Karlina worried about the new shepherd boy, Anton Becker, twenty-three, coming to help her father as the part of the colony he came from didn’t rear sheep. Karlina questioned her father as to whether he was even a shepherd? Her father only responded that he had to trust the elders and their decision.
Anton arrived, met Karlina in the barn where she discovered her suspicions were right. Anton was not a shepherd but said he had to respect the decisions of the elders to send him. Karlina knew her father had a lot of work ahead of him in instructing this know-nothing boy about the care of sheep. Good thing he had a reputation of a man of patience. Anton left the barn to go up to the house to meet George who hadn’t been feeling well that morning. Anton didn’t appear to have much interest in learning about sheep and when Karlina made a suggestion he became quite angry and snapped at her which he apologized for after. He admitted to having problems with his anger.
Dovie was on a train on her way to East Amana worried that Cousin Louise hadn’t received her second letter telling her that it would be impossible to wait until Spring to visit and that she had to come before Christmas. What was she going to do when she arrived and they wouldn’t allow her to stay? When the train arrived a man named Joseph Ackerman was there to take Dovie and her father to his hotel to drop his bags and register, then he would drive them in his wagon to the home of Louise and George Richter. George was leaving the following morning for his new job in Texas.
Louise was quite surprised to find Dovie and her father, George standing at her door, she had not received Dovie’s second letter but nonetheless welcomed them into her home. When Karlina came in from the barn and found Dovie there she was absolutely ecstatic! Together the two girls bolted for Karlina’s bedroom to make room for Dovie. It appeared they were going to get along just fine.
In Dovie’s first day she hadn’t learned much about her mother’s past other than in 1842, after receiving word from the Lord, the first members of the Community of True Inspiration sailed from Europe where they had been persecuted for their religious beliefs. They had established their first villages near Buffalo, New York. Society soon began to encroach upon them and they moved again to their present location in Iowa in 1855. However, Louise was quick to brush aside Dovie’s questions about her mother and her family’s departure from the Amana Colonies. Dovie had come there with questions she wanted answers too and was determined she wasn’t leaving without them but at the same time, she didn’t want to alienate or cross Cousin Louise either. It just made her all the more determined to find ways to get the responses she needed.
Dovie was quickly learning that cousin Louise was a highly organized woman with a bit of a bent for strictness. However, she ran her kitchen like a tight ship and knew her workers well. Some needed compliments, some needed to share their problems, and others enjoyed laughter. Didn’t matter what they needed, Cousin Louise adapted and helped. Today was also the day Dovie decided to seek some answers to her questions, but on the several occasions she had broached the subject, Cousin Louise’s answers were always guarded. When Dovie tried to dig deeper, Cousin Louise changed the subject or sent her to the other side of the kitchen to help cut noodles or peel potatoes. But Dovie’s plan was to use the time they’d have together riding to and from the store to collect supplies. They had only gone a few steps off the porch when Dovie asked her first question: “Tell me about my mother. I want to know what she was like when she lived here, and why her family left?” Cousin Louise’s response was less than stellar replying: “I know you miss your Mutter, but digging into her past will not bring her back. I am sure she told you everything she thought was important for you to know. She loved you very much.” Dovie asked: “How do you know that?” Cousin Louise tsked and replied: “Because mothers love their children and because she wrote to me after you were born. She was delighted to have a daughter of her own.” Dovie was learning quickly that getting the answers she wanted wasn’t going to be easy. How would she ever learn if the woman refused to talk to her?
Meanwhile, Karlina was quickly discovering that Anton was not enjoying learning about the sheep or helping with them even though she and her father both had been extremely patient in their teaching. Anton looked upon the sheep as “work” not a “privilege” as Karlina did. She sensed that he had “developed little, if any, fondness for shepherding.” Anton avoided the sheep as much as possible and grumbled when he was required to go to the pasture and watch over the sheep and would have preferred to just keep them inside the barn all winter. Most of the time Anton appeared “quiet and withdrawn or angry and sullen.”
One afternoon, Cousin Louise took Dovie to a quilting bee. There she met Sister Anne who knew her mother, Barbara Lange. Dovie learned when children were in kindergarten, they were taught by their Oma’s (Gramma’s) then after that, male teachers. Sister Anne told Dovie that prior to working in the Richter house, her mother had worked in the gardens and that is where she had become acquainted with, Barbara. Sister Anne had been in charge of one of the large gardens and Barbara worked for her when she was about fourteen-years-old. After finishing her schooling, Barbra left and went to work for Sister Ruth in the kitchen house. Sister Ruth was Cousin Louise’s mother. She was also told her mother loved the “onion harvest” which they all still considered a fun time. Wagonloads of onions are brought to the village during two to three weeks in the summer. The onions are spread out for sorting and trimming.
While dusting the bedrooms upstairs one day, Dovie comes across a packet of letter written to Cousin Louise from her mother. Knowing full well she shouldn’t read them, her curiosity and deep desire to learn about her mother’s past propelled her to open the first envelope then the second, the third and off she went. What Dovie discovers is truly shocking. Such a surprise to both Dovie and the reader.
As the story moves along and Dovie meets Berndt who delivers Cousin Louise’s bread order each morning, and meets two other nearby kids, they all become embroiled in their own storyline which leaves Dovie little time to continue to seek new information regarding her mother.
Then when Karlilna and Dovie find themselves in some pretty serious trouble I worried it would be the end of their friendship. Although severe punishment is metted out by the elders of East Amana, it makes you realize how history can repeat itself. There is so much more to this story and I can’t wait for you to read it.
I found this book fascinating not only for the fabulous writing and storyline, but also because of the information and knowledge I gained about the Amana Colonies which I never knew existed before. A HIDDEN TRUTH: HOME TO AMANA was an amazing novel for those who love historical fiction as much as I do.
"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.
Available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group".
In the closed communities of the Amana Colonies, hidden truths are about to change everything for two young women....
East Amana, Iowa
1892
When Karlina Richter discovers that a new shepherd will be sent to her village, she fears she'll no longer be allowed to help her father with the sheep. She'll be relegated back to kitchen work, stuck inside all day. Her fears increase when the new shepherd shows little interest in the flock--or in divulging why he's suddenly been sent to East. Is he keeping secrets that will impact Karlina's family?
Dovie Cates visits the Amana Colonies to learn more about the place where her mother grew up. But when Dovie begins to ask questions about her mother's past, no one seems willing to reveal anything, so she decides to take matters into her own hands. Will the answers she finds spell disaster for her future plans and the longings of her heart?
My Review:
October 29, 1892 in Cincinnati, Ohio, Dovie Cates, twenty-two is attired in mourning clothing as her mother, Barbara had passed away two months prior from the influenza. Dovie was disturbed that her mother had passed as now she wouldn’t get the answers to the questions she had about her life: “her life before Iowa; before she’d met her father; and before she was born; and answers about her time in the Amana Colonies.” Her father was selling the house and moving to Texas for his new job but Dovie didn’t want to go with him nor remain in Cincinnati. When she told her father she was going to Iowa, to the Amana Colonies to learn of her mother’s past, “his jaw went slack and the pipe” he was smoking, “slipped a notch before he clamped his lips tight around the stem. Confusion clouded his dark eyes, and he shook his head – foolishness!” The only thing her father knew of his wife’s time in the Amana Colonies was that she had a cousin, Louise, and they wrote to each other for years. They live in a small village called East Amana and were close as sisters. When Dovie’s grandparents decided to leave Iowa her father never knew what happened except that it had something to do with Dovie’s grandfather. All he knew was that Dovie’s mothers’ German roots were important to her.
Dovie decided to write a letter to this cousin, Louise, and ask if she could come for a visit before joining her father in Texas. She would just address the letter to Mrs. Louise Richter in East Amana, Iowa and hoped she still lived there and would get it. That afternoon, Dovie sat down and put pen to paper.
Louise Richter, owned a small kitchen house in East Amana. She heard the mailman coming and sent her nineteen-year-old daughter, Karlina to fetch the mail bag. Louise, from her kitchen house served 3 meals a day, and a light lunch at midmorning and midafternoon were served to nearly 40 villagers who lived near her kitchen house. Every single meal was served on time and those working closest to her knew that any interruption in the schedule was not to Sister Louise’s liking. There were other kitchen houses in the area but none that served food as good as Louise’s.
East Amana was the smallest of the seven villages that comprised the colonies. The village cared for sheep. Each village was responsible for various jobs and East Amana’s was to distribute the mail and medicine. Louise performed those tasks in the “same orderly fashion as she operated her kitchen.” Karlina retrieved the mail bag and began sorting the mail into slots for pick-up later. However, Karlina would much prefer to be outside helping her father with the sheep but knew she should sort the mail for her mother first. As a matter of fact, the entire kitchen or peeling potatoes and carrots held no appeal for nineteen-year-old, Karlina at all. She much referred sorting mail and tending sheep. As she sorted, she came across the letter from Dovie Cates addressed to her mother. When Karlina asked her who she was, Louise replied: “She’s my cousin Barbara’s daughter,” slipped the envelope into her apron pocket indicating she’d read it later. Karlina noticed her mother’s complexion pale and then hesitate a moment before storing the letter in her apron.
After the food had been served, Karlina and her father, George followed Louise to the kitchen so they could learn the contents of Dovie’s letter. Louise, of course, was saddened to hear of Barbara’s death a couple of months prior but Karlina was over the moon at the prospect of having a cousin come stay for a week to meet them. She begged her parents who said they would pray about it first.
George’s health wasn’t very well and the elders of their village had finally decided to send him a helper who would be arriving tomorrow. Having the extra help to tend the sheep would be a God send for him.
It took several days for Louise and George to share the news with Karlina that they had agreed to allow Dovie Cates to come and visit. Since she wasn’t coming until Spring, it would give Karlina plenty of time to ready her room to share with Dovie since the new sheep helper would be staying in the spare bedroom.
Karlina worried about the new shepherd boy, Anton Becker, twenty-three, coming to help her father as the part of the colony he came from didn’t rear sheep. Karlina questioned her father as to whether he was even a shepherd? Her father only responded that he had to trust the elders and their decision.
Anton arrived, met Karlina in the barn where she discovered her suspicions were right. Anton was not a shepherd but said he had to respect the decisions of the elders to send him. Karlina knew her father had a lot of work ahead of him in instructing this know-nothing boy about the care of sheep. Good thing he had a reputation of a man of patience. Anton left the barn to go up to the house to meet George who hadn’t been feeling well that morning. Anton didn’t appear to have much interest in learning about sheep and when Karlina made a suggestion he became quite angry and snapped at her which he apologized for after. He admitted to having problems with his anger.
Dovie was on a train on her way to East Amana worried that Cousin Louise hadn’t received her second letter telling her that it would be impossible to wait until Spring to visit and that she had to come before Christmas. What was she going to do when she arrived and they wouldn’t allow her to stay? When the train arrived a man named Joseph Ackerman was there to take Dovie and her father to his hotel to drop his bags and register, then he would drive them in his wagon to the home of Louise and George Richter. George was leaving the following morning for his new job in Texas.
Louise was quite surprised to find Dovie and her father, George standing at her door, she had not received Dovie’s second letter but nonetheless welcomed them into her home. When Karlina came in from the barn and found Dovie there she was absolutely ecstatic! Together the two girls bolted for Karlina’s bedroom to make room for Dovie. It appeared they were going to get along just fine.
In Dovie’s first day she hadn’t learned much about her mother’s past other than in 1842, after receiving word from the Lord, the first members of the Community of True Inspiration sailed from Europe where they had been persecuted for their religious beliefs. They had established their first villages near Buffalo, New York. Society soon began to encroach upon them and they moved again to their present location in Iowa in 1855. However, Louise was quick to brush aside Dovie’s questions about her mother and her family’s departure from the Amana Colonies. Dovie had come there with questions she wanted answers too and was determined she wasn’t leaving without them but at the same time, she didn’t want to alienate or cross Cousin Louise either. It just made her all the more determined to find ways to get the responses she needed.
Dovie was quickly learning that cousin Louise was a highly organized woman with a bit of a bent for strictness. However, she ran her kitchen like a tight ship and knew her workers well. Some needed compliments, some needed to share their problems, and others enjoyed laughter. Didn’t matter what they needed, Cousin Louise adapted and helped. Today was also the day Dovie decided to seek some answers to her questions, but on the several occasions she had broached the subject, Cousin Louise’s answers were always guarded. When Dovie tried to dig deeper, Cousin Louise changed the subject or sent her to the other side of the kitchen to help cut noodles or peel potatoes. But Dovie’s plan was to use the time they’d have together riding to and from the store to collect supplies. They had only gone a few steps off the porch when Dovie asked her first question: “Tell me about my mother. I want to know what she was like when she lived here, and why her family left?” Cousin Louise’s response was less than stellar replying: “I know you miss your Mutter, but digging into her past will not bring her back. I am sure she told you everything she thought was important for you to know. She loved you very much.” Dovie asked: “How do you know that?” Cousin Louise tsked and replied: “Because mothers love their children and because she wrote to me after you were born. She was delighted to have a daughter of her own.” Dovie was learning quickly that getting the answers she wanted wasn’t going to be easy. How would she ever learn if the woman refused to talk to her?
Meanwhile, Karlina was quickly discovering that Anton was not enjoying learning about the sheep or helping with them even though she and her father both had been extremely patient in their teaching. Anton looked upon the sheep as “work” not a “privilege” as Karlina did. She sensed that he had “developed little, if any, fondness for shepherding.” Anton avoided the sheep as much as possible and grumbled when he was required to go to the pasture and watch over the sheep and would have preferred to just keep them inside the barn all winter. Most of the time Anton appeared “quiet and withdrawn or angry and sullen.”
One afternoon, Cousin Louise took Dovie to a quilting bee. There she met Sister Anne who knew her mother, Barbara Lange. Dovie learned when children were in kindergarten, they were taught by their Oma’s (Gramma’s) then after that, male teachers. Sister Anne told Dovie that prior to working in the Richter house, her mother had worked in the gardens and that is where she had become acquainted with, Barbara. Sister Anne had been in charge of one of the large gardens and Barbara worked for her when she was about fourteen-years-old. After finishing her schooling, Barbra left and went to work for Sister Ruth in the kitchen house. Sister Ruth was Cousin Louise’s mother. She was also told her mother loved the “onion harvest” which they all still considered a fun time. Wagonloads of onions are brought to the village during two to three weeks in the summer. The onions are spread out for sorting and trimming.
While dusting the bedrooms upstairs one day, Dovie comes across a packet of letter written to Cousin Louise from her mother. Knowing full well she shouldn’t read them, her curiosity and deep desire to learn about her mother’s past propelled her to open the first envelope then the second, the third and off she went. What Dovie discovers is truly shocking. Such a surprise to both Dovie and the reader.
As the story moves along and Dovie meets Berndt who delivers Cousin Louise’s bread order each morning, and meets two other nearby kids, they all become embroiled in their own storyline which leaves Dovie little time to continue to seek new information regarding her mother.
Then when Karlilna and Dovie find themselves in some pretty serious trouble I worried it would be the end of their friendship. Although severe punishment is metted out by the elders of East Amana, it makes you realize how history can repeat itself. There is so much more to this story and I can’t wait for you to read it.
I found this book fascinating not only for the fabulous writing and storyline, but also because of the information and knowledge I gained about the Amana Colonies which I never knew existed before. A HIDDEN TRUTH: HOME TO AMANA was an amazing novel for those who love historical fiction as much as I do.
"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.
Available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group".
January 15, 2018
This was yet another amazing book. We have 2 main characters in this book. There's Dovie who wants to travel to the Amana colonies to learn more about her mother's past. No matter how much she asks people, no one is willing to give her any answers.
Then, we have Karlina Richter, who is the daughter of a Shepard. She loves helping her father with the sheep, but, when a new Shepard comes to town, she fears she will be sent to work in the kitchen. The new Shepard, Anton, has no interest at all in the sheep. He is much more interested in inventing.
Dovie is convinced that Anton is in love with Karlina, and Karlina thinks Dovie's in love with Bernt. When she goes to help Bernt with his ill family, she breaks a rule.
At the end of the book, Karlina and Anton have a beautiful wedding. What a fabulous ending!
Then, we have Karlina Richter, who is the daughter of a Shepard. She loves helping her father with the sheep, but, when a new Shepard comes to town, she fears she will be sent to work in the kitchen. The new Shepard, Anton, has no interest at all in the sheep. He is much more interested in inventing.
Dovie is convinced that Anton is in love with Karlina, and Karlina thinks Dovie's in love with Bernt. When she goes to help Bernt with his ill family, she breaks a rule.
At the end of the book, Karlina and Anton have a beautiful wedding. What a fabulous ending!
January 28, 2022
I enjoyed the in-depth look into the Amana religious colony similar to the Hutterite colonies of Montana. There are several Hutterite colonies throughout Montana very much like the Amish. As a Montana native I'm vaguely familiar with their lifestyle. This book enhanced my knowledge of the family-style, interdependent existence of the members of the colony and their strict adherence to the rules of the colony. Dovey, the daughter of an Amanda woman whose family left the colony, visits the colony in search of her mother's past. As an outsider, Dovey doesn't always follow the colony rules. I enjoyed the character development of Dovey and her cousin Carlena as they navigated early adulthood. This is a light hearted story.
January 18, 2020
A Hidden Truth is an easy read to pick up when you have time. The story is interesting, but as many other reviewers pointed out, the story could have been condensed to a novella or a much shorter story. The story is simple and drawn out, but did keep my interest. A Hidden Truth is a sweet feel good story.
The characters are underdeveloped, and the romantic relationships are thrown together without much consideration. I felt like the romances in this story were more geared toward a young adult audience.
I enjoyed learning about the Amana community. I would considering picking up a different type of historical fiction novel from this author.
The characters are underdeveloped, and the romantic relationships are thrown together without much consideration. I felt like the romances in this story were more geared toward a young adult audience.
I enjoyed learning about the Amana community. I would considering picking up a different type of historical fiction novel from this author.
June 6, 2017
A Heartwarming Tale of True Love
I didn't want this story to end. I love historical fiction books but, admittedly, I was slightly hesitant to read another book about an Amish colony with their German accents since I don't know any German. But the plot hooked me immediately and I'm glad I didn't let the authenticity of their vocabulary stop me from reading. I quickly felt connected to Dovie and Karlina and felt like I was there with them in their adventures. I look forward to reading the next book to see what happens next for the girls and their families in Amana.
I didn't want this story to end. I love historical fiction books but, admittedly, I was slightly hesitant to read another book about an Amish colony with their German accents since I don't know any German. But the plot hooked me immediately and I'm glad I didn't let the authenticity of their vocabulary stop me from reading. I quickly felt connected to Dovie and Karlina and felt like I was there with them in their adventures. I look forward to reading the next book to see what happens next for the girls and their families in Amana.
March 8, 2018
Interesting look
“Hidden Truth” is a story about a young girl’s search for the truth about why her recently deceased mother left the closed community of Amana. In the process of uncovering these details, the reader is given insight into life inside the Amana communities, a little known microcosm similar to the Amish. The story is simple, the writing clear, the characters are some you’ll come to care about and enjoy for a few hours. Judith Miller is good at her craft.
“Hidden Truth” is a story about a young girl’s search for the truth about why her recently deceased mother left the closed community of Amana. In the process of uncovering these details, the reader is given insight into life inside the Amana communities, a little known microcosm similar to the Amish. The story is simple, the writing clear, the characters are some you’ll come to care about and enjoy for a few hours. Judith Miller is good at her craft.
December 18, 2018
Book one was great! Can't wait for book 2
Book one was great! Am looking forward to reading the rest of this series! Judith Miller makes you feel like you are in the story with the characters. It's almost as if you can feel the crisp cold weather in winter or the heat of summer as you read along. She is definitely one of my favorite authors!
Book one was great! Am looking forward to reading the rest of this series! Judith Miller makes you feel like you are in the story with the characters. It's almost as if you can feel the crisp cold weather in winter or the heat of summer as you read along. She is definitely one of my favorite authors!
Read
October 18, 2020Dovie visits cousins in Amana, hoping to understand her mother better. When she uncovers a secret that makes her think Berndt might be her half-brother, I was surprised she didn't look for a family resemblance. I enjoyed the insights into how the Amana Colonies functioned and the relationships between Dovie and her cousins.
January 10, 2025
The story captivated my attention, and I particularly liked that the book ended well for both main characters. At first, I had difficulty going back and forth between both of the main characters' points of views, and I thought the story had some unnecessary details, but overall, the book was enjoyable.
March 3, 2019
I really liked the location of this book. My husband and I went to the Amana colonies about two years ago for a woodworking festival so it was really neat to see a story take place in the Amana colonies.
June 27, 2019
A Hidden Truth ( Home to Amana Book #1)
I so enjoyed the stories of both young ladies of the Colonies.
Life was different then for all in America. Deciding to live in close colonies was much different than outside the colonies.
I so enjoyed the stories of both young ladies of the Colonies.
Life was different then for all in America. Deciding to live in close colonies was much different than outside the colonies.
January 3, 2020
Amanda's Best
I love reading about Amana because my grandma grew up there. This book is true to their life before the great change. Miller create believable characters and the places them in intriguing plots that kept me reading to the very last page.
I love reading about Amana because my grandma grew up there. This book is true to their life before the great change. Miller create believable characters and the places them in intriguing plots that kept me reading to the very last page.
October 10, 2022
I have mixed reactions to this book. I enjoyed learning about the Amana Colonies, their history and their communal lifestyle. The basic story was good, but there was something about the story telling that made me think it was better suited for YA readers.
November 10, 2017
Wonderful story!
I enjoyed the characters and this story. I will definitely read more by this author. I do recommend this book.
I enjoyed the characters and this story. I will definitely read more by this author. I do recommend this book.
January 12, 2018
It was an okay book. Some of it caught my interest. Other parts made me never want to be part of this community.
May 8, 2018
Interesting facts about the Amana Colonies.
August 15, 2018
Great
I love stories that tell me of people who love the lord but worship in different ways. This one was extremely good at that besides being a good love story.
I love stories that tell me of people who love the lord but worship in different ways. This one was extremely good at that besides being a good love story.
December 12, 2019
A very enjoyable read. I look forward to the rest of the series and learning more about the Amana colonies.
December 17, 2019
This was a quick, quaint read. Entirely predictable, but whatever.
October 16, 2020
Listened on Recorded Books, Inc.: I couldn't finish it. To many main characters.
December 14, 2021
Good book.
October 10, 2022
a wonderful love story and how a person can change for the better
December 26, 2022
Meh, this book was ok. Not interested in continuing the series.
March 17, 2017
You Never Know
This is an amazing book of how you can travel to a part of the country that will change your way of enjoying life. I enjoyed traveling to a quaint town, living off the bare necessities and being fulfilled. It's nice to learn different ways to make make life enjoyable.
This is an amazing book of how you can travel to a part of the country that will change your way of enjoying life. I enjoyed traveling to a quaint town, living off the bare necessities and being fulfilled. It's nice to learn different ways to make make life enjoyable.
May 1, 2023
This is a novel set in the Amana colonies, a community of radical Pietists that was one of the longest running communal living experiments in US history. In this book, a young woman who has recently lost her mother goes to visit her relatives in the Amana community her mother grew up in. Her goal is to learn more about her mother. Of course, that also means learning about the community. This book was slow paced, but not dull. The tone is very YA. Although the Amana way of life is different from the Amish way of life, this book is likely to appeal to those who enjoy novels about the Amish.
January 4, 2013
Dovie Cates's mother has passed away without sharing much of her life story. When Dovie's father gets transferred to Texas she decides that this would be a good time to go to visit her mother's family in the Amana Colony East in Iowa. Just maybe she'll find out why her mother would never share anything about her younger life, why her grandparents moved from there and never looked back. Her mother used to write to Cousin Louise Richter but stopped suddenly, Dovie really wants to learn more about her mother's family and why she never talked about her past.
About the same time Dovie arrives in Amana East to spend time at Cousin Louise's home, the Richter family is getting a new shepherd to help with the sheep. Karlina, Dovie's cousin who is about the same age as her, is upset because she thinks she'll no longer be allowed to care for the sheep, after all that isn't a woman's job. Anton has been sent to East because he can't control his temper, so the Grossebruderrat sent him away from his home to learn some control.
Dovie and Karlina become so close they are like sisters. Karlina helps Dovie learn the ways of the church as she's helping Anton learn to care for the sheep. As time moves on Dovie finds her self being disappointed when Cousin Louise refuses to answer her questions about her mother. Even when Cousin Louise lets her read some letters she saved, she doesn't learn anything. One day while dusting Dovie finds some different letters from her mother that Cousin Louise didn't share with her, she takes a chance and starts reading them. She doesn't get through all, but does get some clues so now she tries to discover the rest of the story.
When Dovie tries to help a family that is suffering from the influenza she convinces Karlina to help by taking medicine and going daily to care for them. The problem is, they do not belong to the church and live off of their property, it is against the rules for them, especially women, to leave the property and go into a non-member's home alone. When Karlina becomes sick with the flu, Dovie tells Cousin Louise the truth about what they'd been doing and now the whole family has to go before the Grossebruderat to find out what the punishment will be.
Will Dovie have to leave the community and never find out about her mother's past, will Karlina have to give up caring for the sheep and how bad will the punishment be for Dovie's caring for an outside family and dragging Karlina into the situation with her.
Very interesting book, I learned a lot. I am from the midwest and always thought, don't ask me where I got the idea, the Amana Colonies were Amish. But the more I read, they seemed more like Quakers than Amish so I looked it up and they were part of a religious movement called Pietism. Their belief, one shared by many other Pietists, was that God, through the Holy Spirit, may inspire individuals to speak. This gift of inspiration, or prophecy, was the basis for a religious group that began meeting in 1714 and became known as the Community of True Inspiration.
So, not only did Judith keep me interested by the story, I was also intrigued with their faith, I didn't do the research until I finished the book so I could see if I could figure it out. Thank you Judith for giving my a learning experience as I read this book, wonderful job.
Thank you to Bethany House for providing me this book to review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255
About the same time Dovie arrives in Amana East to spend time at Cousin Louise's home, the Richter family is getting a new shepherd to help with the sheep. Karlina, Dovie's cousin who is about the same age as her, is upset because she thinks she'll no longer be allowed to care for the sheep, after all that isn't a woman's job. Anton has been sent to East because he can't control his temper, so the Grossebruderrat sent him away from his home to learn some control.
Dovie and Karlina become so close they are like sisters. Karlina helps Dovie learn the ways of the church as she's helping Anton learn to care for the sheep. As time moves on Dovie finds her self being disappointed when Cousin Louise refuses to answer her questions about her mother. Even when Cousin Louise lets her read some letters she saved, she doesn't learn anything. One day while dusting Dovie finds some different letters from her mother that Cousin Louise didn't share with her, she takes a chance and starts reading them. She doesn't get through all, but does get some clues so now she tries to discover the rest of the story.
When Dovie tries to help a family that is suffering from the influenza she convinces Karlina to help by taking medicine and going daily to care for them. The problem is, they do not belong to the church and live off of their property, it is against the rules for them, especially women, to leave the property and go into a non-member's home alone. When Karlina becomes sick with the flu, Dovie tells Cousin Louise the truth about what they'd been doing and now the whole family has to go before the Grossebruderat to find out what the punishment will be.
Will Dovie have to leave the community and never find out about her mother's past, will Karlina have to give up caring for the sheep and how bad will the punishment be for Dovie's caring for an outside family and dragging Karlina into the situation with her.
Very interesting book, I learned a lot. I am from the midwest and always thought, don't ask me where I got the idea, the Amana Colonies were Amish. But the more I read, they seemed more like Quakers than Amish so I looked it up and they were part of a religious movement called Pietism. Their belief, one shared by many other Pietists, was that God, through the Holy Spirit, may inspire individuals to speak. This gift of inspiration, or prophecy, was the basis for a religious group that began meeting in 1714 and became known as the Community of True Inspiration.
So, not only did Judith keep me interested by the story, I was also intrigued with their faith, I didn't do the research until I finished the book so I could see if I could figure it out. Thank you Judith for giving my a learning experience as I read this book, wonderful job.
Thank you to Bethany House for providing me this book to review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255
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