No Safe Haven

by Angela Moody

Tillie Pierce is a thoughtful, fifteen-year-old young woman, living with her family in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. It’s 1863, and the Civil War is touching every town and home with tragedy. Tillie’s is no exception.

She has two brothers fighting in the war, but she receives news that it’s her sister’s sweetheart who has died defending his country against Confederate forces. This shatters Tillie’s faith—she finds it impossible to believe that God, in all of his sovereignty, would allow such horrors to take place.

What Tillie doesn’t know is this is only the beginning, as the Battle of Gettysburg is just around the corner. The Confederate Army arrives three days ahead of the Union soldiers, and they loot, steal, and enslave African American citizens.

Tillie’s parents, devout Christians and staunch abolitionists, encourage her to pray for her enemies, but she can’t speak to a god who won’t stop the war. Where is Christ in all of this? Will Tillie and her family survive the bloody conflict, and will she ever find her faith again?

No Safe Haven is a deeply personal account of a young woman’s struggles through the greatest conflict her country, and her heart, will ever see.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction

361 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 20, 2016

About the author

Angela Moody lives in Vermont with her husband, Jim and her cat. Their son, Stephen and his wife, Amanda live nearby. Daughter Alison is a law student at Rutgers University.
Angela has been writing short stories and novels from an early age, always in the historic fiction genre where she feels she shines.
One of her passions is crochet. From the time she learned the craft, she was “hooked”. She loves reading, writing stories and spending time with her family. One of the items on her bucket list is to visit every civil war battlefield site at the time of year each battle took place.
No Safe Haven is her first Christian novel and she has plans for two other historical fiction novels as part of a three book set entitled “Young American Heroines.”
Angela is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers.

Reviews

[Rie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read many books that fall into the "historical fiction" genre, and this is a favorite. Angela Moody’s book may be a piece that is written in a style for teens/young adults, but could (and should) be read by adults alike.

You’ll fall in love with Tillie, and enter into the Civil War through the eyes of a teenage civilian girl that has lived a pretty care free life up until this point. She faces trials, becomes an eyewitness to horrific human tragedy, and struggles to make sense of it, all while doing her part to assist (regardless the color of the uniform) during and after the battle.

If you lack a solid foundation of American history, you will find yourself grasping deeper what your countrymen experienced as they struggled through the evilness of truly hating one another, and learn how threads of grace allowed this country to heal and move onward.

It is through books such as this gem that I have gained a profounder hunger for our countries history. After reading No Safe Haven I found myself Googling Tillie’s name to learn more about real Matilda "Tillie" Pierce. I look forward to more historical fiction from Angela Moody.

[Julie Fugate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tillie Pierce struggles with maturity, family dynamics, her faith, and friends while the civil war rages around her.

I really like this cover because it's pretty cool to have an actual picture of Tillie on the front. We get to look through the eyes of Tillie and experience her involvement in horrors of the civil war as a young girl on the brink of becoming a woman.

I used to love reading historical fiction about real-life people in school and No Safe Haven didn't disappoint.

[Marla · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love historical fiction and this is definitely one of my favorites. Tillie, the main character is great. It is really awesome that she was a real person and not just a fictional character. Some books I read and enjoy are just entertainment. This book has depth and definitely will stick with me for a long time. I was given a copy of the book to read and to provide an honest review.

[Linda Donegan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book, about the life of a young woman and the role she played during the battle of Gettysburg, is one that should be read by anyone with an interest in history. Like the author, I discovered Tillie's story while visiting Gettysburg. I found Tillie to be a fascinating character and I too wanted to tell her story. I began to portray Tillie as an older woman who shared her memories of the war days in Gettysburg. I would make these presentations at schools, churches and historical events. Many people became enamoured with Tillie's acts of courage.

Since I felt such a kindred tie with Tillie, reading this book was like receiving a detailed letter from a long lost friend. The author did a wonderful job fleshing out Tillie's memoirs. All my years in Gettysburg and having stayed in the Pierce house only served to add to the vivid scenes so brilliantly presented by Angela Moody.

I especially enjoyed the author's portrayal of the Pierce family and their interactions with one another. The character of each family member truly reflected their faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. It was with joy that I was able to witness the working of God in their lives. It also provided a reminder for me that He is still at work in our world; even during these dark times. The methods used by the author to contrast "darkness" and "light" were certainly an asset to Tillie's account of her world in perilous times.

In the "Historical Notes" section of this book, the author relates some of the liberties that she had taken with the actual historical account for various reasons. This was so well done that the "liberties' taken enhanced rather than detracted from the story. This enabled her to introduce us to interesting historical characters we would otherwise have not met. If you are an historian, you are always pleased to meet folks from the past; folks you never knew existed. The author provided that opportunity.

A good read and an excellent job, Angela Moody. I want to thank you for the gift of this book. can be certain I will enthusiastically share this book with my students, friends and family.

[Sarah Sutphen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gettysburg revisited

Excellent historical fiction, really brings the sights, sounds, and emotions of the civilian perspective of the Battle of Gettysburg to life. This authors first offering is a true delight and a worthy read

[Cynthia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel portrays a real girl, Tillie Pierce, and the events she and the people in and around Gettysburg experienced before, during, and after the battle. The author's descriptions painted such vivid mental images that I dreamed about what I read. I've read stories of characters from both the North and the South sides of the Civil War, and I appreciated the author's honest representations of good and bad people of both sides. Tillie was an admirable girl that I recommend teens and adults learn more about through this novel. I borrowed a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest review.

[Kendra Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I almost never read historical fiction. Once I got past the first few chapters, I couldn't put it down. Tillie's story is very moving! You can't help but wonder what you would do in her place. Knowing that it's based strongly in historical fact makes it a must read.

[Leash · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. It’s realistic with not a sugar-coated ending. The power of Scripture is shared between characters. Be sure to read the author’s notes after the book because there is information about the characters I didn’t know about.

I don’t want to spoil the book, but readers need to add this to their bookshelf for reading. The morals and lessons throughout “No Safe Haven” is beautiful. I found myself becoming a little emotional at times.

[Kate Hornstein · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this historical fiction based on the life of Tillie Pierce: teen eyewitness to the Battle of Gettysburg. I need to add the Civil War to my list of things to learn more about! Moody brought to life what the civilians of Gettysburg dealt with during the battle.

[Raylene Cross · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting perspective

Tillie, is an adorable character in a horrible situation. Gettysburg during the war. I had hoped for more history but it was a nice book. I bought this book because the author was our tour guide at the Ethan Allen home, who tells an incredible story.