phyllish
Written on Oct 11, 2018
My rating is 4.5 stars
Noelle had a close relationship with the Lord. When faced with the need to decide whether to continue her journey with just Daniel or to delay until her brother can accompany them, she cries out to God for wisdom and direction.
I was amazed at Noelle’s strength in adversity. When faced with seemingly impossible circumstances, she sought the Lord’s help and did her best. She wasn’t always unafraid but seemed to know that in the rugged, snowy wilderness, giving up or not trying was equal to a death sentence. Yet despite that, she was insecure and longed to be in a place where she could make a difference. To matter.
Daniel was most confident in the wilderness – alone. The skills he learned from his Father’s people, the Blackfeet, served him well. Yet the fact that he was Indian and Caucasian made him feel that he didn’t have a part of either world. He was fearful of being judged for who he was.
There were so many things to appreciate about this story. The spiritual lessons were inspiring and integrated very naturally. The descriptions of the majesty of the Rocky Mountains, the blizzards, and the perils made me feel as if I was there and gave me a sense of the vastness and isolation of the region. I don’t recall ever before having a story convey the sense of what it would be like to be completely and truly lost in the mountains in the winter, yet my reading of This Courageous Journey did that quite well.
I have read other books where the travelers encounter one problem after another and, frankly, they left me feeling like everything was overdone, unrealistic, and contrived. Despite the fact that Daniel, Noelle and their companions faced hardship after sickness after peril after near disaster, this made sense and worked well in the narration.
Daniel and Noelle’s growing attraction for each other also came very naturally. Fighting the elements in the way they did, as well as spending significant amounts of time together is bound to either cause two people to develop a close bond or to hate each other! Their caring for one another as they journeyed touched my heart.
This review was originally posted on Among the Reads
I was given a free copy of this item. This gift did not influence my opinion or review.