About the Book A Brighter Dawn

Book: A Brighter Dawn

Author: Leslie Gould

Genre: Amish Romance

Release date: March 28, 2023

Ivy Zimmerman is successfully navigating her life as a young Mennonite woman, one generation removed from her parents’ Old Order Amish upbringing. But when her parents are killed in a tragic accident, Ivy’s way of life is upended. As she deals with her grief, her younger sisters’ needs, the relationship with her boyfriend, and her Dawdi and Mammi’s strict rules, Ivy finds solace in both an upcoming trip to Germany for an international Mennonite youth gathering and in her great-great aunt’s story about Clare Simons, another young woman who visited Germany in the late 1930s.

As Ivy grows suspicious that her parent’s deaths weren’t, in fact, an accident, she gains courage from what she learns of Clare’s time in pre-World War II Germany. With the encouragement and inspiration of the women who have gone before her, Ivy seeks justice for her parents, her sisters, and herself.

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My Thoughts on A Brighter Dawn

Wow!  I loved this book and cannot wait until the next one comes out.  There is so much history in this novel.  There is WWII history but from a very very unique standpoint.  It’s the Mennonite standpoint. And you get it both in the US and in Germany.  I really loved this book and learning about bits of history that I’ve not heard of before.  

Prior to this novel, I didn’t really understand the role that Mennonites played in WWII.  I knew that the Mennonites in the US were conscientious objectors and did not fight but rather served in labor-like camps in the states.  They also served in hospitals in the United States as well.  

But in Germany, they served in the army.  They felt that they had to and prominent Mennonites promoted it.

I did know about experimenting on twins. 

However, I did not know that families actually volunteered their children for it, though I’m not surprised.  I loved getting to know more about Germany and what was going on in the war years over there.

But lest you think I’m focusing too much on the past in this dual-timeline novel do know that I loved the present just as much.  Three Mennonite girls who lived with their parents and grandmother until their parents died in a car crash.  They each have some issues of their own that they have to work through in the novel. 

And then add in that they go to stay with their other set of grandparents that they don’t know.  Oh and the fact that the accident might not have been an accident.  

You’re also going to want to keep a look at Ivy’s beau.  Her father didn’t approve of him and you know that always means trouble!  Oh and did I mention that their grandparents are Amish?  

I have voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from Celebrate Lit. All views expressed are only my honest opinion. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC regulations.

About the Author of A Brighter Dawn

Leslie Gould (www.lesliegould.com) is a Christy Award-winning and #1 bestselling author of over 35 novels, including four Lancaster County Amish series. She holds an MFA in creative writing and enjoys studying church history, research trips, and hiking in the Pacific Northwest. She and her husband live in Portland, Oregon, and are the parents of four adult children.

More from Leslie

The historical thread of my dual-time novel A Brighter Dawn is set in Nazi Germany from 1937 to 1939. During that period of time, Germany incorporated Austria, mandatory registration of all Jewish property began, and concentration camps opened. Then came the Night of Broken Glass—the anti-Jewish pogrom in Germany, Austria, and the Sudetenland. Soon following was the German occupation of Czechoslovakia before the Nazis invaded Poland in September 1939.

My main character, Clare Simons, is a Mennonite young woman from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, who is staying with her uncle and cousins in Frankfurt, Germany. She doesn’t follow current events much and struggles to balance the Nazi propaganda her uncle and oldest cousin believe with the events unfolding around her. Slowly, she begins to see the truth behind the Nazi lies.

One thing that broke up the narrative of the heavy events I researched and wrote about?

The food.

When I travelled to Germany with my husband (who had lived there during his Army service years ago), I marvelled over the scenery, became engrossed in the history, and definitely enjoyed the food. My background is Swiss, so it wasn’t that the food was unfamiliar. It was just at a level I hadn’t experienced before!

As I researched what Clare would fix for meals, I pored through cookbooks. For added inspiration, hubby and I ate at German restaurants. Jägerschnitzel (seared pork with gravy). Rinderbraten (paprika and caraway spiced beef roasted in red wine gravy). Wienerschnitzel (breaded and fried pork loin with warm potato salad and vegetable remoulade.)

I noted food in research books, documentaries, and films.

The entrees became focal points in the stories, including rabbit stew, a Christmas goose, and Sauerbraten with Spätzle and red cabbage. So did the desserts, including trifle and Black Forest cake.

When I visited Germany with my hubby, one of the things I really loved was stopping in a café for Apfelkuchen (apple cake) and coffee in the afternoon. In one scene in A Brighter Dawn, when Clare and her cousin Lena stop for coffee, they order apple cake too. Then, in another scene, Clare bakes an apple cake for the family of the nearby Jewish grocer who will soon lose their property.

Below is a recipe for a simple and dense German apple cake (which may have originated in Poland and been influenced by a Jewish apple cake recipe).

The food in A Brighter Dawn doesn’t take away from the narrative, but it is a reminder that a nurturing soul, such as my character Clare, can stand against the lies of an evil regime.

German Apple Cake

Ingredients

• 1 cup salted butter, melted
• 2 eggs
• ¾ cup white sugar
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 ½ to 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 5 cups apples—peeled, cored, and thinly sliced (to soften apple slices before baking, place in a microwavable dish with a lid and microwave them with a Tablespoon of water for 3–4 minutes)
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9×13 cake pan.
2. Beat butter and eggs with an electric mixer until creamy. Add sugar and vanilla; beat well.
3. Stir together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Slowly add flour mixture to egg mixture; mix until combined. The batter will be very thick. Fold in apples and walnuts by hand using a wooden spoon. Spread batter into the prepared pan.
4. Bake in preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 45–50 minutes. After 30 minutes, put a sheet of foil over the top of the cake to keep it from burning. Cool cake on a wire rack.

Possible Toppings

Before baking:

Crumble: ¼ cup brown sugar, ¼ cup white sugar, ½ cup flour, 4–6 Tablespoons softened butter. Combine ingredients and evenly spread over the top of cake.

Butterscotch: Sprinkle a package of butterscotch chips over the top of the cake.

Almonds: Sprinkle almond slivers over the top of the cake.

After baking:

Dust with confectioners’ sugar.

Drizzle with caramel sauce.

Sprinkle with white sparkling sugar.

Top with whipped cream.

Blog Stops for A Brighter Dawn

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, April 23

Lakesidelivingsite, April 23

Locks, Hooks and Books, April 24

Cover Lover Book Review, April 25

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, April 25

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, April 26

Lighthouse Academy Blog, April 27 (Guest Review from Marilyn Ridgway)

Connie’s History Classroom, April 27

Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, April 28

Vicky Sluiter, April 28

She Lives To Read, April 29

Gina Holder, Author and Blogger, April 30 (Author Interview)

Christina’s Corner, April 30

Texas Book-aholic, May 1

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, May 2

Mornings at Character Cafe, May 2

Bigreadersite, May 3

Bliss, Books & Jewels, May 3

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, May 4

Little Homeschool on the Prairie, May 5

For Him and My Family, May 5

Splashes of Joy, May 6

Pause for Tales, May 6

Giveaway for A Brighter Dawn

To celebrate her tour, Leslie is giving away the grand prize package of a paperback copy of A Brighter Dawn and one $15 Amazon gift card!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway!

Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/258b9/a-brighter-dawn-celebration-tour-giveaway