"God knows when the
end of our days will be. We have nothing to fear."
Agnes and Margaret Smith
Publisher: Bethany
House Publishers (October 3, 2017) 480 pages
Summary:In Chicago in 1890, rules and expectations for women are strict, their roles
in life limited. But sisters Rebecca and Flora Hawes are not typical Victorian
ladies. Their love of adventure and their desire to use their God-given talents
have delivered them to the Sinai Desert. Accompanied by Soren Petersen, their
somber young butler, and Kate Rafferty, a street urchin learning to be their
ladies' maid, the two women are on a quest chasing rumors of an important
biblical manuscript. As the expedition becomes more dangerous, the travelers
recall the events that shaped them and the journeys and providence that brought
them to this very time and place.
Lynn Austin was inspired to write this book because of real twin sisters from
Scotland who spent their lives traveling, studying languages, and searching for
proof of very early scripture through their expeditions in the Middle East and
Africa. She sets the story in Chicago because she is more familiar with the
area. The Chicago Fire, Civil War factories, and the poverty of the city are
part of the plot line.
The book starts with sisters Rebecca and Flora as teens in a lady’s
school and where they are becoming increasingly bored. They make a deal
with their father that when they learn Italian, they can go abroad and visit
Italy. By summer they can go with their father on a grand summer
adventure! They continue to break the rules of the day for young ladies and
follow their sense of adventure and go on many exotic trips. They are
dedicated to following God's leading on their lives and seek the purpose they
were created for. Together, as wealthy women, they focus on God's work with
independence rare in women in the late 1800's.
The book also features some sub stories of a young butler and a lady’s
maid who were rescued from the Chicago streets by the sisters. Their stories
show how difficult life was for children who were orphaned and living by street
smarts. And despite misgivings of many people, Rebecca and Flora take them
under their wing.
This book touched me is
so many ways. I cheered for the independence that Rebecca and Flora had in
their life as they followed their Lord only. They didn't always fit in
society but yet they knew where they belonged...and that was in the will of
God. The quote "God knows when the end of our days will
be. We have nothing to fear." was mentioned many times when they
faced some very scary situations. This was the favorite slogan of the twin
sisters that the story is inspired from. So the adventure, inspiration, history
and some romance makes this book a terrific read. I highly recommend it.
I give it a 5 out of 4 rating!
