"A suspenseful romance as love gets torn by distance, secrets and cultural norms!"

A Long Bridge Home

Posted: March 2, 2020

The raging wildfire in the Kootenai National Forest is heading for the small town of West Kootenai far faster than anyone expected, burning homes and devastating the lives of the 400 people who peacefully live there.

Hastening in his buggy to pick up his girlfriend, Andy Lambright wants to get Christine Mast back to her home and then to safety from the fast-moving flames. They are happy in their love for each other; yet, Christine has her concerns. It seems Andy will do anything for her, except ask her to marry him and now they will be separated for a long time.

As the family needs to abandon their farm, Christine’s father sees this as an opportunity to return to his old Amish community in Haven, Kansas. Christine is afraid to go as Andy still doesn’t commit, but he does ask her to stay closer while her family leaves. Surprisingly, Mr. Mast allows her to stay with an aunt’s family in St. Ignatius, but where will that leave her if Andy doesn’t offer marriage and she is left on her own?

As usual, Andy is making many plans and keeping secrets in his head, but doesn’t want to share his heart’s desire to Christine. Meanwhile, Christine is eagerly learning new skills as she helps Aunt Lucy in their store and meets an intriguing customer called Raymond Old Fox. Raymond is intrigued by her Amish ways and is eager to share his knowledge and love for his people with her. Severed from her old life, Christine is comforted by her new friendship, but will they change how she feels about Andy?

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Written by the talented and best-selling author Kelly Irvin, A LONG BRIDGE HOME is the second book in her new Amish of Big Sky Country series. With her strong understanding of Amish ways, Irvin takes this intriguing story to whole new level by introducing Christine with her simple ways to the Indigenous culture of the Kootenai people. The story is captivating as the interactions between Raymond and Christine and the reactions of their respective families really highlights some of the differences and similarities between their two unique cultures and their differing perspectives on life, their environment and the Creator.

Fans of MOUNTAINS OF GRACE, the first book in the series are sure to be happy to dig into this heartfelt story; yet, it also can easily be read as a standalone story. Irvin has developed an intriguing story with realistic characters and attitudes.

Raymond is terrific at sharing his history and historical knowledge and I especially love the wisdom and humour of Raymond’s Gramma. Irvin’s talents are also shown in the skillful development of the plot and in highlighting each character’s emotional responses to their beliefs and circumstances. My only quibble is I thought the story’s time frame was too short as I had trouble accepting Christine as a credible character. It seemed strange Christine, so true to her faith and customs for all her life, could so easily violate them within scant days. Others may see that as part of her anger and stress, especially as Andy starts to open up to her and share his secrets.

A LONG BRIDGE HOME is definitely a wonderful story of heartbreak, loss, grief, wisdom and solace. Fans of Amish stories and Christian fiction will definitely want to get a copy and read it! I also loved Irvin's notes in the back of the book on her own research journey. I confess I had to read A LONG BRIDGE HOME long into the night to finish it! So, be warned: this book will be very hard to put down once you start reading! Now, looking forward to the next in the series!

Book Summary

After her community in the awe-inspiring Montana mountains is suddenly consumed by a raging wildfire, one young Amish woman finds herself in a new town where she’s introduced to the Native culture of the Kootenai people.

When the Mast family is forced to evacuate their home in the West Kootenai region of Montana, Christine chooses not to move with her family to her father’s childhood home in Kansas. Instead, she wants to stay closer to home and to her beau, Andy Lambright, who has yet to ask for her hand in marriage and who seems to be holding tightly to secrets from his past.

Now, living with her aunt and uncle in St. Ignatius, Christine is on her own for the first time in her life. While working in her uncle’s store Christine meets Raymond Old Fox, whom she befriends, and he introduces her to his rich native culture with strong ties to the earth and nature. Despite the warnings of her aunt and uncle, Christine is inexplicably drawn to Raymond, and her mind is opened to a history and heritage far different from her own.

With her newly expanding horizons, Christine wonders if she can return to the domestic life that is expected of her. Her heart still longs to be with Andy, but she isn’t the same person she was before the fire, and she wonders if he can accept who she is becoming. Has too much distance grown between them? Or can they bridge the gap from past to present and find their way back together?