'The Second Thanksgiving' by Douglas Lloyd McIntosh

What a fantastic surprise!! Because of the limited (and glowing) reviews, I was skeptical of this book. I've had many disappointments, but this was not one of them!

The story is a fantastic mixture of fiction, history, and faith. I never thought the history of Plymouth would be so interesting, as I tend to prefer very old history. This story started out in the time frame of the Civil war, but that story line is almost completely forgotten as soon as the Plymouth tale begins.

The author did a superb job of giving judicious perspective from both the Indian and pilgrim hardships that arose from the blending of two vastly different cultures. The descriptions of the intense hardships endured by a people carving out life from an untamed land made my back almost ache in protest with the workers. And the portraying of the 'separatists' as a people full of faith and follies, as opposed to the typical rigid Puritan people was refreshing.

As a work of fiction, this was a great read. As a deeply devout Christian, this book was an inspiration. Then to my delight, to find out this was a true story (miracles included), with some of the more famous direct decedents of the characters listed, made this a book that will stay with me forever. I only rate a book a 5 if it is either life changing or destined to be a life favorite. This one might just be both.

(Teaser: the original storyline in the Civil War era does evetually come back into play)