Where Freedom Grows

In the most unlikely of places love grows. In New York at the beginning of Stalin's reign, Tatanya's love cannot be bought in this historical novel about Russian immigrants who have to make it by their wits in their new homeland. Meanwhile, Tatanya's brother is trying to survive in Stalin's Russia when love slips upon him and flourishes in spite of poverty, oppression, and his sometimes waning faith. From the beginning of this story when the Russian soldiers crash into the peaceful everyday lives of Tatayana, her parents, and her brother, Yuri, I could not put this love story down.

If you've hesitated to even nibble at the edges of historical fiction, the Sowers Trilogy should be your first taste! You are guaranteed a gourmet feast with Bonnie Leon's sharp imaging and heart stopping gift of holding tension. Journey with Yuri and his sister Tatyana on their separate quests as they are assaulted by emotional and physical tests and temptations. You will go along not as a spectator, but as a participant.You will cringe as Yuri confronts the danger of survival in a Russia gone mad with the lust for supremacy. You will weep as he is immersed in the devastating results of a country's passion turned sorid. And you are sure to stand and cheer as obstacles are overcome and enemies of body and mind are defeated.You will ache with Tatyana as she struggles to survive against odds of her own making. Rejoice at her amazing good fortune in a new, untamed country. Live with her in the pristine frontier of a burgeoning Pacific Northwest. Laugh, love and weep with her as she grasps at memories of Yuri and her beloved Russia while she balances on the edge of letting go.Bonnie Leon is a master storyteller. Go ahead. Treat yourself.

This novel, Where Freedom Grows taught me so much about faith throughout thick and thin. It has taught me so much about love, loss, and most importantly, to have faith. Bonnie Leon has written a truely wonderful novel. I am looking forward to reading the sequals.

The story of Tatyana is a sweeping story of a girl who is sent away from her homeland by her protective brother, who wants the best for her. Yet, when she finally reaches America, she only finds a Depression torn country, not the land of her dreams. It's a awesome story! I'm halfway through and I can't put it down! Christian Fiction at it's best!

Since I finished Bonnie's first series (The Northern Lights Series), I've been waiting for another to equal The Journey of Eleven Moons and this is it. What a great, sweeping love story --from Russia under Stalin to America in the depths of the Depression--Dmitri and Tatyana are lovers you will long remember.