Book Review: Waves of Mercy by Lynn Austin

Austin Returns with a Multi-Generational Historical Novel

Geesje de Jonge crossed the ocean at age seventeen with her parents and a small group of immigrants from the Netherlands to settle in the Michigan wilderness. Fifty years later, in 1897, she’s asked to write a memoir of her early experiences as the town celebrates its anniversary. Reluctant at first, she soon uncovers memories and emotions hidden all these years, including the story of her one true love.

At the nearby Hotel Ottawa Resort on the shore of Lake Michigan, twenty-three-year-old Anna Nicholson is trying to ease the pain of a broken engagement to a wealthy Chicago banker. But her time of introspection is disturbed after a violent storm aboard a steamship stirs up memories of a childhood nightmare. As more memories and dreams surface, Anna begins to question who she is and whether she wants to return to her wealthy life in Chicago. When she befriends a young seminary student who is working at the hotel for the summer, she finds herself asking him all the questions that have been troubling her.

Neither Geesje nor Anna, who are different in every possible way, can foresee the life-altering surprises awaiting them before the summer ends.

What I Loved: One of the things I love most about Austin are her multi-generational novels and she didn’t disappoint with Waves of Mercy. The story bounced between Anna and Geesje’s present and Geesje’s past. I’m in awe at the way she was able to weave these two stories together in a flawless way.
The characters were complex and yet easy to relate to. You could feel their pain as they told their story. The historic detail was just as phenomenal as the characters were. The hardships and heritage of the Dutch was a new subject for me to study and I really enjoyed digging into this area of history.
In the midst of all this was a solid message of faith. I was encouraged and edified as I read, making Waves of Mercy a Christian Fiction masterpiece. Life is messy and unpredictable and Austin brought these realities to life in her latest release.

Rating and Recommendation: I highly recommend Waves of Mercy to anyone who enjoys Christian Fiction or Christian Historical Fiction. And I’m giving it 5 stars.

~I received a free copy from Bethany House. All thoughts are my own. I was not compensated for this review or required to give a favorable one.