Review: Harvest Moon by Jenny Knipfer

Welcome to the Blog Tour hosted by Just Reads for Harvest Moon! For a full list of the stops, go here.

About The Book:

In the wilds of 19th century Ontario, Maang-ikwe, a young Ojibwe woman, falls into a forbidden love, breaks her father’s honor, and surrenders her trust to someone who betrays it. The abuse she suffers divides her from her tribe and causes her to give up what she holds most dear.

Niin-mawin must come to grips with his culture being ripped away from him. Brought up in a “white man’s” school, he suffers through an enforced “civilized” education and separation from his family. When a man he respects reveals a secret about Niin-mawin’s past, he embarks on a search for the person he hopes can mend the part of his heart that’s always been missing.

Both Maang-ikwe and Niin-mawin wonder how a harvest of pain and sorrow will impact their lives. Will they find the blessings amongst the hardships, or will they allow the results of division and abuse to taint their hearts forever?

Fans of historical fiction, Native American fiction, Christian historical fiction and literary fiction will be moved by this deep, heartfelt novel.

My Thoughts:

I have to admit, I almost didn't finish this story. It's a heavy topic. This story deals with rape, but has a beautiful tale of forgiveness woven in. It was a little hard to read, the time kept changing, going back several years, then forward several years, then back and forth. You get to read from multiple peoples POV which was a nice change, to see the same story through so many different perspectives.

The ending had me in tears. The whole story was heavy, sad, without the happily ever after. But it was written in such a way it felt... real. It was more like reading a biography in some ways than fiction. The author did a great job of really showing you what happened back then to the Native Americans.

The main character Maang-ikwe, led a sad life. After what happened to her I felt she made selfish choices, not thinking of how it affected those around her. I really just wanted to see her happy, to live a good life. Or really, just anything happy to happen in the story.

I did enjoy how every character would look at their hardships but then turn around and look at their blessings in life and focus on those instead.

All in all, like I said this was a heavy topic to deal with, rape, the mistreatment of the Native Americans, and more that I won't go into for fear of spoilers. But I do think it was well written, and really gives you a good look into the past.

*I received this book for my honest review. All opinions are my own.*

*Disclaimer: This story went too far into the details of married intimacies for me.

Be sure to check out a giveaway, hosted by Just Read Tours, a twenty five dollar gift card to amazon! The giveaway ends 4/5/21 Clink this link or the image below: https://justreadtours.com/2021/03/29/welcome-to-the-harvest-moon-blog-tour-giveaway/

Book Purchase Links: Amazon / Thriftbooks / Goodreads

About The Author:

Jenny lives in Wisconsin with her husband, Ken, and their pet Yorkie, Ruby. She is also a mom and loves being a grandma. She enjoys many creative pursuits but finds writing the most fulfilling.

Jenny’s education background stems from psychology, music, and cultural missions. She spent many years as a librarian in a local public library but recently switched to using her skills as a floral designer in a retail flower shop. She is now retired from work due to disability.

She authored and performed a self-published musical CD entitled, Scrapbook of a Closet Poet. Jenny acquires joy in the journey as an author. All the books in her By the Light of the Moon series earned five-star ratings from Readers' Favorite.

You can learn more about Miss Knipfer and see the other books she's written here: https://jennyknipfer.com/