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Murray Pura was born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, just north of the Dakotas and Minnesota. His first novel was released in Toronto in 1988 and was a finalist for the Dartmouth Book Award. Since that time, he has published more than a dozen novels, two collections of short stories, and several nonfiction titles including the Zondervan books Rooted and Streams and the Baker devotional Majestic & Wild. He has been a finalist for several awards in the US and Canada, including the $25,000 Kobzar Literary Award for the novel Zo, and in 2012 won the Word Award of Toronto for Best Historical Novel for The White Birds of Morning. Murray lives and writes in southwestern New Mexico and is currently published by Barbour, Baker, Harper One, Harper Collins and Harvest House as well as several other firms – he works with publishers in Canada, America, the UK, and Holland. His releases include the bestsellers: Ashton Park, The Wings of Morning, The Face of Heaven, The Rose of Lancaster County, A Road Called Love, The Painted Sky, An Amish Family Christmas and London Dawn. His diverse writing spans many genres including historical fiction, contemporary fiction, literary fiction, romance, adventure, western, suspense, fantasy, Amish, and inspirational. Most of his work is available in ebook format for Kindle, Kobo, Nook, Apple and Google Play as well as in paperback.
Reviewed by Emily-Jane Hills Orford for Readers' Favorite
Kirsten is more than just fascinated with the Amish. She is attracted to their faith, their way of believing and the simple lives they’ve chosen to live. Coming from a military family and having lost her father, her brother and her fiancé to wars overseas, Kirsten seeks an inner peace which she believes she will only find amongst the Amish. However, the Bishop and ministers of the Yoder Amish are rather strict and they see her heritage, her military family, as an impediment against her becoming truly devout in walking their way. Life gets more complicated as feelings start to surface for Josh, the Amish blacksmith, and Brandon, an ex-military truck driver. Feeling the pull in both directions and a sense of rejection from the one path she really wants to follow, Kirsten is at a loss. But her faith holds strong and her love for the little epileptic boy, Malachi, whom she cares for several nights a week, remains firm. It takes the passion of one man and a reminder of what the fifth commandment states to set things on the desired course for this young woman who has lost so much.
Murray Pura’s novel, All My Beautiful Tomorrows, follows the journey of a troubled young woman, saddened by all the losses she has endured. Alone in this world, she finds her path through her faith, a passion which has her gravitating more towards the simple belief of the Yoder Amish. The conflict between Kirsten and the ministerial team of the Yoder Amish, as well as the conflict of the developing feelings she has for two very different men, project this story forward in a gentle way that reveals the enduring human spirit and one’s desire to find a place in one’s heart through faith; a place to call home.
I really enjoyed the characterization, which is realistic and allows the reader to feel a connection with the protagonist. The development of the story reflects the conflict of not only romantic emotions, but also the questions surrounding faith. There are some powerful arguments presented to support the protagonist as she struggles to come to terms with the way in which she pursues her faith. Without presenting too much religious dogma, this story reads with lots of compassion and realism. A good read.
