"The possibilities were horrid, pungently bringing to mind the half-dead man the Good Samaritan had aided... Yet, if I did not help him, how was I different from the story’s heartless priest or Levite?"

As a young woman in the spring of 1817, Alcy Callen has no idea of the drastic turn of events that will answer for her the proverbial question, “Who is my neighbor?” in A River Too Deep, a novel by author Sydney Tooman Betts.

In some ways, this book reminds me of Dr. Quinn: Medicine Woman, a historical television show that I love and respect for many reasons, including its depiction of race relations in America. I appreciate fiction that can take characters of different cultures and depict them as more than caricatures of their race.

Alcy has prejudices she must face, and it isn’t because she’s some hateful, haughty, or Godless white person. The novel takes a look at a principle, a reason why human beings sometimes look to dehumanize others: “If we label a whole group savage, we feel justified fulfilling our manifest destiny at their cost.” And as Native Americans in the story approach the Creator in ways that differ from the ways where Alcy has come from, she wonders, “How much of what we call Christian is our own tradition, unrelated to Scripture or morality?”

Indeed, this is a scripture-heavy novel, and I admittedly felt the many end note numbers were distracting. I find them more appropriate for nonfiction and “study flow” than for novels and “story flow,” and had this been a different novel, I likely would’ve thought Alcy’s frequent scripture quoting to be a heavy-handed teaching tactic detracting from story. But, because Scripture as a whole has a central, vital role in the plot, it works.

Then, not to mention the romance here, which I found to be riveting and passionate in its simplicity. As much as I love romantic stories, I’m not really one to swoon while reading them, but I might’ve swooned a time or two in this case.

I suppose it would take much longer for me to explain everything I think and grew to love about this book, but I’d highly recommend it to fellow historical ChristFic readers. ( )

The story is set in 1817 and we are introduced to Alcy and her uncle. They travel to visit her step-uncle . Upon their arrival you could sense an unsettling presence there. The step-uncle was very convincing but so greedy that I wanted to scream at him. He took a shine to Alcy right away, but was it for love or something selfish? When a tragedy strikes in the home Alcy is devastated. She soon realizes that she is not safe staying with her step-uncle.

Alcy makes a daring escape and is rescued by someone she never would have gone with. Before her is a man who she didn't know and is suddenly whisked away to a land she will come to love and call home. I was so engrossed in the story that I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. Can you imagine living in that time period and being taken to an Indian camp ? Alcy comes from a very wealthy background and this was a culture shock to her.

The author writes a very moving story of a young woman who relies on her faith to adapt to her surroundings. I loved how there were scriptures throughout the book and at the end of each chapter. Alcy begins to share her faith with others at the camp and it was so interesting to read how they were so focused on the Word and accepting of it. Alcy realized that this was her calling and she felt safe there.

The beautiful relationship between her and her adopted father , Running Deer, at the camp was so moving I was brought to tears. The interaction between the two was written with complete beauty and love that a father has for his daughter. As a relationship develops between her and Preying Eagle, the author delivers a very realistic look at the Native American culture ."A worthy daughter trusts her father to wisely choose a husband for her and grows to love his choice."

There were so many memorable moments throughout the book that you must pick up a copy and read this story that not only shows unconditional love but of different cultures living together in unity. 'All things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose."

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit for an honest review. ( )

This is the story I've been waiting for a Christian to write. Laura Frantz and Sandi Rog came close, but this one nailed it! This is a love story between a white woman and a native American, who is NOT half-white, and does NOT speak a word of English! BRAVO! The hero is not torn between two worlds and neither is the heroine. They both end up exactly where they should. AMEN!

This is also a wonderful story of spreading the gospel in a way that does not take God's name in vain. Alas, I know this story could never have happened in real history, the heroine was definitely not a white woman or a Christian of her time. This is a tragedy, but not in this story. In that sense, this story is fantasy; it is how it should have been, but never was, at least as far as I know. Not in the 19th century as in this story, or earlier. I can see something like this occurring during the later 20th century, or the present, but even so, how many missionaries actually assimilate into their people, become one with them? To my knowledge, they go as couples or whole families, and remain separate. I say this as the daughter of a missionary, and born "on the field", so this is my family's experience, and all other missionaries that I personally know of.

There are a lot of scripture references and quotations that seem to be somewhat clumsy, especially in the beginning, but over the course of the novel, I realized they had their place, both as an accurate reflection of the inner life of a biblically literate, devout Christian, and because the author obviously included them for the purpose of teaching the reader. This novel is not just for entertainment, like many Christian novels I read, but for the personal edification of the reader, similar to George MacDonald in that respect, so it is not for those who dislike "preachyness".

Finally, I am glad that there were no artificial conflicts between the main couple to make their love story more intense; it unfolded completely naturally, similar to any normal person's experience. ( )