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Janice L. Dick
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Other Side of the River (In Search of Freedom Book 1) Kindle Edition

by Janice L. Dick (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.8 out of 5 stars 27 ratings
The year is 1926. The Russian Revolution of 1917 and the ensuing Civil Wars of 1918-1920 have left unhealed scars on the face of South Russia, and the Great War has traumatized the entire world. Famine has spread through a country suffering drought and economic chaos.

Against the backdrop of a Russian nation in transition from Tsarist autocracy to communism, the Mennonite people who are settled in villages and colonies in western Siberia hope to remain unnoticed. The Siberian Mennonites wish for nothing more than relative freedom to live out their faith in peace, even if food is scarce.

Luise Letkemann yearns for freedom, security, and marriage to her lifelong love, Daniel Martens. She has heard of the war, famine and disease that have befallen her people in South Russia during the revolutions, wars and famines. She is also aware of the mass emigration of thousands of Mennonites from South Russia, now known as Ukraine, to the Americas. But until recently, her people have lived without significant governmental intrusion in Siberia.

However, the Stalinist regime’s interference in daily life is escalating, and even the village of Alexandrovka feels the increasing oppression toward the Siberian Mennonites. The communist administration threatens to destroy everything Luise lives for and believes in.

Meanwhile, the people of Alexandrovka and the surrounding region have begun to discuss evacuation. The momentum of emigration to the west is slowing, health qualifications are stringent, and Luise’s stepmother is unwell. If the Letkemann family does not pass the emigration standards, they must learn how to survive in the midst of change and oppression.

Daniel Martens thought he would be content with his lovely Luise and a degree of compromise with the state, but he soon realizes there is no middle ground with this government. Compromise would involve shunning his religion, his work ethic and the core beliefs on which he bases his life. He still hopes to continue to farm with his father in Alexandrovka, with Luise at his side, but it will be a challenge in many respects.

Unfortunately, Daniel is as outspoken as his father, who has defied the administration of the local administration office by purchasing a new Fordson tractor. His actions lead Daniel into a direct confrontation with Soviet official Senior-major Leonid Dubrowsky of the secret police, the dreaded GPU. The encounter results in far-reaching consequences.

When Luise and Daniel are separated, she must decide whether or not to accompany her family to the eastern edge of Soviet Russia. How long will Daniel be gone? Would he want her to stay or go? Will their new home allow them to escape the clutches of the Soviet system? Dilemmas build. Opportunities demand decisions.

Over time and vast distances across the face of Soviet Russia, Luise and Daniel struggle to survive separation, threats to love and faith, the harsh climate, and what has become a sinister personal vendetta by Dubrowsky. Along the way, Daniel wonders why Dubrowsky has chosen to stalk him, yet some dark force propels the Senior-major on an unwavering course.

This is a story of love and faith, of loss and freedom. Will Luise and Daniel be reunited? Will their faith survive the test?

When the Soviet regime follows them to the eastern edge of the country, to the village of Shumanovka where they have settled, the Letkemann family begin to look across the river to China. Perhaps there is freedom on the other side of the river. But what will be the cost of freedom?

On 16 December, 1930, the village of Shumanovka packed into horse-drawn sleds and crossed the frozen Amur River in search of freedom in China. 217 people. 60 wagons. The temperature plummeted to -50 Fahrenheit. The sky was clear and sound carried for miles. The Russian Mennonites had no idea if their flight would be successful or if this was a ticket to their deaths. Other Side of the River is the fictionalized version of
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  1. Print length
    406 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    April 21, 2016
  4. File size
    1.1 MB
  5. Page Flip
    Enabled
  6. Word Wise
    Enabled
  7. Enhanced typesetting
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Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

The year is 1926. The Russian Revolution is past, and the grip of communism tightens around the Mennonite people in Western Siberia. Luise Letkemann yearns for freedom, security, and marriage to Daniel Martens, but escalating oppression from Stalin's regime threatens to destroy everything she lives for and believes in.
Daniel would be content with Luise and a degree of compromise with the state, but as he faces life-and-death situations at every turn, he realizes there is no middle ground. A confrontation between Daniel and Soviet officials results in far-reaching consequences.Over time and vast distances, Luise and Daniel struggle to survive separation, threats, life-changing decisions, harsh climate, and a sinister personal vendetta by a Soviet official. Will Luise and Daniel be reunited? Will their faith survive the test?Is there freedom on the other side of the Amur River, and what will that freedom cost?

About the Author

Janice L. Dick is an award-winning author who writes historical and contemporary novels and short fiction from her home on the Canadian prairies. She also blogs weekly, sharing book reviews, inspirational thoughts and author interviews. She also enjoys teaching. Janice is the winner of the 2016 Janette Oke Award.
  Janice's published books include the Storm series: Calm Before the Storm, Eye of the Storm, and Out of the Storm, and the In Search of Freedom series: Other Side of the River, In a Foreign Land, and Far Side of the Sea. Her short story, The Christmas Sweater, is also available online, as well as in a newly released anthology, Hope is Born.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01ENZ91HA
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Tansy & Thistle Press; 2nd edition (April 21, 2016)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 21, 2016
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1.1 MB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 406 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 0995031967
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.8 out of 5 stars 27 ratings

About the author

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Janice L. Dick

Janice L. Dick

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Janice L. Dick has been writing since 1989. Her first two historical novels, Calm Before the Storm and Eye of the Storm, won first place in the historical fiction category of The Word Guild's Canadian Writing Awards. The third novel in the series, Out of the Storm, was short-listed for the same award.

These three novels were re-released under her own imprint, Tansy & Thistle Press, in 2020 and 2021.

Janice has also written a second historical fiction series called In Search of Freedom. Again, it is based on the stories of Mennonites from South Russia, since that is the author's heritage.

Besides historical fiction, Janice also writes long and short contemporary fiction, book reviews, blogs and non-fiction articles. Her first contemporary cozy series, The Happenstance Chronicles, currently features four books: The Road to Happenstance, Crazy About Maisie, Gossip & Grace, and Secrets & Second Chances.

Janice is the first winner of the Janette Oke Award, presented by InScribe Christian Writer’s Fellowship in 2016.

Janice writes from her farm home on the Saskatchewan prairies of Canada. She and her husband love farm life and enjoy their family of three married children and their spouses, and eleven grandchildren.

Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
27 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Chela
    5.0 out of 5 stars The journey is in God's hands.
    Reviewed in the United States on March 26, 2020
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    A page-turner, an on the edge-of-your-seat story that keeps pointing you back to God's sufficiency for the moment at hand.
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  • Fern Boldt
    5.0 out of 5 stars An amazing story!
    Reviewed in the United States on October 10, 2016
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    This story kept me captive to the end! My husband's family made a similar escape from the Ukraine in 1929, so I was familiar with their many hardships. The author, Janice Dick, made it all come alive for me with her graphic descriptions. You must read this amazing story.
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  • Elma (Martens) Schemenauer
    4.0 out of 5 stars The Russian Mennonite experience in 1926 & beyond
    Reviewed in the United States on May 16, 2016
    As a Mennonite child growing up in Saskatchewan, Canada, and attending a country Mennonite Church, I heard many stories about Mennonites' experiences in Russia. One ancestor of a local Mennonite family was thrown into a well because Communist officials considered him too wealthy. A Mennonite relative of mine was imprisoned for preaching the gospel. Another, a woman, was threatened with rape by Russian soldiers, but distracted them from their evil intentions by singing and playing her guitar.

    With stories like these lurking in my mind, I'm always interested in novels about the Russian Mennonite experience. One is The Blue Mountains of China by Rudy Wiebe. Another is The Russländer (also titled Katya) by Sandra Birdsell. Janice L. Dick's novel, Other Side of the River, stacks up well in comparison with these. In some respects, Dick's story is The Russländer on steroids.

    As the novel opens, it's 1926 in the Siberian village of Alexandrovka. The first page introduces us to the two main characters, Luise Letkemann and Daniel Martens. They're devout young Mennonites hoping to marry and live a peaceful life in their close-knit Mennonite community. Also on that first page, we meet the arch enemy of their hopes and dreams. He's Senior-Major Leonid Dubrowsky of the GPU, the dreaded Soviet secret police.

    Dubrowsky isn't fond of Mennonites. He finds them too pious, successful, and independent-minded. As the story progresses, Dubrowsky's shows himself to be especially opposed to Daniel and his father, who dare to criticize him and the totalitarian regime he represents. The day after Luise and Daniel's wedding, the bridegroom's father, Peter Martens, dies as a result of complaints against the regime. Daniel, hot-headed like his father, condemns the circumstances that led to Peter's passing. The young man is immediately shipped off to a work camp in the far north.

    Back home in Alexandrovka, his wife of two days, Luise, faces a gut-wrenching decision. Her family plan to move east, about as far east in Russia as possible. They want to settle in a Mennonite village near the Amur River, which forms the border between Russia and China in that area. Luise's parents and other Mennonites believe that the GPU would bother them less in such a remote location. Luise thinks this may be true, but agonizes over whether to accompany her family or not. What if Daniel returns to look for her in Alexandrovka? How will he know where she's gone? Will he be able to join her in the east with travel so dangerous, especially for a declared enemy of the state?

    Luise's life is further complicated by her prickly relationship with her stepmother. Anna, the stepmother, is a complex character. She treats Luise harshly because she's jealous of the young woman's rapport with her father, i.e. Anna's husband. Sometimes Anna also shows symptoms of a mind dangerously unhinged from reality. On the other hand, she seems able to foretell the future. "God tells me things," she says.

    Anna utters a prophecy about Luise and Daniel's future, but the author keeps us wondering whether and how it will be fulfilled. Their lives unfold through danger, desperation, drudgery, and moments of delight, all illuminated by the faith that burns in them, however dimly at times.

    I'm not sure Daniel would keep speaking against the regime and getting himself into deeper and deeper trouble. At the same time, I admire his courage.

    The author sometimes uses him to comment on the political system of the time. For example, at one point Daniel tells Dubrowsky: "I have a mind and ideas that could help you and your cause, but instead you try to ruin me and others like me with preposterous laws that stifle any independent spark. It is independence and individual motivation that foster success, not repression."

    The narrative includes enough touches of dialect to add flavour, but not so many that they hinder the reading. For example, at one point a woman says, "I am just pulling out from the oven some perishky" (Mennonite-style fruit or meat turnovers). On another occasion young people play knipsbraat (crokinole). Such references sound wonderfully homey to me; I grew up with them. I would love to have written a novel like Other Side of the River, but Dick beat me to it.
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  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars HEARTWRENCHING!!!
    Reviewed in the United States on May 5, 2016
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    It's hard to imagine a people living with such worry and fear and still able to keep the faith. Actually that's when faith is most needed. A beautiful story of love and faith.
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  • Kathleen Friesen
    5.0 out of 5 stars A haunting tale of faith and perseverence
    Reviewed in the United States on April 2, 2020
    The older I get, the more I appreciate history, and while The Other Side of the River is fiction, it is based on fact. Facts that drew and repulsed me, inspired and horrified. Because the story behind this story actually happened, the struggles of Luise and her beloved Daniel broke my heart even as their faith and love inspired mine. Author Janice Dick’s descriptions put me right into each scene. I felt the cold, saw the forests and plains and experienced the fear.
    My husband’s background is Mennonite, and we recently learned that some came from Russia, making this tale very personal. Well-written and haunting in its realism, The Other Side of the River earns five stars. Highly recommended.
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  • Marcia Lee Laycock
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great Historical Fiction
    Reviewed in the United States on May 17, 2016
    I was captivated by this story from the beginning. The setting seemed real, the events dramatic yet believable. The history of the struggles the Mennonite people went through came to life as the story unfolded. Well worth the time to read.
    One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Janet Sketchley
    5.0 out of 5 stars Russian Mennonite Historical Fiction
    Reviewed in Canada on May 17, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    Author Janice L. Dick immerses readers in the world of Russian Mennonites, a persecuted people wherever they try to settle in the Soviet regime of 1926.

    As the story opens, Luise is determined to remain optimistic and to see the bright side in everything, but sorrow brings change. In some ways this was a heavy book because of the people's struggles, but the way they dig deeper into faith and find the resources they need to carry on in the face of oppression is an example and an encouragement to readers today in whatever stresses we find ourselves.

    It's not a traumatic read. These are resilient people and although some break, the community bond is strong and supportive. Luise, her gentle father Abram, her acidic stepmother Anna, Luise's step-brother and step-sister, Tante Manya and Daniel are all real characters with individual struggles, weaknesses and strengths.

    Janice L. Dick is a Canadian author of Mennonite heritage. Her Storm series (Calm Before the Storm, Eye of the Storm and Out of the Storm) also traces the lives of Russian Mennonites. I hope we'll see another novel to follow Other Side of the River.
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  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars has excellent pacing (had me dreading what was up ahead more ...
    Reviewed in Canada on September 29, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    Janice L. Dick's 'Other Side of the River' is masterfully written, has excellent pacing (had me dreading what was up ahead more times than I can count), and does a good job of creating a sense of place through fine descriptive writing about an astonishingly beautiful part of the world. The book has a sound plot, made even better by learning it is based on actual fact. A huge plus for me is finding the novel to be typo-free, something unprecedented in most of the other e-books I've read. Can't wait for Dick's sequel, Far Side of the Sea.
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  • Carol Ford
    4.0 out of 5 stars This is a historic novel full of suspense and realistic outcomes.
    Reviewed in Canada on May 9, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    This is a historic novel full of suspense and realistic outcomes. It is fiction, but also informative.
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  • Peter Siemens
    5.0 out of 5 stars Historically fiction
    Reviewed in Canada on February 4, 2019
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    An excellent book, well written and hard to put down. I read it in one day because it was so interesting.
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