Kindle Edition Amazon ALLSION KOHN WRITER Category:  Historical Fiction Publisher: Allison Kohn ISBN-10:  9781478362241 Pages: 297 Copyright: 2012 The first of the Baker family saga books, the family leaves opulent living in Maryland for the Willamette Valley on the west coast. This is christian literature.  Evelyn met the anxious bench at one of the religious meetings she was forced to go to in her teen years. She was not impressed. The whole thing was a crude and unnecessary show of emotions, totally "not done" by her social group. She was relieved to never have to meet the odious thing again. Evelyn grew into a "good woman", married with two children and a marvelous husband who decided thaty would go along with her father's insane idea of giving up everything she held dead - home and social standing, to name just a few - and go blaze a trail to Oregon, a disputed territary on the west coaswt of the great American continent. Being a good woman demanded that Evelyn follow the father and husband's leading with as good grace as she could muster, but on the trail she loses more than material things. The anxious bench has a reason for being. Anxiety is supposed to be released there, on one's knees. Evelyn doesn't do that sort of thing, but she finds that when her world falls apart, she gets very anxious and needs someone to help. she gets a little testy when the young preacher in the wagon train suggests where she can find that help. The trail to Oregon is full of fearful natur and hard work. Evelyn doesn't like nature and any work at all never entered her calculations of what life for a baker woman entailed.  As you read this book, you will see that finding a place to put her anxieties also helps Evelyn change her mind about nature and hard work. Excerpt Chapter XI The numbness wore off in time and Evelyn was surprised to find that she missed Lawrence less instead of more. And when she missed him, it was for him and not for what he could be doing for her if he were there. She didn't try to analyze it but she felt good about being herself. She no longer missed her maid or her children's nanny. She began to wonder if leaving her home was as bad as she had originally thought. The alkaline swamps and the puddles made life very unpleasant. Evelyn despised the steaming marshes and rotten holes of semi fluid that shook and smelled. The hateful crickets were a torment. But instead of these things frightening or depressing her, they gave her a feeling of pride and acknowledgment. They weren't winning the battle, she was. She had a bubble of joy in her that sang out almost audibly, "Look at me. I can do it." And a little voice inside of her whispered, "And God made you that way." And just behind her she heard Daryl O'Riley singing, "God moves in a mysterious way, His wonders to perform; He plants his footsteps in the sea, and rides upon the storm. His purposes will ripen fast, unfolding every hour: The bud may have a bitter taste, but sweet will be the flower." (William Cowper, public domain) Those words sank into Evelyn's heart, soothed it, and gave her joy. She was beginning to see the One who was responsible for all that had been happening to her had a deeper reason than just a sense of humor. She felt a warmth creep into her soul. It was a feeling akin to the emotion that overcame her when she first realized that Lawrence loved her. Did God - surely he was the one in control - did he care about her? Did he perhaps love her? What a wonderful idea! Evelyn had stopped teaching the children soon after Lawrence left. She couldn't seem to get herself organized well enough at first, and then after she knew she would never see her husband again, she really didn't care for a long time whether the children got their lessons or not. So she was quite relieved when Daryl offered to take over for her. She noticed that God was mentioned a lot in all the lessons. Sometimes she listened while she was rocking the little ones. He very often read them something from the Bible that would explain something that he was teaching them about history or science. Evelyn gained a lot of respect for the Bible during those lessons. He even told them about how the story of the Gospel is written in the stars when he was teaching a lesson about the natural sciences that included astrology. He also said that wise men today seek Jesus in the Bible, and that the book of books is the best place to find out about the world because the God of the bible created the world. Evelyn wondered why she had not ever thought of that before. He said, "The study of science includes the methods used by man to discover God's order - it is the method by which man can best see God written in his mighty works." Why, one can see God's work in everything. What a unique idea! The train passed the Poison springs area, went over a ridge, and came to willow springs where they would be stopped until Monday. Evelyn was glad to have some relief from the trail. She looked around her with pleasure. It was a perfect oasis in a tiny grove. She took a deep drink of the water and gave some to the little ones. Then she hugged them to her and looked around her again, soaking in the beauty and peace. Her fatigue was replaced with joy. The only thing that marred her pleasure was the fact that she couldn't share it with Lawrence. Then she remembered what Reverend O’Riley said, "He also knows that you need him," and she wondered if God perhaps wanted her to share her joy with him. Julie was trying, rather unsuccessfully, to get her eight month old baby, Wayne, to drink water from the clumsy ladle. She sighed. "Whatever possessed me not to bring nanny and my maid," she said dropping to the ground in defeat. "I want to be pampered again." She let her baby crawl off at his will. Her hands fell into her lap and she let in shoulders sag and her head droop. "I don't want to be like the women who can bake and wash and then help to harness up and still have energy to spare," she said. "How do you manage, Evelyn? I want to soak in a tub of water and have my hair styled by a capable maid who will help me into a silk gown and just the right jewels to match. What am I doing in the awful place anyway?" Evelyn remembered feeling just that way not so long ago and wondered when and why she had changed her mind. She smiled at her sister and gave her a hug, but she didn't try to answer her. It was strange just how much everything had changed for all of them in such a short time.

Evelyn's Anxious Bench
5.0 out of 5 stars Evelyn's Anxious Bench, August 7, 2013
By Amazon Customer
Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Evelyn's Anxious Bench (The Baker Family Saga Book 1) (Kindle Edition)
Evelyn's Anxious Bench. This is the first in a series. When it was suggested that I read this book I had no idea what it was about. What the heck is an Anxious Bench, I wondered... Well it just goes to show one shouldn't worry to much about the title. It is what's in the pot that makes the soup so good that counts. Evelyn's Anxious Bench is a real good soup that I'm sure anyone who likes adventure is sure to enjoy. I give Allison Kohn's "Evelyn's Anxious Bench," a 5 star rating for putting such a worth while read together. If one pays attention to the lessons it presents, it is a story that when read can make your life a better place to be.

My faith stresses that we should always seek the good. It doesn't matter from where the good comes from, just so that it is of good rapport and pleasing unto God's eyes. This book must certainly be a creation that our Father in Heaven is pleased with.

As you travel the pages of the story you can literally feel the transformation of the folks as they go from a life of dependent luxury and of little self worth to people with strength, personal pride and integrity. It is of people who knew and cared little about God. As they journey from comfort in the east to build a new town in the west in the 1800's you experience their hardships, lost loved ones, pain and suffering. You will also become a member of the family and wagon train and share in their family love and happy and exciting experiences. Their discovery of God and the records his prophets left to help them live by is an exciting part of the book.

As they travel Bear River I could smell the air, hear the roar of rapids and I longed to be there for I have traveled, fished and hunted that land. Thanks for taking me there once again.

Highly recommend this read. Gene Covington


A Moving Volume of Trek and Trial
Every year we go to the Montana, and every year it becomes more obvious that Montana vacations are a metaphor for the human dilemma. For while in their spirit the modern person seeks to realize the challenge of their inner being, in real life one finds himself or herself mounting horses in quest for adventure, fulfillment, and an escape from daily pressures.

Moderns seek the transcended grandeur of a Western vacation, but many of us are trapped in the confines of office or market -- filled with modern high-tech gadgetry and high-rise limits. Thus, we seek to go on a dude ranch hayride among brisky pines and timberline stillness, but in our everyday life, the present world is arranged such that we find ourselves in a discordantly brash and nerve-racking grind.

Not that there is anything wrong with cell phones and tall buildings. It's only that we need an escape once in a while. Simpler times, with all its trials and challenges, are captured by Allison Kohn in "Evelyn's Anxious Bench." The first book in Kohn's family saga is about a young lady in Maryland named Evelyn. She loathes the idea of leaving Maryland to trek the trail to Oregon. However, they go and she loses much, but in the process gains more. Hardship, loneliness, and trial arrive, so Evelyn struggles on. Life is difficult, filled with trouble and lonesomeness, but others come to comfort and assist. Her great angst and trials weigh her down, but she rediscovers the anxious bench as she learns to surrender it all to God. The anxious bench was a way for her to let go of worry and fret--to know that the Lord is in control (also see Day By Day (The Backer Family Saga)).

So yes, people seek peace and we seek something more. And so I repeat: No one should be content with a life of stress and apprehension; a Western vacation may bring some relief, but this book will not only briefly simulate such a retreat, but it will help the reader discover the true path to peace and contentment: trusting the Lord. Within these pages, you will take great delight as you get immersed amid faith, hope, and love. I do not read much fiction, but this volume really kept me engrossed even as I was anxiously anticipating the next scene. I highly recommend this moving volume.

Great Historical christian Novel
In "Evelyn's Anxious Bench" Jonathan Baker takes his extended family on an arduous journey from Maryland through the Oregon Trail to the Willamette Valley during the early 19th century. In essence, this fictional novel is the story of Evelyn Baker-Brook and the challenges she and her family faced as they plodded along on in an effort to fulfill the dream of starting a settlement in a new and unknown world. Having grown up in the lap of luxury...with a beautiful home and servants to meet their every need...Evelyn finds herself in a strange and unfamiliar environment.

After several days of travelling, they finally meet up with the intended wagon train so that they can travel in tandem to their much sought after destination. While on route, they are robbed by some thieves disguised as fellow travellers who add to their stress and anxiety. Lawrence, Evelyn's husband, decides to go after the thieves and leaves Evelyn alone. She is forced to continue with the rest of the wagon train and hopes to hook up with Lawrence somewhere along the path. She is has no idea how to drive this clumsy oxen-driven wagon and finds herself in dire straits when she attempts to cross a river with her cumbersome load. With the help of Preacher O'Riley, who manages to adeptly navigate Evelyn's wagon, children, and all her worldly possessions to the other side, she continues on her way.

Evelyn soon discovers that she faces many unexpected and perilous challenges. Although this is a fictional novel, Author Allison Kohn does a great job of combining both fact and fiction to describe the extreme conditions of that era. "Evelyn's Anxious Bench" is an easy-to-read, Christian novel which is sure to attract a wide reading audience.