Rachel's Promise (The Rachel Trilogy (2))

This is the second book in Shelly Sander's "Rachel Trilogy". As the characters come of age, this book tells the story about what their lives were like after the Russian pogroms and the struggles and challenges they faced as they attempted to rebuilt their lives in another country. The story is well told and emotionally gripping. I would definitely recommend reading Rachel's Secret before reading Rachel's Promise so you can fully appreciate each character's story. This book is appropriate for readers in grade 6 through adult.

This book is the second book of the trilogy. I loved Rachel's Secret and couldn't wait to read Rachel's Promise which I alsoloved and now I am ready to read Rachel's Hope.

Kept my interst. Couldn't put the book down . Ready for the next book!

As Rachel's journey to China is reached, she faces the challenges of trying to earn a living that will take her to America while trying to care for her family and trying to keep up with her dreams. Meanwhile, Sergei is learning how harsh factory life is with unfair wages and dangerous conditions until he decides to take a stand.I thought this book was fascinating. I enjoy reading about Jewish history and this book covers a part that isn't often thought of. Rachel is a character that you can easily relate to. She's trying to follow her dreams while having the worry of family and making a living balancing her out. It was also just as interesting learning about factory work in Russia from Sergei's account. Looking forward to reading the next book!

The historical backdrop of the novel opens the world of the early 1900s to young readers, however the characters are not well-defined and developed. This made the story difficult to envision in the opening chapters. Once historical events became significant, they carried the story through to the end.I did not yet read the first book in this series but enjoyed the setting of Rachel's Promise enough to buy the first section of the story with hopes that it provides the character development missing in this second section of the story.