Change and Cherish

by Jane Kirkpatrick 3 books in this series

The Change and Cherish trilogy reconstructs the life of Emma Wagner Giesy, a German-American woman whose outspoken independence repeatedly collides with Wilhelm Keil’s communal authority. The story moves from Bethel, Missouri, to Willapa Bay and the Aurora Colony as Emma and her family seek both material security and spiritual purpose.

Across the three novels, communal Christianity is neither romanticised nor dismissed. Emma’s grief, ambition and resistance force her to distinguish personal freedom from isolation, while service, artistry and renewed relationships gradually show how faith and community can mend damage without erasing individuality.

Reading order

Books in this series (3 books)

1. A Clearing in the Wild

Jane Kirkpatrick

3.9(1,530)

In the Bethel Colony of 1850s Missouri, Emma Wagner Giesy resents the obedience expected of women and openly challenges the growing authority of communal leader Wilhelm Keil. When her husband Christian is sent west to find a new settlement, Emma sees the journey as a chance…

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2. A Tendering in the Storm

Jane Kirkpatrick

4.1(841)

Emma Giesy is left pregnant and alone in the forests of Washington Territory, responsible for children and property while grief strips away the confidence that once sustained her. Determined not to submit again to communal control, she makes choices that expose her family to unstable relationships…

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3. A Mending at the Edge

Jane Kirkpatrick

4.1(654)

Emma Giesy enters Oregon’s Aurora Colony as a mother, estranged wife and woman still uncertain whether a communal life can hold space for her gifts. Personal grief and old conflicts follow her, yet work among other marginal members of the settlement offers a route back towards…

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