What a beautiful book.

This story is set in the early 1600's and centres around Jana, a poor Dutch girl fighting to make a living in Amsterdam. She works as a servant in wealthy Dutch houses to survive, and in one of these houses she meets Sontje. While their relationship starts off rocky, with Jana working for spoiled, rich Sontje, they quickly learn to rely on each other. When Sontje's father dies, Jana is out of work, and Sontje is being shipped off by the East India Trading Company as a Company Daughter, orphaned women sent to Dutch colonies in Bavaria to become wives to the Dutch settlers. Jana makes the decision to journey to the settlement with Sontje, and what awaits them both is like nothing they ever dreamed of. Jana and Sontje quickly learn to be independent, trust their instincts, and be true to one another.

This was such a beautiful story of one woman overcoming her struggles to become everything she could ever dream of. Jana is such a strong character to read about, and you're constantly cheering her on. She ends up finding love, a family, and an independence she only dreamed of while living in Amsterdam. The ending wasn't entirely what I was hoping for, but it was still beautiful nonetheless.

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