No Strange Fire

By Ted Wojtasik

Book Overview

Six Amish barns burn to the ground one night in the Big Valley of central Pennsylvania. Jacob Hostetler, a young Amish man who left home months ago, is the prime suspect. But Jacob is missing. What... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0836190416
• ISBN13: 9780836190410
• Release Date: October 1996
• Publisher: Herald Pr
• Length: 400 Pages
• Weight: 1.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 1.0" x 6.0"

Customer Reviews

A Page-Turner that happens to have Amish Characters

I won't deny that the list of noted Amish and Mennonite reviewers listed on the back cover did give me pause when I first picked up this novel, but after the Chapter 1, I was hooked. Wojtasik's elaborate, post-modern rendering of an Amish youth venturing out into the "englische world," exploring his identity, values, and faith, captivated my imagination. I found his use of a young Amish boy to carry what is clearly a traditional American tale as masterful. Rather than turning to what have become the stock characters of the "other" in the final decades of the twentieth century, Wojtasik turns to a well established community of the past, if you will, to reinvent and retell the American mythical experience or journey. The motifs suggesting Dante, Scripture, and a host of American literary texts (such Melville's _Moby Dick_ or Poe's _Arthur Gordon Pym_) aid the author in creating a multi-leveled tapestry, forcing the reader to experience this simple tale in a most sophisticated manner. And beneath all of this is the tale of the American--Irving's "Rip Van Winkle" or Potok's Danny of _The Chosen_--trying desperately to break the chains of the past, reinvent himself, and find his own personal paradise. What is perhaps the most fulfilling part of this text is the fact that unlike so many American protagonists, Jacob finds redemption, learns to balance both his individual desires (his suggested future friendship with Paul V.) and is able to return home. Finally I would argue that although this novel can be instructive in elucidating the ways of the Amish, it is mainly an excellent read that happens to have characters from the Amish community.

NO STRANGE FIRE is an incredible novel.

Mr. Wojtasik has managed to create an incredibly evocative work interweaving biblical narrative, Dante's INFERNO, and literary allusions as well as present the Amish culture all within the framework of a mystery novel--that is the true achievement. NO STRANGE FIRE is an accomplished and powerful first work of fiction. Everyone should buy it and read it. This is money NOT WASTED.

An excellent portrayal of Amish life.

A fine blend of the inside world of the Amish and an interesting mystery. Well written and I am looking forward to more books by Mr. Wojtasik.

Ehtnographic novel about the Amish barn fires in Big Valley

This books is an excellent ehtnography of Amish living in Big Valley, Pa. It is a story about the Amish barn fires with vivid descriptions and believable characterization. The author tells the story like a true "mystery". Having been to one of the bed and breakfasts up the road from much of the story line it was even more interesting to me. There are specific descriptions of Amish life interweaved with true mystery storytelling. If this novel were advertised and made commerical it would be a best seller.