Haunting for Time

Jonna L. Miller
PublishAmerica (2006)
ISBN 142411148X
Reviewed by Ellen Hogan for Reader Views (7/06)

This book starts off in 1863 with the story of Melody Bliss and Jonathan Peterson. It's during the time of the Civil War and Melody lives in Pennsylvania. Johnny is fighting for the south and they meet while Johnny is scouting for a place for the wounded. Melody tells him that they can use her barn. Johnny accepts and during the next couple of days they fall in love and decide to get married when the war is over. Melody doesn't want to wait so they have a ceremony, just the two of them before God. The next day Johnny goes out to battle and is shot in the head and killed. Melody is overcome with grief and then finds out that she is expecting Johnny's child. A couple of years later Melody passes away from grief.

In current time Harmony Shelton has been hired by a TV station in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. She moves away from her family to start a new life. One weekend she
decides to go to an auction and meets Esther and Jedediah Beiler an Amish couple. Harmony is going to bid on an old ringer washing machine until Esther says that she is going to bid as well. Esther gets the washer and Harmony helps Jedediah get it in there truck. After that a fast friendship is formed. Each weekend Harmony visits the Beilers and brings luxuries like ice, ice cream and watermelon. She also introduces them and their children to lasagna and pizza. One weekend they tell Harmony about a house that is for sale. They decide to go and look at it, sure enough the sign is still there and the agent looking out for the place accepts Harmony's offer. The house just happens to be in Gettysburg and the site of Pickett's last charge.

Jedediah and his father were woodworker's and told Harmony that they would restore the house to it's old splendor. Meanwhile Harmony went to antique stores and the malls and bought furnishings and linens. When the house was finished Harmony's parents came to visit for the re-enactment of the battle. After they arrive Harmony's father tells her that he is dying and won't be around for the holidays. She decides to make this the best vacation that her father ever had.

One morning she wakes up and all her clothes are gone and in their place are clothes from the 1860's. Her father is thrilled that she is getting into the spirit of the battle and her mother says that they should all wear period clothes.  Sure enough the next morning all their clothes are gone and in their places are the same kind of clothes as Harmony's.

Harmony, her father and brother ride out to the actual battle site to watch the re-enactment. There they meet Jonathon Peterson, the great-great-great-grandson of
Johnny. Harmony's father invites him to the house and then he tells the story of his ancestors. When Harmony wakes up the next morning she and Jon are transported back in time to Melody and Johnny's time. They tell them that they are to change history so Melody and Johnny have a future together. Each of them thinks that they are dreaming when this happens. So, the next day Harmony and her dad ride out to again watch the action. Her father says that he is going back to the house but Harmony should stay.  Her father was a seer and saw that Harmony's future depended on her being there.

After the battle started Jon rode over to Harmony and told her to go home. He said that something was wrong and there were real bullets flying out there, it was not a performance. She said no that she would stay with him. While she is watching Jon is
stabbed. She takes him back to the house and they are in the past again. She nurses him back to health and since he was playing the part of Johnny he was not shot in the head and therefore lived. Melody and Johnny were so happy they could now live their lives together. In order for Harmony and Johnny to return to their time they had to realize that they were in love with each other.

They do travel back and forth in time during the next 50 or so years. Harmony Peterson wrote "I used to fight with time, now I savor it. All I can hope is that others can learn through Jon and I and our story that nothing else matters in life but giving and receiving true love."

Of course there is much more to the story than what is written here.  It is well worth reading and will be hard to put down. The characters are so real that by the end of the book they seem like old friends.  I would very highly recommend this book.

Love is the true meaning of life.

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