Tag: Amish

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Her Only Wish, by Shelley Shepard Gray, 2023, Revell (Baker Publishing Group)

Her Only Wish
Her Only Wish

Her Only Wish is a slightly confusing title to me, as Betsy actually has a list of wishes–her ‘Life List‘. Not to mention she wishes to experience the things on her Life List during one summer month while she is visiting a friend in Pinecraft, Florida.

Betsy’s health condition (asthma) has held her back until now. Her parents have sheltered her and prevented her from doing normal childhood activities like riding a bike and swimming. While she’s away from her parents for this month, she seizes the opportunity to experience this list of things she’s always wanted to do.

She starts by enrolling in golf lessons, where she meets August Troyer. August has also been emerging from controlling parents. He wrestles with life decisions. Should he become a missionary, following in the footsteps of his parents, or continue to manage the golf course for his aunt and uncle? To tell you the result would be a spoiler, but I can say that, like August, missions was a ‘calling’ that I also struggled with in my younger years. This story would have been helpful to me back then.

The story also features two sisters who offer swimming lessons to Betsy. Betsy and her Life List are an inspiration to them and to everyone she meets.

This is the second in the series, ‘A Season in Pinecraft‘. I haven’t read the first book, ‘Her Heart’s Desire‘. Her Only Wish stood alone fine without it. There is enough backstory for me to know that in the first book Betsy met the friend she’s staying with.

Her Only Wish is a sweet story, paced a bit on the slow side. As an older reader I like that, but it seemed to take me a long time to finish. Perhaps because I had distractions this month with company from out of town.

To learn more about the author and her other books, go to shelleyshepardgray.com.

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The Forgiving Jar, by Wanda E. Brunstetter, 2019, Shiloh Run Press (Barbour Publishing Inc.)

The Prayer Jars, Book Two
The Forgiving Jar

The Forgiving Jar is a novel about a young woman whose mother has recently passed away. In her mother’s Bible, she finds a note about her mother’s parents, who she never knew. She learns that they are Amish, and she goes to meet them and live with them for a period of time.

The main character, Sara, is not a Christian at the outset of the novel. She cannot find it in her heart to forgive. But she finds a jar full of thoughts and verses on little slips of paper. Intrigued by these notes, she reads a few when she finds herself in need of encouragement. Some of the notes are about forgiving. Why is forgiving so important anyway?

The Forgiving Jar is second in a series, but I read it as a standalone and didn’t need to read the first book to understand the story. I enjoyed it very much, and will read more of Wanda Brunstetter’s books. I learned some things about the Amish community and their gentle ways, and the Strasburg area in Pennsylvania where the novel is set. The book makes me want to visit the area–maybe sometime for a holiday.

The characters in the novel are all likeable. Some are Amish and some are not. We see how they interact with each other. Sara meets a young man who is studying to become a pastor. She isn’t a Christian, but he is so nice. Will their relationship be able to grow? You’ll have to read it yourself to find out.

To learn more about the author, visit www.wandabrunstetter.com.

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A Simple Christmas Wish, by Melody Carlson, 2013, Revell (Baker Publishing Group)

Rachel is a city gal, a flight attendant who has traveled the world, and the aunt of a sweet little girl who she is caring for while her brother and his wife are away celebrating their tenth anniversary. Christmas is coming and the two of them have their own fun in their own way while Holly’s parents are away, putting up a Christmas tree that Rachel knows Holly’s mother would not have chosen. Suddenly there is a phone call with shocking news. A plane has gone down and Holly’s parents have not survived. In that instant their lives are changed forever. But just as Rachel begins to wrap her mind around being Holly’s permanent caregiver, which she is actually truly enjoying, she receives another call informing her that there is another aunt on the mother’s side of the family who is to have custody. Neither Rachel nor Holly have ever met this aunt or any of the other relatives of Holly’s mother, who live in an Amish community. What should Rachel do? She seems to have no choice in the matter. She decides to take Holly there herself and meet the people who Holly is supposed to live with. This book is a nice light read and an interesting way to learn about the Amish way of life from the viewpoints of these two main characters who knew nothing about it before being plunged into Holly’s new family.  In some ways they find it quite likeable, this tightly-knit family farming community. But will Holly really have to stay here permanently, away from everything and everyone she has known up till now?  And what about Rachel?  Holly is her only family and at 35 years old she fears she may never have children of her own. There is an element of mystery as to what made Holly’s mother leave the community to begin with and an element of romance when Rachel meets Holly’s uncle.  A range of emotions are experienced with all the changes being encountered.  How does each character handle their new relationships?  What is attributed to the Amish protocol and what is due to personality traits of the people in Holly’s new family?  You’ll have to read it yourself to find out. www.revellbooks.com