Three Christian Amish Fiction Stories

“The Judgment” by Beverly Lewis

            Note: This review may contain spoilers. It is the second book in a trilogy. Please be advised if you haven’t read the first book.

            Beverly Lewis continues her story of two Amish sisters in late 1985 in “The Judgment” (Apr. 5, 2011), the second book in her The Rose Trilogy. (“The Thorn” is the first book, while “The Mercy” is the third.) It is part of a Christian fiction trilogy. Lewis is a strong writer of Amish fiction.

            Rose Kauffman has a lot on her plate: too often she worries about all of the pain her mother is in, her sister’s deteriorating marriage, the care of a friend and houseguest who has a young mind, her engagement to a man she might never love and her love of a man she can never marry.

            More than she cares to admit, Rose misses her friend, Nick Franco, the foster son of their neighbor and the district’s bishop. Nick is blamed by the church membership to be the cause in the death of his brother, the bishop’s and his wife’s only biological son. Instead of defending himself or admitting to anything, he fled to Philadelphia. Those in the district have dubbed him a bad seed who was never up to much good, and it seems only Rose knows of his gentle, endearing side. Why can she see him as others cannot? And can she convince him to return home?

            Rose’s older sister, Hannah Orringer (known as Hen), continues to struggle with her failing marriage to her Englischer (non-Amish) husband, Brandon. How will she get through to Brandon? Is it even possible?

            Their mother, Emma, struggles with back pain suffered after a buggy accident a decade ago. She cannot move her legs and is wheelchair-bound. She finds comfort with their houseguest Beth Browning, a young woman with the mind of a young child. Beth has a loving heart and is very concerned and attached to Emma’s struggles. Can Beth somehow help Emma? Is there help out there for her?

            The middle novels in a trilogy are tricky ones. They are weighted with the responsibility of tying plots together from the first novel without revealing too much, yet needing to set things up for the final installment. As usual, Lewis works her writing skills to balance the novels out. Things continue on from the first book, but there is enough storyline left to wonder how things will turn out for the various characters. I, for one, am openly wondering: Will Nick return? Can Nick and Rose be together? Will Hen’s and Brandon’s marriage be saved? Is there help out there for Emma?

            When it comes to Amish inspirational fiction, Lewis is a favorite of mine. I encourage you to keep up with her books if you already read them or try them out if you’re interested in something new.

“Lydia’s Charm” by Wanda Brunstetter

            Wanda E. Brunstetter writes the Amish charm she’s known for in her fiction Christian inspiration book “Lydia’s Charm” (September 2010), set in Charm, Ohio.

            Central character Lydia King is a young widow when she moves with her son to Charm to be close to her mother and help her mom with her ill-in-health grandfather. Lydia is a very thoughtful, kind and hard-working woman/mother who wants to please her seemingly rigid mom, make her son happy and help bring in income when their financial situation is tight. The latter instance prompts her to look for a job and land one as a waitress at the pleasant-sounding Grandma’s Restaurant, which stays steadily busy from the summer into the fall during tourist season. Her move causes quite a stir between two men: one, a recent widower and another, who’s determined never to marry.

            Enter Menno Troyer, who owns the woodshop in town. A widower for six months, he is struggling with the demands of full-time work and running a household complete with four boys – ranging in age from five to twelve – of the unsurprisingly rowdy, busy, mischievous, full-of-energy-and-troublemaking sort. He is not ready to love again, but he feels almost desperately that his sons need a mother in their lives again. Will he deem Lydia to be a suitable mother figure for his sons?

            On the other end, 28-year-old Levi Stutzman has never been married and has never been a father. His family is extremely important to him and takes precedence over anything else in his life, including the thought of marriage. Rather overprotective, he thinks that his family must need him to help at the general store they own, when they really want him to have his own life and create his own family. His abundant concern stems from his being the only one in his family of regular height: the rest of his family – mother, father, two brothers and two sisters – were born with dwarfism. What will it take for him to realize that, truly, his parents and siblings can do just as much as he can, with only slight modifications? And will that realization open him up to the notion of falling in love? If so, could 26-year-old Lydia be Levi’s “the one?”

            “Lydia’s Charm” is a charming (pun intended) novel of loss, love and letting oneself be loved. Although its genre finds itself in the inspirational fiction category, it is not weighed down by its Christian nature. Surely, it is present, in its encouragement for the characters to put their trust in the Lord, especially at times of immense grief and struggle, but it is never in-your-face.

            Not having read many books by Brunstetter, I found this novel to be heartwarming and enjoyable amidst its moments of sorrow. I also enjoyed her take on an Amish perspective: their way of life along with the closeness of their families and their community.

“The Bridge of Peace” by Cindy Woodsmall

            It’s back to Amish country in Cindy Woodsmall’s “The Bridge of Peace” (Aug. 31, 2010), the second in her Ada’s House trilogy. It is a Christian fiction novel.

            Lena Kauffman is a 23-year-old Old Order Amish schoolteacher. All of her young life, she has dealt with a very noticeable birthmark on her cheek. She has dealt with whispers, stares and unkind words associated with the birthmark. She feels she has moved past the attention associated with the mark, but has she? Does she let the mark hinder how she thinks people view her outward appearance and pass judgment on who she is on the inside?

            Lena is a young woman filled with both stubbornness and undaunted kindness about and toward others. She also likes to have a bit of fun, playing pranks on family and friends. Despite her good nature, one student in her class is showing her little more than outright contempt and disrespect. Then there are the occurrences happening at school which cause the school board members to question her teaching ability, despite the fact that she is in her fifth year of teaching and has overall done a wonderful job with her students. Indeed, she would do flips if it would help her students better learn their subjects.

            One of the board members, Grey Graber, is grieving his marriage. His wife, Elsie, is totally closed to him, and he has no idea why. And unfortunately, Grey is about to grieve even more when tragedy strikes. Lena and Grey have been friends for a long time, and Grey is the best friend of Lena’s older brother, Allen. As deceptions roll in, clouding truths, Lena and Grey find their relationship in a precarious spot. They will have to face their heart-wrenching secrets. Grey tells her, “I’ll build us a bridge … in every way possible,” but can he?

            I enjoyed reading “The Bridge of Peace.” As in other novels I’ve read by authors who center their stories in an Amish setting, I could sense the closeness of community and faith that is often associated with the Amish. There is closeness everywhere in families and cultures all over, but for this review, I am noting a seeming constant in inspirational novels with central Amish characters. What I noticed in this book that I haven’t in other Amish-based novels is that Woodsmall fits in quite a bit of humor. Not that I think other Amish characters-based novels I’ve read totally lack humor, it is that Woodsmall really includes it. Or at least, it worked easily for her to include it with Lena’s joking nature and prankster ways.

            The final book in the Ada’s House trilogy, called “The Harvest of Grace,” was released on August 9, 2011. The first book is called “The Hope of Refuge.” If you have read the second book, I hope you enjoyed it. If you haven’t had a chance to read this book, I encourage you to, but start at the beginning of the trilogy.