Amish Celebrations: Four Novellas by Beth Wiseman
Published by Zondervan on July 10, 2018
Genres: Amish & Mennonite, Christian, Literature & Fiction
Pages: 440
Format: ARC, Paperback
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The Gift of Sisters
Hannah and Rachel are fraternal twins approaching their sixteenth birthday—a time when they will be allowed to spread their wings and enjoy their rumschpringe. The sisters couldn’t be more different: Hannah is outgoing and beautiful, while Rachel is shy and withdrawn. And when newcomer Abraham Stoltzfus arrives in Lancaster County, both women fall head over heels for him, each fighting for his affections in their own ways and driving the sisters to turn on each other. Who will Abraham choose? And will Hannah and Rachel reunite after a devastating heartbreak?
A New Beginning
Rebecca and Noah are in love and about to be baptized. But when Noah decides to enjoy one last night of his rumschpringe a few weeks before the ceremony, he does something that causes Rebecca to reconsider his proposal. As Rebecca and Noah navigate the turn in their relationship, Rebecca must learn to forgive Noah or abandon her dreams of marrying him. If Noah won’t forgive himself in time for the baptism, his guilt could cause him to run from his love for Rebecca and leave his community behind.
A Perfect Plan
(previously published in An Amish Wedding)Priscilla King has been planning to marry Chester Lapp since she was sixteen years old, and when Chester pops the question on Priscilla’s nineteenth birthday, wedding plans begin immediately. But everything begins to fall apart as Chester works to build a house for his new bride, only to have one disaster after another occur. Can true love take this couple through the challenges that threaten their union, or will they begin to doubt that they are on the right path, the one God has chosen for them?
A Christmas Miracle
Mary is twenty-seven years old and already has five young children. Married to her husband at age eighteen, she wasn’t quite prepared for motherhood, and exhaustion and frustration are sending her into a downhill spiral as the holidays approach. Too proud and ashamed to ask for help, Mary’s situation begins to take a toll on her marriage. But when an elderly man in a red suit and his sidekick elf befriend Mary, showering her with wisdom and advice, she must choose to accept help, learn to cope with her situation, and ultimately find the true meaning of Christmas.
Thanks to my relationship with The Fiction Guild’s Elite Reader Program, my mother and I have been lucky enough to be a part of reading and reviewing so many of Beth Wiseman’s books! Today’s post is about her latest book, Amish Celebrations: Four Novellas. Gloria (my mom) was originally planning to read and review this book for us, but because she hasn’t healed enough from eye surgery and can’t read yet, I was assigned the book:
What I loved most about this collection of stories is that they are all written by one author. It makes the writing seamless from story to story. I liked that each story was written around a particular time of celebration – birthday, baptism, wedding and Christmas.
* In The Gift of Sisters, twins Hannah and Rachel both fall for a new guy in town, which makes for conflict between them. The story is great and I loved how Ms. Wiseman shows how lies can cause a friend or family member to question a person’s reputation. She took a subject that all young women face and handled it with grace.
* In A New Beginning, you could tell right from the start that Noah was going to cause problems. When Noah experiences a bit of the English world, it causes him to forget about his fiance’ Rebecca, and soon afterward the trouble follows. Ms. Wiseman shares how Noah struggles with his faith, as well as guilt, forgiveness and temptation. I loved the ending of this story and I also loved the very relatable characters.
** In A Perfect Plan (also published in An Amish Wedding), Ms. Wiseman introduces us to Priscilla and Chester, a young couple about to be married. When things start to go wrong and they begin to face obstacles that had nothing to do with their love for each other, they both question if they are doing the right thing. Ms. Wiseman shows how we need to see that God’s plan for us is bigger than our own and that we need to know that love will always endure.
* In A Christmas Miracle, Beth introduces us to Mary and Gabriel, who are a young couple with five small children finding it hard to cope with life’s challenges. They are doing the best they can but sometimes it’s just too much for them. Mary feels like she just can’t keep up and starts to doubt herself. I really loved how the Englisch couple, Bruce and Joan, came into Mary’s life. To be honest, it’s almost too hard to decide which couple made the most impact on the other, but I know they were all very blessed. The moral of this story is that it is okay to ask for help and to that help when it offered regardless of who is offering the help. This last novella doesn’t show the Amish lifestyle superficially attractive way, but instead, it shows the strain of living under the rules of the Old Order.
Amish Celebrations is a sweet celebration of stories. Each of the stories has its own unique twist and each one focuses on some kind of celebration. The stories are perfect for this time of year and the holiday season.
Beth Wiseman is the best-selling author of the Daughters of the Promise series and the Land of Canaan series. Having sold almost two million books, her novels have held spots on the Publisher’s Weekly Bestseller List, the ECPA (Evangelical Christian Publishers Association) Bestseller List and the CBA (Christian Book Association) Bestseller List.
Ms. Wiseman was the recipient of the prestigious Carol Award in 2011 and 2013. She is a three-time winner of the Inspirational Readers Choice Award, and an INSPY Award winner. In 2013 she took home the coveted Holt Medallion. Her first book in the Land of Canaan series—Seek Me With All Your Heart—was selected as the 2011 Women of Faith Book of the Year. Beth and her husband are empty nesters enjoying country life in Texas.
Connect with Ms. Wiseman on social media ~~
WEBSITE // FACEBOOK // TWITTER // INSTAGRAM // GOODREADS // AMAZON
I received a paperback copy of this book without cost from the publisher through The Fiction Guild, a Thomas Nelson/Zondervan Elite Reader book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
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