An Amish Year by Beth Wiseman is a collection of 4 novellas which each can stand alone. The first is Rooted in Love which I had never read before but is also written in An Amish Garden . In this story Rosemary is very much in love with Saul though she doesn't want to be. Saul has always been loving and kind to her and until she was 16 she had always planned to marry him and he had the same plan. Rosemary just shortly after her mother died had broken it off and she absolutely refused to tell anyone the reason why even to her friend and confidant Esther. Saul doesn't know why either but he has steadily kept trying to win her over time after time and year after year. Rosemary is doing fine keeping up the housework after her mother's passing except for the garden. When her dad hires Saul to plow and seed the garden however the two of them find themselves being drawn to one another.
Next in the book in the novella, A Love for Irma Rose. In this story Irma Rose has a plan for her life. She will marry the right man, who just happens to be Jake Ebersol. Jake is wise and knew the Ordnung and had memorized much scripture. Jake was what any Amish girl would want in a man and husband and Jake had finally asked her to go to the singing next Sunday and Irma Rose had quickly said yes. When Irma Rose glanced up there was Jonas smiling that smile at her that was so unsettling and there was that sweat in the palms of her hands. Jonas was wild and reckless. Jonas smoked cigars. But when she thought about Jonas her stomach had that uncomfortable tingling. Irma Rose went to the singing with Jake and he kissed her as she had hoped---but nothing--no excitement. Was that it? As luck would have it right after buying flour a storm came up and when Jonas offered her a ride home she had to take him up on it. Irma Rose was afraid of storms and when the tree fell right in front of them on the road she was terrified. Jonas was comforting her but when she looked at him she felt better but still that funny feeling in her stomach and she felt lightheaded. She almost kissed him but then they pulled away and he laughed and said, " I almost kissed you and someday I am going to marry you". She went into the house but she was thinking about both of them, Jonas and Jake. Both of them were so different. Who would it be?
In Patchwork Perfect, Eli had been widowed for several years now and it was time to start thinking about a new wife and mother for his two children. In the beginning he couldn't have even thought that he would ever get over the grief but now he had moved to a new community just for the purpose of finding a new wife. Grace, his daughter had hated the idea but now she had caught the eye of Wayne who was from a good family. Grace still missed her old girlfriends but it was nice being noticed by Wayne even if he did want to take liberties Grace was not ready for. Will Eli find a new wife? and more importantly one that he loves and loves his children? Will Grace take it slow? Will Grace figure out what love is and how important friends are both girls as well as boys?
When Christmas Comes Again is the final story of the book. Katherine Zook had lost her husband, Elias, 6 months ago and now she was being followed by that long haired older man with the limp. He had really never done anything to her but he seemed to be everywhere that she was. There was something oddly familiar about him too. He had been around so much that she knew that he drove an old blue car. Then there was the day that her daughter Linda ran into the house with a gift wrapped box that she said a man had dropped by the house. When she opened it there was in the box pictures of Elias and a few of her and the children. As she looked through them she found a note telling her that he hoped that they brought her happiness and would she meet him on Tuesday at the coffee shop and was signed by James Zook. Now she knew why the odd elderly man seemed familiar--Elias' father. James had left the family years before and no one really knew why. What should she do?
This grouping of novellas are very well written and great to read. You can just read one and lay the book down for another day as they are not a series and sometimes that is nice. If you have a whole day to yourself you could read them all back to back. You will enjoy this book if you enjoy reading Amish fiction. This book would be appropriate reading for any age girl or woman.
I received this book from BookLook for this review.
