• News & Information
• A Shop's Choice of Ten Titles
• Our Latest Reviews

 Christian Fiction: Amish/Mennonite

Abigail’s New Hope - The Wayne County series Book 1 by Mary Ellis I love most Amish stories as followers of this site will have noticed, but this one is among the very best. Abigail is a young Mum who also serves as an Amish midwife. With no formal training she can only assist at births attended by a state registered midwife or a Doctor. When she is called by a husband of whom she has no prior knowledge to the bedside of his wife who is far gone in labour, what is she to do? The local midwife has retired and not been replaced despite attempts to do so, the Doctor has been called to a serious accident needing everyone available, Abigail despite calling the paramedics is on her own. She delivers the baby and tries to help the Mother but in doing so oversteps what is permissible according to the law. The baby survives, the Mother dies despite the best efforts of the paramedics who are on the scene soon after, and Abigail has to face the consequences of her actions. From this point other strands to the story are woven in. The story of Nathan the young widower now with a baby to care for and of Catherine, Abigail’s sister who comes to the Graber home to keep house in Abigail’s absence and who develops feelings for Isaiah, the recluse cousin who helps on the farm. I enjoyed every moment of this story and read far into the night to reach the end and was delighted to find the promise of more to come about these engaging characters. Review by Mary Bartholomew  (24/01/12)

A Wedding Quilt for Ella - Little Valley Series Book One by Jerry S Eicher A story of a lost love. Ella is preparing for her wedding day when the terrible news arrives that her husband to be, Aden, has died suddenly of a neglected burst appendix. So easy to be wise after the event, of course he should have gone to a doctor but he had no idea it was anything more that a strain, he was a builder, and then it was too late. Daniel who worked with his brother and has the care of the money Aden had saved to build a house for Ella and himself has a surprising suggestion that even more surprisingly her parents and the Bishop of their District agree to. Alongside this story, we meet Ella’s family: the young sister who is just becoming aware of boys, the older one who often looks on the dark side of life and the brothers who have their own stories. My appetite is well whetted for the next in the series Ella’s Wish Review by Mary Bartholomew  (02/12/11)

The Amish Nanny - The Women of Lancaster County: Book Two by Mindy Starns Clark & Leslie Gould I took this novel on holiday with me, thinking to read it in an evening or two. It kept me reading three or four, it has a lot to say, and I learnt a lot of history while engrossed in the story of Ada Rupp who we first met in The Amish Midwife (equally good). Ada is in love with widower Will Gundy, but Will seems to be courting Leah. Ada is set to become a teacher at a nearby Amish school, when away at her sister’s wedding, she hears that Leah has been given ‘her’ job. Not a happy state of affairs, so when she is asked to represent her family in Switzerland where her Mother lives, she realises that God has other plans for her, and accepts willingly. The journey is necessary to resolve a question of land ownership and an agreement, long lost, between Ada’s and Will’s ancestors and a question of saving for posterity an historical Anabaptist site or a hydro-electric plant being built there, desecrating the area for ever. The fictional story is gripping, but it weaves around historical sites and happenings of which I knew nothing. Totally absorbing. Review by Mary Bartholomew  (28/10/11)

Falling to Pieces - A Shipshewana Amish Mystery by Vannetta Chapman This is the first Amish novel I’ve read, and I’m clearly rather late to the party as there seems to be a vast amount being published these days. Falling to Pieces was marketed as an Amish mystery but in some ways both the Amish aspect, and the mystery aspect, were secondary to the story of Texan Callie Harper finding herself anew after making friends with Deborah, an Amish woman. Callie is Englisch (not Amish) and arrives at Shipshewana, where both Amish and Englisch live, to pack up and sell her deceased aunt’s Quilting shop. She meets Deborah, an Amish woman, and finds herself drawn into life in Shipshewana, making friends and meeting a variety of people, both Amish and Englisch. The mystery aspect of the story was perhaps a little simplistic (the ‘baddie’ seemed a bit cardboard-cut-out), and there were some slight loose ends about Callie’s personal circumstances when the story finished, but the development of Callie through her friendship was well handled. We meet other Amish characters and learn about their life and this made the book more enjoyable. Overall I was pleasantly surprised, especially as the Christian aspect of the story was natural and believable, not preachy and forced. I enjoyed this, my first Amish novel, and look forward to reading another from Vannetta Chapman. Review by Helen Hancox  (27/10/11)

The Wonder of Your Love - A Land of Canaan Novel by Beth Wiseman Katie Ann has a baby boy, Jonas, her husband’s child, yet her husband left her for a woman outside their community. Now this ‘other woman’ wants to visit her. Ivan is dead and his death is going to have repercussions for both women. Katie Ann has a faithful Englischer (non-Amish) friend, Martha, an endearing character who treats Katie Ann and Jonas as dear family but Martha has issues of her own. The scene is set for an unusual Amish story, and rest assured, after many twists and turns, there is a happy ending and I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Review by Mary Bartholomew  (05/10/11)

The Shunning by Beverly Lewis Originally published in 1997, this Special Movie Edition has a letter from the author and photographs from the set of the motion picture between pages 160 and 161. The story is loosely based on a true story of a shunning as Beverly Lewis explains. It is the story of her own grandmother that inspired her to write about her character Katie Lapp. I wonder if the movie is closer to the truth, or the book? No matter! The book held my attention all through. Katie has been baptised into the Amish church, but feels more and more uncomfortable with the various rules and restrictions that she is supposed to adhere to. The love of her life, Daniel, has been drowned in an accident, and part of her died with him. She is resigned to her betrothal to the widowed Bishop John, and has accepted that her role will be to look after his five children and bear him more. But she struggles! She longs for more colours in her life instead of the drab clothes the women of her community all wear. She longs to free her hair from the tight bun she is expected to wear, to be able to speak out about her inmost thoughts instead of always having to defer to her father or some other man, and above all she longs to have music in her life. It is forbidden to sing or even hum anything other than the hymns in the prescribed hymn book. Daniel had a guitar – which Katie now has hidden away – and the tunes they composed together go round and round her head. Her father never acknowledges the secret he and her mother have hidden from Katie, but truth finds a way of coming into the open. A thoroughly good read. Website >> Review by Mary Bartholomew  (26/07/11)

A Time to Heal - Quilts of Lancaster County Book Two by Barbara Cameron
ISBN: 978-1-426-70764-3 Price: £8.99	Published: April 2011
More Information about this book >>

The Judgement - The Rose Trilogy Book Two by Beverly Lewis
ISBN: 978-0-764-20600-9 Price: £8.99	Published: Spring 2011
More Information about this book >>

A Rose Revealed - The Amish Farm Trilogy Book Three by Gayle Roper
ISBN: 978-0-736-92588-4 Price: £6.99	Published: January 2011
More Information about this book >>

The Amish Midwife - The Women of Lancaster County: Book One by Mindy Starns Clark & Leslie Gould
ISBN: 978-0-736-93798-6 Price: £8.99	Published: January 2011
More Information about this book >>

Sarah’s Christmas Miracle by Mary Ellis
ISBN: 978-0-736-92968-4 Price: £6.99	Published: September 2010
More Information about this book >>

The Way to a Man’s Heart - The Miller Family Series by Mary Ellis
ISBN: 978-0-736-92734-5 Price: £8.99	Published: August 2010
More Information about this book >>

Paradise Valley - Daughters of Caleb Bender by Dale Cramer
ISBN: 978-0-764-20838-6 Price: £8.99	Published: February 2011
More Information about this book >>

A Time to Love - Quilts of Lancaster County Book One by Barbara Cameron
ISBN: 978-1-426-70763-6 Price: £9.99	Published: December 2010
More Information about this book >>

A Secret Identity - The Amish Farm Trilogy Book Two by Gayle Roper
ISBN: 978-0-736-92587-7 Price: £6.99	Published: 01 October 2010
More Information about this book >>

A Stranger’s Wish - The Amish Farm Trilogy Book One by Gayle Roper
ISBN: 978-0-736-92586-0 Price: £7.99	Published: April 2010
More Information about this book >>

The Choice - Lancaster County Secrets by Suzanne Woods Fisher
ISBN: 978-0-800-73385-8 Price: £8.99	Published: 01 February 2010
More Information about this book >>

The Thorn - The Rose Trilogy Book 1 by Beverly Lewis
ISBN: 978-0-764-20574-3 Price: £8.99	Published: 01 October 2010
More Information about this book >>

The Waiting - Lancaster County Secrets by Suzanne Woods Fisher
ISBN: 978-0-800-73386-5 Price: £8.99	Published: 2010
More Information about this book >>

The Telling - Seasons of Grace Book Three by Beverly Lewis
ISBN: 978-0-764-20573-6 Price: £8.99	Published: 10 October 2010
More Information about this book >>

Browse the archive:-

All books reviewed in this section, indexed by title:-
A B C F J L M N P R S T W