An Amish Christmas: December in Lancaster County [Hardcover]

I have to admit that I was a bit skeptical about a book with Amish romances; it just seemed like a bizarre concept. I grew up in a state that had many Amish people, so I was familiar with seeing them from an early age, in different situations. Some were more restrained, some were friendlier than others, but they always seemed to be at peace. I know now that their peace and contentment comes from a deep commitment to God and to their way of life. What's really nice about these stories is that religious faith is a natural part of the stories, and a natural part of the character's lives. It isn't intrusive as it tends to be sometimes in other books. Nobody hits anyone over the head and starts preaching at them, because that simply is not the Amish way. They speak of God and they think of Him often, and they pray, because they have a personal relationship with God. He is a natural part of their lives, and it's refreshing to see that treatment. We see that our characters are real women with real lives and real concerns, hopes, and dreams. The stories are simple and easy to relate to. I liked the fact that all three of the main characters appeared in each others' stories in supporting roles, although I would have enjoyed learning more about what happened to Miriam, the ugly duckling, after she began her romance with Seth, and I would like to know more about her sister Lydia who was widowed three years previously, and then meets the love of her life again. The stories are handled with sensitivity and respect for the Amish, which was really nice. Of all the characters, I was the most taken with Miriam, who grew up feeling ugly and unwanted after an embarrassing incident in her school days. She wasn't ready to reach out or trust any man, even though she admitted that she wanted a husband and her own family. It was interesting to see how she learned to open up to Seth, her tormentor from eighth grade, and interact on a more adult level. I found the story believable and poignant. I loved the story about Sarah, struggling with recovering from a miscarriage at Christmas, the year before, and her unexpected visitors in a freak Christmas storm. The stories were lovely, and I found myself wondering about the three women after finishing each story. The three stories are all set at Christmas, in the same year, so we really don't get much of a progression of events after the stories for Miriam and Lydia end. I for one, would love to read more about the ladies. I found Lydia the least interesting of the characters, but I still enjoyed her rekindling a long ago romance, with her first love, Daniel, who had broken her heart many years before. The writing isn't great, but it is comfortable and will keep you interested and entertained. I would definitely read more stories by any of the three authors, and I wouldn't be averse to another one like this, where all three stories were continued. Frankly, I'm tired and bored with explicit sex and language, so it was refreshing to pick up a book where people are real, but not tiresome. These women feel like people you already know, or could easily be friends with, in your own world. The friendship they have with each other is something we would all love to have, but rarely do. Most of our friends just aren't that nice!

The first two of these short novellas are similar in that they both involve young Amish men who left their communities for the "English" world but returned to their faith a number of years later. In both cases, they left their families with nothing but a note and broke a young girl's heart, but everything is resolved in time for Christmas.

The third story is very different from the first two and is also the best. A young Amish couple is facing the anniversary of the miscarriage of their first child at Christmas, as they try to hide from their families how unhappy they are that they haven't been blessed with children. They are helped in their grief when they help a young "Englisher" couple stranded in a snowstorm. It's just two weeks from the due date of the stranded couple's first baby, and they're understandably anxious about being isolated from medical care. Both couples learn some important lessons from their brief time together. This is my favorite novella of the three.

These are all sweet, inspirational Christmas stories, and each is a quick read, with the three stories together totaling under 450 pages.

The first thing I'd say is if you are thinking about buying this book but don't think you'll get to it until after Christmas, don't worry - it really isn't all that "Christmasy". There are references to decorating and get togethers and things like that, but they really don't take up a lot of the story.

Second, if you love quilting and cooking like I do, you will really love this book. I read all the novels I can find that have cooking or crafts in them and this is just as good if not better. There are even some really good recipes in the back of the book.

The book itself if made up of three different stories about 3 women in the same town. The first was my favorite, about Seth and Miriam who are working to get together after an upsetting incident when they were in grade school. The second story was the longest and it's about Miriam's sister, Lydia, who is reconnecting with someone from her past also. The third one is about a non-Amish couple who get stuck in a snowstorm and have to spend the night with one of the Amish families. The woman is pregnant, and the woman she stays with wants a baby but has miscarried.

The book was written really well and was one of those that just makes you feel good after you are done reading. I highly recommend it.

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