Customer Reviews

An Amish Christmas: A Choice to Forgive/A Miracle for Miriam/One Child (Inspirational Amish Christmas Romance Collection)

5 star:		(45)
4 star:		(23)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

"An Amish Christmas" is a collection of three novellas set in Lancaster County. Although the novellas are written by three different authors (Beth Wiseman, Kathleen Fuller, and Barbara Cameron) they are all set at Christmas time and each features some of the same characters.

"A Miracle for Miriam" - Kathleen Fuller

Miriam has had a secret crust on Seth Fisher ever since sixth grade but he broke her heart when she was fourteen. Ever since then she has felt that she is ugly and unworthy of love. Seth had left the Amish community to live with the Englisch but is back after a bad accident and eager to make amends. He finds himself increasingly drawn to Miriam but must convince her that his intentions are sincere. Will Miriam's bruised heart be able to love again?

"A Miracle for Miriam" is my favorite of the three novellas. I like the fact that Miriam is plain (or at least she thinks she is) and not the stereotypical beautiful heroine all too often featured in romance novels. Her lingering hurt at Seth's actions at fourteen is very realistic and it is very believable that she is afraid to trust and love Seth again. Seth isn't quite as deep a character as Miriam but it is obvious that he regrets some of his past actions and believable that he wants to redeem himself. Their romance is very nicely done and bound to bring a smile to readers' faces.

"A Chance to Forgive" - Beth Wiseman

Lydia was set to marry Daniel Smucker years ago until he disappeared. She eventually married his brother Elam and had three children. But now Elam is dead and Daniel is back in town and in Lydia's life. Soon Lydia's old feelings for Daniel start to surface but she's not ready to let Daniel back into her heart. Daniel is willing to wait for her love to grow but worries that a secret that both he and Elam kept from Lydia will ruin his chances for love.

"A Chance to Forgive" is an okay romance. The romantic elements are well done and you can feel the romantic tension between Daniel and Lydia. Lydia is a strong heroine, struggling to get over her grief from Elam's death while raising three children - especially daughter Anna Marie who is going through her rumschpringa and a romance of her own. However, after a big buildup about the reason for Daniel leaving so long ago, I found the reason to be disappointing. To her credit author Wiseman does her best to show that Daniel's action were foolish, but I still found it hard to believe Daniel would leave for that reason which ruined much of the romance for me.

"One Child" - Barbara Cameron

Sarah is having a hard time getting into the Christmas spirit as Christmas marks the anniversary of her miscarriage. But when an Englisch couple shows up at their house one snowy night needing the help of Sarah and her husband David, Sarah is reminded once again of the true meaning of Christmas.

For me "One Child" is the weakest of the three novellas. The despair Sarah feels over the loss of her child is very real and heartbreaking to read. But the plotline with the Englisch couple has been done many times before (or at least a variation of it) and a bit disappointing. However, Cameron does an excellent job of showing the differences between the Amish way of life and the Englisch way which ultimately makes the novella worth reading. It's not a traditional romance, as Sarah and David are already married, but it is a story of a couple mourning a loss and strengthening their love for each other.

"An Amish Christmas" contains three sweet romances set in the Amish community - a perfect book to read during the holidays. Well done.

This is the first book I have read in awhile! It has sparked my interest in reading again. As soon as I finished this book I went on to purchase other Amish Romance Novels. I especially love the three short stories, I picked my favorite author and purchased her other books. Defiantly a great book for the Christmas season!

This book was very interesting in the Amish ways and the stories were passionate and about caring people. It made you want to keep reading to find out what was going to happen. I recommend these stories.

I loved this book. All three stories were amazing. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves to read Amish books.

I love to read about Amish life in today's world. These 3 novellas by 3 different authors weave a beautiful pattern of Amish life, and help explain how and why the Amish in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, choose to accept some modern methods, while rejecting others. In them, the importance of developing honest relationships and relying on inner character rather than outward appearances are stressed.

Each story adds more details about Amish Christmas customs while developing love relationships between 3 different Amish couples. The first story is told from the viewpoint of a young Amish woman, Miriam and her beau, while the second story is about her older sister, Lydia. The last story is about Miriam's best friend, Sarah.

In the first story, "A Miracle for Miriam," author Beth Wiseman masterfully weaves a tale of how a boy (Seth) and a girl (Miriam) relate first as children and later as young adults, after Seth undergoes a dramatic change of heart following a car accident during his Rumpschpringe. On the lighter side, it was fun to learn about quilting and wood-working, making apple pies, and such.

In the second story ("A Choice to Forgive"), author Kathleen Fuller takes us into the world of Miriam's older sister Lydia at a later stage in life. After her first sweetheart, Daniel, disappeared just before they were to be married, Lydia eventually married his brother Elam and raised their children until Elam died of a heart attack. Suddenly, Daniel returns and secrets are eventually revealed that highlight the tension between telling all and keeping secrets. Which is more important, protecting the family reputation or being honest with the individuals affected in the family?

I especially loved the last story ("One Child," by Barbara Cameron) in which an Amish couple who cannot conceive (Sarah and David) open their home to a non-Amish couple (Kate and Jason) on Christmas Eve and help deliver their baby in the midst of a blizzard. It was delightful to learn both couples were reading the same baby book to prepare for the births of their first children.

The author did a beautiful job of developing the characters of both couples. Kate and Jason begin to discover how much their new baby will change their perspective on family versus work, and on caring for each other. Sarah and David learn to finally accept the miscarriage of their own first child when new life is born on Christmas, the most special birthday of all to Christians around the world.

Definitely recommended.

An Amish Christmas: A Choice to Forgive/A Miracle for Miriam/One Child (Inspirational Amish Christmas Romance Collection) provides a jubilant celebration of Christmas. It is a collection of three Amish novellas interlaced into a lovely quilt to warm the hearts of those who read it. Sharing the joys and conflicts of three young Amish women will brighten Christmas and the days to come. The novellas make the reader want to live a simpler life free from the stressful jungle of modern existence.

Kathleen Fuller crafts "A Miracle for Miriam" with artistry. Every word is skillfully written. The story contrasts outer beauty with inner beauty, hochmut (pride) with demut (humility), and excessive self-confidence with poor self-esteem.

Beth Wiseman uses suspense in "A Choice to Forgive" to drive the reader to keep turning the pages. At times the reader is not sure what will happen next. At other times she uses dramatic irony. The reader knows what is happening, but the characters do not. There's a desire to step into the book and tell the characters, "Look, dummy! Don't you understand?"

Barbara Cameron shares an ultimate Christmas story while applying the principles of a Christian romance to the lives of two married couples. She shows the joy of relationships within families and with dear friends, even new ones. Her characters go to the place where they have nothing to depend upon except the Lord.

All three novellas are interconnected in a clever way. It must have been both challenging and exhilarating for the three authors to collaborate.

As lagniappe there are three Amish recipes at the end of the book. Also there are study questions to be used by reading groups.

What an excellent pre-Christmas gift! It would be perfect for Christmas parties and teachers' gifts

My wife is a fan of romance novels, and reads a lot of inspirational romances. I don't share her affection for them, so I got this for her. She reports that the stories are entertaining and well-written. I wasn't sure if she'd be all that interested in the Amish angle of this collection, but she said it was very good. Thumbs up from my wife.