14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Lydia's Charm by Wanda Brunstetter, October 5, 2010
This review is from: Lydia's Charm: An Amish Widow Starts Over in Charm, Ohio (Paperback)
Lydia's Charm
By Wanda Brunstetter
Lydia King moves to Charm, Ohio to live with her mother and grandfather after loosing her job in a down economy. Widowed and the mother of a four year old boy, Lydia hopes to find work and lend a hand to her exhausted mother who is the sole caregiver to her disabled grandfather. Her mother hopes Lydia will soon re-marry so she will be taken care of financially and materially without the need to continue working. Lydia however; being pursued by one man, is attracted to another who is emotionally unavailable and clearly disliked by her mother.
Widower Menno Troyer has one goal: finding a wife who will take care of his four mischievous boys, cook, clean and manage his home. Hard working and well meaning, Menno is not looking for love, and when Lydia King moves into town he thinks he's found the perfect woman for the job.
Levi Stutzman is the only `regular' sized member of his family and feels a responsibility to care for and protect them. Much to the chagrin of his mother, father, brother and sisters (all little people), Levi is dead set against creating any kind of life of his own. Fearing his family will not be able to get along without him, and having to face the possibility of his own children being born `little,' Levi is unwilling to risk their future, or his heart. His mother on the other hand, has plans for her son and they definitely include Lydia King.
Lydia's Charm is filled with unexpected twists, turns, tragedy, sorrow, hope and ultimately happiness. Brunstetter does a masterful job exploring the "Plan B" scenarios that each of us face during our life. The clear message is to trust that our loving God has a plan for our lives, and allow Him to work His will, in His timing.
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15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Just wasn't for me, October 21, 2010
This review is from: Lydia's Charm: An Amish Widow Starts Over in Charm, Ohio (Paperback)
Sometimes there are certain authors with whom you just don't connect. This is the second Wanda Brunstetter book I've read and I just didn't like it. I read White Christmas Pie and thought it was very light and fluffy, nothing special. When I saw Lydia's Charm, I figured I'd give Wanda Brunstetter another chance, because the story sounded appealing, but ultimately wasn't. I found the characters to be one-dimensional. Menno was selfish and Lydia's mother Mae was downright horrible. The Stutzman family was wonderful, but Levi was annoying. The story was contrived and the writing very pedestrian. I only finished the book to find out if I was right about the anonymous gift giver.
I have no doubt that Wanda Brunstetter fans will love it. It has mostly 4 and 5 stars everywhere. It just wasn't for me.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Deb"s Review of Lydia's Charm, October 1, 2010
This review is from: Lydia's Charm: An Amish Widow Starts Over in Charm, Ohio (Paperback)
I found Lydia's Charm to be another winner in my book for Wanda Brunstetter! She portrays the Amish way of life so wonderfully! In this book, the widow Lydia moves to Charm, Ohio to be closer to her mother. More tragedy befalls her there, and she does not know what to do with her life. She meets up with two men who both are interested in her. One is a widower with 4 boys, the other an unmarried bachelor. Who will she choose? It is really very heartwarming! Charm is a "Charm"! I found this one very interesting as I have also been to Charm, Ohio, where this book takes place. Another enjoyable read from Wanda Brunstetter!
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