Customer Reviews

White Christmas Pie

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Sixteen years may have passed since his widower father Frank dumped him unceremoniously on an Amish couple, but Will Henderson never fully moved beyond his bitterness. Regina and Mark Stoltzus raised Will in love, but the abandonment leaves him filled with anger especially around Christmas time.

His fiancée, Karen Yoder tries to help him come to grips with his biological dad leaving him with the Stoltzus, but fails to reach her beloved Will. Frank never expected years to pass when he left his son behind with friends of his late wife; he needed steady work when he left with plans to come back for Will. An accident leaves Will in dire need as Frank's second wife encourages her remorseful guilt laden husband to see his son.

'WHITE CHRISTMAS PIE is a superb inspirational family drama as the prime cast confront major issues especially abandonment. Fans will find it interesting how each of the prime players feels the impact of the abandonment differently. The Stoltzus feel Frank did the right thing out of love and honored them with the greatest gift he could give them. Frank feels guilt that so depresses him his second wife fears for his well being. Karen knows how much the abandonment hurts the soul of her beloved fiancé, but is unsure of what to do. However, Will makes the tale as the adult remains emotionally battered by the child left behind. Wanda E. Brunstetter provides her fans with a touching tale of who makes up a real family.

Harriet Klausner

This was a great story, as the Amish stories always are :) Not only did it deal with very human emotions that we all have - regardless of which Church we attend, it was one of those too-good-to-put-down books. Without giving the plot away, there was a part in it that the reader wouldn't have easily guessed, dealing with assumptions we all can make against eachother. The characters were sweet and believable,letting us catch a glimpse into the lives of the Amish, and in the end there was a recipe for White Christmas Pie that I know I will make again and again.

Wanda Brunstetter has taken us through another heart-warmer (and page turner!) in White Christmas Pie. In this story, we are introduced to Will, a young man about to marry his Amish girlfriend, Karen Yoder. As a young boy, Will's father left him to be looked after by an Amish couple, Mark and Regina Stotlzfus, until he could find a better job. Through a series of misunderstandings and tragic events, Will's father doesn't return and Will is raised by Mark and Regina to become the young Amish man he is today. When an event occurs that reminds him of his abandonment, he is thrown into an emotional tailspin, and the only way to come out of it is for Will to have answers to the questions that have haunted him for most of his life. Will he get the answers he needs, and will they be enough? Will he marry Karen Yoder? Can he move forward, or will he be lost forever in the hurts of his past? I really liked the way all the loose ends were tied up, with a few surprises thrown in at the end that I didn't see coming, but that made the story complete. I don't want to give the story away, you'll have to read it yourself, but I will tell you that for the last three chapters in the book, I was reading through my tears, and I couldn't put the book down and read it in record time. Wanda Brunstetter has deliverd another great story! The recipe at the end was an added bonus!

White Christmas Pie by Wanda Brunstetter is the story of Will Henderson who is engaged to Karen Yoder and living with his adoptive Amish family in Indiana. Will was abandoned by his father when he was six to be cared for by the Stoltzfus family, and he's never been able to shake that anger and fear. As Will and Karen's date approaches, Karen finds herself questioning whether they can be truly married because of Will's jealousy and unpredictable behavior. While Will struggles with his fears, his long-lost father, Frank, has let regret eat him up inside. Only by coming together will they both be made whole, and that will require the hand of God. This isn't one of Brustetter's best novels. Her previous series, The Sisters of Holmes County, was wonderful, filled with suspense and faith. Much of the dialogue in this stand-alone feels stilted and the plot is pretty predictable. I was disappointed, because I expect more from Brunstetter. It's still an enjoyable read, and the recipe for the eponymous ingredient looks wonderful!

The Amish life fascinates me, and I've thoroughly enjoyed many of the Amish-themed books I've read. I've never read Wanda Brunstetter before, but she came highly rated and this one looked interesting.

The story centers around Will Henderson, an English boy who, at the age of 6, is left with an Amish couple. His father ostensibly plans to return for him but, through lost messages and miscommunications, never does. Will grows up believing that his father abandoned him. Predictably, as his impending wedding to Karen nears, Will finds that he harbors many doubts about his father and an unforgiving heart. Conveniently, at Thanksgiving, his father suddenly reappears in Will's life.

I'd call this Amish-light. It's a sweet novel with a great deal of unrealized potential. The characters are one-dimensional and the misunderstandings and lack of communication are far-fetched and unrealistic. The ending is convenient and contrived. Will and Karen and the rest of the cast don't inspire any compassion whatsoever. The recipe for the White Christmas Pie mentioned in the story is included in the book. My impression is that the author thought it would be a cute gimmick, but instead of a rich story with depth, we are left with the sugary fluff.

From other reviews I've seen, most of Brunstetter's books receive better reviews than this one has, so I will not count her out yet. Overall, a sweet story. A light, easy read. Nothing more.

I was bored reading this story and feel like I wasted my time. I like Amish stories so I read it thinking I would like it. I hoped maybe it would pull me in more, but nope. It's not a hard read, in fact, I'd say it's middle to high school level reading. It's also not very deep. The story has great potential but I didn't connect with Will as much as I wanted to. I think because the author tended to over-explain I didn't need to think for myself. It also had a very predictable plot. So while I really wanted to love this book, I finished it and can't say that I liked it. The ending was also fairly rushed and the tension seemed contrived and slowed the story down. And the core issue was repeated over and over throughout the story, which got old fast. I did read another book the author wrote and I enjoyed it, so I was disappointed in White Christmas Pie.

I love books written about Amish people and their lives. What makes this work of fiction different is that the central character is a male. Will Henderson is abandoned by his Pop at the age of six. He is raised by an Amish couple he learns to love. Will embraces the Amish life and becomes a member of the community.

Will is engaged to a special young woman named Karen Yoder. One day he read a newspaper article about a child who was abandoned, and it brought back all the deep seeded anger and bitterness he feels towards his Pop.

Will meeting his Pop again after so long, be a new beginning, or the end of a chapter in his life?

Whispering Winds Book Review

Up to this point, my only experience with the stories from Wanda Brunstetter has been the Sisters of Holmes County series. To be honest I must admit that I was not a fan of that series. Overall, I have heard wonderful things about the Amish fiction from Wanda Brunstetter. Starting this book, I came in with mixed feeling and expectations from the things that I have heard and felt myself. In the end, I was pleasantly pleased.



"White Christmas Pie" is a good holiday or anytime of the year read. It is a story of hurt and misconceptions. Feelings that are harbored in one's heart will affect other pieces of their life and this is a story of about finding answers and peace. There are going to be various things in our lies that will prompt questions that will receive no answer.



As Christians, it is an important part of life to forgive and forget when necessary no matter how difficult and even without all the facts. God has a plan for our lives and he knows best. Each day, live to the fullest for him and do not remain caught up in pain.

I have always enjoyed Amish fiction, and Wanda Brunstetter is one of my favorite authors. White Christmas pie is a sweet story.

Although my grandparents lived in Pennsylvania, and I have often visited there and seen the Amish riding in their horse and buggy, I never have read an Amish Christian Fiction book before this one. I knew that Wanda E. Brunstetter has a reputation of being an expert on Amish literature, and so I looked forward to this new experience. I'm glad I had the opportunity. This is a lovely Christmas time story.

In this romance novel, I learned a good bit about the Plain People. Will Henderson, the protagonist, is a well-developed character who is engaged to marry Karen Yoder. He was abandoned as a young six-year-old and wrestles with repressed hostility and jealous rages which he controls by shutting down and walking away. But can this be good for an engagement? I found the plot slowing down in the middle, but the end was satisfying.

A dessert, White Christmas Pie, is an important ingredient in the story and is referred to often. There is a copy of the recipe for that I can't wait to try. White Christmas Pie might become a Christmas tradition at my house. For fans of Wanda E. Brunstetter's writing, this will be an enjoyable one for you.