About the book:
Marlena needed time to let things sink in. It was beyond her how all this could possibly work out--adding the care of an infant to her daily routine. Fortunately, it would just be until Luella returned home from the hospital and was stronger.No more than a couple weeks, surely.
Marlena Wenger's life takes an unexpected turn on the day she learns she must care for her estranged sister's baby. Spending the summer in Brownstown, Pennsylvania, to assist her Mennonite grandmother, and miles from Marlena's Old Order Amish beau, she feels out of her element in nearly every respect. Yet Marlena determines to do her best and stay focused on her future, even as those hopes become drastically altered.
My review:
I liked this story, but it took a while for me to get into it. It was more of a slow-moving story without a lot happening. I liked Marlena and felt sorry for the difficult time she went through. I think the most interesting part of this story for me was her struggle to understand the changes in her family from her growing up Old Order Amish to her parents becoming Beachy Amish and her grandmother Mennonite. She sees the differences not only in clothing and electricity, but the way they view others and view God. They love everyone, are more welcoming and speak to God as a friend. She realizes she doesn't have that kind of relationship with God. She also grows attached to her niece, which was sweet to see. This story had more of a sad feel to it because of Marlena's situation and also because of the story line about an Old Order Amish neighbor, Ellie. She's frustrated with the way her husband treats their handicapped teenage son, Jake, and that frustrated me along with the way he treated Ellie, too. He's pretty domineering and doesn't seem to put others above himself. There's a hint of romance in Marlena's life and in the love letters we read that belong to Boston, an old man Jake befriends who seems to have Alzheimer's or something similar. They try to help him figure out who he is and the relationship between Jake and Boston was another thing I liked about the story. it was also cool how Boston ended up affecting their household, especially the dad. I would recommend this book if you like Amish or Mennonite stories.
I received this book free from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for an honest review.
The Author
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Photo courtesy of Gene Photography Beverly Lewis
Beverly Lewis, born in the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch country, is the New York Times bestselling author of more than ninety books. Her stories have been published in eleven languages worldwide. A keen interest in her mother's Plain heritage has...
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