A Gift of Grace

I was not happy that the book was a cliffhanger and now I need to read other books to see what happens to the characters.

a book of faith love and trusting in God

A precious gift for this lovely Amish woman that could not have her own children. It’s so realistic. Two totally different siblings brought in from the “English” world to an Amish world. Loved this book.

As an acquantance of Amy's, I figured I was prejuduced and would like the book just because I knew it's author. However, as a reader I was quickly engrossed. I have a teenaged daughter and could see her in both the girls. The emotions were described in an honest, straightforward manner. It was a tragic situation made even more difficult by the culture extremes. Amy describes situations that you would expect to come up but also throws in some that are unexpected. It's a strong work and I highly recommend the book.

I think that Amy Clipston has captured the struggles of the Amish verses the English lifestyle perfectly. How do you go from having all the luxuries of the modern world and go to living in the past? You get to see the struggles from both sides as Rebecca tries to welcome her nieces, who don't even know her, into her life and treat them as if they were her own. I only hope that the next book continues where this one left off. There are many things that I wish to have answered and can hardly wait for the next book. I just wish authors could write as fast as I can read.

The book was a great read, and I could see this being a novel that would also appeal to pre-teens, teens, as well as adults. The Amish attitudes in this novel left me feeling a bit unsettled because, I think it's hard for them (the Amish) to understand what it's like to be like "us" the "English" since they've always been Amish. When Jessica and Lindsay first come to live with Rebecca, Jessica wants to know where she's going to school. Her aunt says that she was not going to enroll the girls in school since the Amish education doesn't go beyond eighth grade. Aunt Rebecca states that those are their ways and she wanted them to respect their rules. Jessica flips! A good student, she wants to go to college and get a degree to become an accountant, and I felt for her because, I could see myself going crazy if I'd been forced to quit school in the tenth grade to work in a furniture store full-time. Jessica continues to unknowingly break Amish rules and her unhappiness in the community creates strong tension in this novel. In contrast, Lindsay takes to the Amish life like a duck to water, even getting to the point where she starts wearing Amish garb. Jessica doesn't mind quitting school and working full-time in the bakery. She loves working at the business and enjoys her new family as well as the nightly devotionals and Sunday services. Lindsay has always struggled to do well in school, so, she doesn't mind not having to go back to the classroom. Daniel, Rebecca's husband, wants the girls to return to their English life. However, Rebecca refuses, stating that it's God's will, as well as her deceased sister's wish that the children remain in the Amish community. This creates a lot of tension in their marriage, leaving the reader to wonder if all of their problems will be solved. I enjoyed this novel and look forward to reading the rest of the books in the series. Also, I want to point out that there were some yummy-sounding recipes in the book! I wanted to make the Peach Streudel recipe, but, when I went to the store to get the peaches, I was told they were not yet in season! When I get my hands on some peaches, I'm going to make that recipe! There was also a recipe for a three-layer chocolate cake that sounded good! ~Cecelia Dowdy~