The Englisch Daughter By Cindy Woodsmall & Erin Woodsmall

The Englisch Daughter
by Cindy Woodsmall & Erin Woodsmall
Publisher: WaterbrookMultnomah
ISBN: 9780735291027



Summary:

Old Order Amish wife and mother Jemima has put her marriage and family ahead of herself for years. She's set herself aside. Raising four children, she's followed all the rules and has been patient in looking forward to her time to chase a dream of her own. 

But when she finds out that her life savings for pursuing that dream is gone--and her husband, Roy, has been hiding a child with another woman--her entire world is shattered. Will she be able to listen to God and love Roy's child? With so much at stake, how can she and Roy fix their relationship before their lives come crashing down?

My Review:

I enjoy adding Amish stories to my line up of books every once in a while. The Englisch Daughter sounded like a storyline that would draw me in, and boy did it! I'm not used to being so drawn in immediately to an Amish novel. There were twists and turns that we're unexpected. I appreciated the grace that was given to the characters when oftentimes it seems the parents or Bishop are harsh and uncaring. While they had grace, they were firm in their stance.

Jemima and Roy seem to be in a difficult place. Turns out, there's more going on in their lives than Jemima realizes. From the start of the story their relationship is strained. It could be lingering effects from the accident Roy and his daughter had, but is that the case?

Then we meet Abigail, Roy's sister and the new farmhand, Chris, who has come from another district. Unfortunately, Chris is torn between making a full commitment to the Amish ways and the life he's taken on outside of the Order. I actually liked this storyline the most! Probably because it wasn't as intense as Roy and Jem's.

I found the story of roy to be a rather fascinating one. Had it been just a contemporary novel without ht Amish thread, it would've been just any other book. If it had been only about Chris and Abi, again, it probably wold've been just another Amish novel. Bringing both of them together hit the nail on the head.

The flow of the story was a fast one! I couldn't put it down once I got into it, which only took a few pages! This was a book full of meat and it pulled emotions from me I hadn't expected! It's a beautiful story and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

About the Authors:

Cindy Woodsmall is a New York Times and CBA bestselling author of numerous works of fiction and one of nonfiction. Her connection with the Amish community has been featured widely in national media. She lives in the foothills of the North Georgia Mountains with her family.

Erin Woodsmall is a writer, musician, wife, and mom of three. She has edited, brainstormed, and researched books with Cindy for almost a decade.