A Plain Sweet Christmas – A Bevy of Christmas Delight!
If you are looking for a book to get you in the Christmas mood, then I have found just the one for you. A Plain Sweet Christmas is a collection of nine plain (Quaker, Mennonite, Amana, and Amish) novellas, all with their own unique twist. So grab a mug of your favorite drink, cozy up to the fire, and prepare to be carried away!
Crossroad to Love by Lauralee Bliss meets the Quakers in1846 Ohio. Mysterious traveler Silas stumbles across their settlement and finds himself at a crossroad: love or revenge?
Simple Gifts by Ramona K. Cecil takes readers to 1880 Indiana, where pregnant and widowed Quaker Lucinda is trying to find her way in the world without her husband. So is her husband’s coworker and best friend Alan, who harbors guilt for her husband’s death. Will the simple gifts of Christmas draw them closer to God and one another?
A Christmas Prayer by Dianne Christner is set in Minnesota, 1881. Russian immigrant and Mennonite Hanna Friesen is doing her best as the eldest sister in her family, even with a slight disability.
Martin and Filipp Penner are headed from Iowa to Winnipeg, looking for farmland for their father, when a fierce snowstorm strands all of the train’s passengers in Hanna’s village. When Hanna and Martin meet, a Christmas prayer is sent up.
Treasure of the Heart by Melanie Dobson takes readers to 1907 Amana, Iowa. Fans of Dobson’s other Amana writings will find it satisfying to return to the colonies once again. Former colonist, and now socialite, Sophie Keller, is headed back home to her Amana roots to do some serious soul searching, including the proposal of a senator. She also brings along her sullen teenage daughter.
When colonist and used-to-be friend Will sees Sophie, he wants nothing to do with her. But when a critical situation arises at the woolen mill where Will works, the two are forced to work together. What will their working relationship do to their waning friendship?
Love is Forever by Jerry Eicher is set in 1940s Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Amish maedel Mattie Beiler has waited a long time to marry her love, Mervin Yoder. In fact, she’s already had to be patient as Mervin postponed their wedding during the last wedding season. But Mervin has more than wedding jitters – he’s worried that the country will go to war and he’ll have to leave a new bride behind. Mattie has nothing but marriage on the mind. When tragedy strikes, what will happen to their love?
Love’s Pure Light by Olivia Newport follows newly married Glory Grabill. Glory comes from a quiet, subdued Amish household. When she moves in with her large, boisterous in-laws, she finds herself lost. There doesn’t seem to be a place, or a need, for her anywhere. Was their marriage a mistake?
Pirate of My Heart by Rachael O. Phillips, set in 1825, Illinois, tells a Quaker tale you won’t soon forget. Keturah is a feisty young Quaker woman – not something you find every day. She loves to wear a bright red shawl (scandalous!) and longs for adventure. Henry McFarlan crosses paths with Keturah. Unbeknownst to her, Henry and his family are infamous thieves (pirates!) that live in their coastal town. Is this the adventure Keturah as been looking for?
Equally Yoked by Claire Sanders, set in 1838 Southern Ohio, takes us back to the Quakers and a woman named Susanna. Susanna has married a Quaker (Nathan), but (much to her mother-in-law’s consternation) has not converted to their faith. While they have only been married a short while, Nathan has left Susanna to keep the home fires burning while he supports his Friend, who is in trouble for helping slaves find freedom. When Susanna is caught in her own perilous journey will she finally see the Light?
In Abigail’s Christmas Candles by Anna Schmidt, we meet Mennonite Abigail Yoder. Abigail has moved from New York to Hope, Wisconsin, where life moves at a different (and more conservative) pace. She’s been asked by her uncle (the Bishop) to come and fill a teaching position at Hope’s one-room schoolhouse. The kids are thrilled, the parents and elders are leery, and one church member – Aaron Miller – is downright hostile. Will this be a Christmas to remember for all the wrong reasons?
I was given A Plain Sweet Christmas in exchange for my honest review. Although I am an Amishaholic by nature, I found each novella to have its own plain charm. Some were exciting, some were endearing or heart-wrenching, but all of them brought the reader back to the true meaning of Christmas and the greatest love of all: God becoming man to bring peace to the world. Highly recommend.
Susan Ferrell and her husband make their home in the Atlanta Metro area. Although Susan struggles with chronic migraine headaches, she stays very busy as a stay-at-home mom to one very precocious little girl. While catching her breath, she feeds her Amishaholic tendencies by reading vast amounts of Amish literature!