Change of Heart – Barely Amish
When I received a copy of Molly Jebber’s latest novel, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Change of Heart is the first novel in Jebber’s Keepsake Pocket Quilt series. So many authors have come into the Amish fiction scene recently. Would Change of Heart measure up? In some ways yes…but in most ways, I’d say no.
Change of Heart is set in 1899, Ohio. It follows the trials of Becca Yost, an Amish midwife who leaves her Amish settlement in Berlin, after being jilted, to visit her Amish-turned-Englisch sister in Massillon, Ohio. As soon as Becca arrives in Massillon, she meets dashing Dr. Matt Carrington and they are immediately drawn to one another. Despite Matt and Becca’s love and devotion for one another, Matt’s wealthy and overbearing mother is determined to keep the two of them apart. A plain woman just will not do for her one and only, very-accomplished son. Becca is disheartened, and believes this must be God’s will…is it?
I was given Change of Heart in exchange for my honest review. I found Change of Heart, as an Amish novel, to be just okay. The Amish references seemed to be forced at times and almost unnecessary. The plot had a pretty good rhythm to it, but could easily have done without the Amish references. Becca could have been any ordinary woman and the storyline would still have worked. If you’ve read a lot of Amish fiction like I have, then the references to Amish just did not flow. In many cases, when parts of the Amish were referenced, it was not in line with what the Amish community commonly practice, or how the Amish would react in a certain situation. It just wasn’t believable. Here’s hoping that the next book in the series (Grace’s Forgiveness) will make a better attempt at staying true to how the Amish live. Doing the extra research will be worth the time – and not waste the time of readers who do know about the Amish. In my humble opinion, romance writers must do more than add a quilt, a prayer kapp, and a few Pennsylvania Dutch words to qualify their novels as part of the Amish genre. It is not fair to the other authors that have studied, worked and/or lived among the Amish in order to perfect their writings about such a lovely community. Come on authors and publishers, please listen to the readers and get it right!
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!