An Amish Christmas Gift by Beth Wiseman

 

From a bestselling and award-winning author who has sold over 2.5 million books comes a love story that poses the question--Is it better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all?

Hannah King and her two children, Mae and Lillian, are facing their first Christmas without their beloved husband and father, who passed only six months ago. Hannah is determined to display strength for her girls, stifling her emotions until she is alone at night crying herself to sleep. But as she tries to hide her grief, she is unaware that her children need her to be emotionally present.Mae is Hannah's oldest daughter. At eighteen, she is deeply in love with a young man in her Amish community. She is working through the grief she feels over the absence of her father, but something about her mother has changed, and the transformation has Mae fearful to make a commitment to John Byler. 

Her mother robotically goes through the motions of daily living, but she is a shell of the woman she used to be. Mae walks away from her relationship with John, knowing her mother's grief must be far worse than her own. She isn't going to let that happen to her.John Byler is in love with Mae, but his admission to her about his feelings causes her to stop seeing him without any explanation. He can only assume that she doesn't love him the way he loves her. Can Hannah see past her own grief and convince her daughter that it is better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all? And is Mae willing to take a chance on love?"

Wiseman is known for her character-driven stories . . . tender tales of love, loss, and redemption. Her fans will devour this short story." ~ Kelly Long, bestselling author for Kensington PublishersFor fans of Beverly Lewis, Amy Clipston, Wanda Brunstetter, and Cindy Woodsmall.

My thoughts:

There is so much packed into this story, as a loving wife and her children are grieving the loss of a husband and father.  It’s always difficult to learn to live your life without your loved ones, however, it must be done but in your own time. In this beautifully written novella by Ms. Wiseman, Hannah needs more time to grieve but it impacts her children bringing more sadness to them.

As the family opens to each other the author put such emotions in her writing, I could imagine their conversations. This is an emotional book where healing and honesty are both needed.  I loved the epilogue and the recipes.  This is a short but beautiful read.  I highly recommend it for the holiday season.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.  Opinions are my own.