Loved. Loved. Loved it! I found myself admiring Annie Weaver and mesmerized by the characters around her. This is a book about searching, family, faith and letting go. Each character binds this book together. Annie Weaver is a young Amish woman staying with her aunt in the city, during he Rumschpringe. She is not out searching the world, but finding herself in the nursing she has found so fulfilling. She is in love with the children she is caring for. Annie is a woman of mercy and grace. As Annie is living in the city her father has an accident that brings her back home. Home where she knows she belongs. We see the closeness of family and the bond they carry for each other. It is a strong bond of love. This family knows each other. They don't just pass one another in the day, but they spend time with each other and that is a value we can all learn from. Samuel Reed is a man who has watched Annie grow up and is trying to let go of his painful past. Letting to day by day, his heart is making room for Annie. The cover of this book is simple. It is beautiful. Just as the book itself. We see Christmas isn't about material things, but love and the importance of family. It's those things of the heart that matter. We see our Savior shine throughout this book as He moves through each character. This book is lovely. It not only held my attention, but I couldn't wait to see what each choice Annie made brought to her life.This book was a gift from Abingdon Press for it's review. Available October 2010.
Vannetta Chapman has published over one hundred articles in Christian family magazines. She discovered her love for the Amish while researching her grandfather’s birthplace in Albion, Pennsylvania. Vannetta is a multi-award winning member of Romance Writers of America and holds a B.A. and M.A. in English. She currently teaches in the Texas hill country, where she lives with her husband. A Simple Amish Christmas is her debut novel. Visit her on the web at http://www.vannettachapman.com/.
