An Amish Harvest, a review

This book is another volume of four novellas by Beth Wiseman, Amy Clipston, Kathleen Fuller, and Vanetta Chapman.  This time all the stories are centered during the harvest season.

The four novellas are:

Under the Harvest Moon by Beth Wiseman
I liked this story because it opens with a subject I've never seen in an Amish novel, that of a husband who is physically abusive, as was the late husband of Naomi Dienner.  Her husband has been deceased for a few months and it is time for the crops to be harvested, so Naomi's father hires his friend who is "English" to help his daughter. 

This was an interesting story line and I would loved to have had it be even longer.  However, it is a novella and there is no time for long and drawn out relationships here. I was glad to walk alongside these people and wondered all along if it would work out or not.

Love and Buggy Rides by Amy Clipston
Janie Lantz is a new cashier at a store which gives buggy rides to tourists.  She witnesses an accident in which a car hits one of the buggies as it is turning into the parking lot.  Janie comes to know the Amish man who was driving and a deep friendship develops.

Will she tell the police that she witnessed the accident even though her father has forbidden it?  Makes for interesting reading.

A Quiet Love by Kathleen Fuller
I very much enjoyed this story about two "special" Amish people who are surprised to find another person who understands them and accepts them as they are.  The young man is autistic (high functioning) and the woman is extremely shy because she stutters.  Both have families who love them but who do not always understand them.

While it is obvious they come to care for each other, it is not a set in stone outcome that they will be a couple due to their special needs.  The story is excellent and some readers will recognize some of the characters from a previous novella by the author.

Mischief in the Autumn by Vanetta Chapman.
Martha Beiler is around forty years old and moves to Shipshewana to live with her aunt after her husband dies and she has to sell their farm.  She goes to work at the auction house and finds some strange goings on which she reports to her boss, who happens to be a bachelor.

This novella takes you through the solving of a puzzle that has to do with the history of Shipshewana. It is a story that people who love to solve puzzles will enjoy very much.  It is also fun to see how a confirmed bachelor learns to appreciate a middle aged woman with firm opinions. 

This is light reading and as the stories are fairly short, it is the kind of fiction one can read quickly and an entire day does not go by because you must know how the story ends.  Not that I would know anything about that.

This book was provided by the publisher for the sake of review but the opinions are my own.

More information about this book can be found... here.*

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