Season of an Amish Garden by Amy Clipston

ABOUT THE BOOK

Enjoy a year of beautiful seasons in this new story collection, as young Amish couples manage a community garden and harvest friendships and love along the way.

Spring Is in the Air 

As the young people of Bird-in-Hand, Pennsylvania, plant a garden in memory of their friend, Katie Ann begins to worry that her older brother, Ephraim, is dating her best friend. What if she somehow loses them both? But Christian, a new boy in the community, also works in the garden—and falling for him may be exactly the distraction, and lesson, that Katie Ann needs.

Home by Summer 

Clara Hertzler is surprised when Jerry Petersheim, her old friend, comes to the garden to drop off his younger sister—especially because Jerry has been gone for years, and now seems to be living as an Englisher. As the friends get to know each other again, Clara pushes Jerry to examine why he abandoned his Amish beliefs. Will Clara help Jerry renew his faith in God, and will they find love beneath the summer sun?

The Fruits of Fall 

Tena Speicher has come to live in Bird-in-Hand after her fiancé left her for an English woman. When a homeless veteran comes to the fruit stand one day and asks for food, Tena is not sure how to respond—but Wayne intervenes and offers to let him stay in the barn. Afraid to trust Englishers, Tena must learn, with Wayne’s help, that everyone is a child of God and deserving of kindness.

Winter Blessings 

Ephraim and Mandy have dated for some time and now have plans to marry. But after a series of unexpected events and misunderstandings, they wonder if they should go their separate ways. What will happen when their friends at the Amish garden conspire to bring them back together? 

MY THOUGHTS


Seasons of an Amish Garden by Amy Clipston
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I love to garden and to "get my hands dirty" so I was immediately drawn to Seasons of an Amish Garden, a collection of four novellas that are each set during a different season of the year. In hopes of helping a widow through her grieving process and to also help benefit a local shelter in Bird-in-Hand, Pennsylvania, a group of Amish youth decide to grow a community garden as a memorial to an Amish gentleman who has recently died. As their garden grows throughout the year we also see how these young people grow in their relationships. None of them are married as the Spring begins but throughout the months ahead, several of them begin to enjoy romances and to learn lessons about each other, their families and about life in general.

Author Amy Clipston shows us that Amish people may live simpler lives than most of us but they are susceptible to many of the same feelings that we have. They can be tempted, they can feel jealousy and envy, they may doubt themselves and the people around them and they experience hurt and anger! And, just like all of us "Englishers", they need to come to the realization that it is their family, their friends and their faith in God that will help them overcome all of it.

Seasons of an Amish Garden made me both happy and sad; I laughed and even cried and I longed for the winter to be over so that I could once again enjoy gardening. It is apparent that Amy Clipston has a deep understanding of the Amish lifestyle and I appreciate that she included a glossary to help us understand some of the Amish terms that are scattered throughout the book. Her writing style is easy to read and I believe that this book will appeal to all who like Christian fiction and stories about the Amish people.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author and I chose to write this honest review.

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