A Lancaster County Christmas

SUMMARY:  Mattie Riehl was hoping to give her husband, Sol, the Christmas gift they have both longed for – news that a baby was on the way.  But as usual, she is disappointed.  The holidays bring an acute awareness to Mattie that her dream of a big Amish family isn’t likely to become a reality.  Will those empty chairs at the table ever be filled? 

     Then a winter storm raging outside blows an impatient young woman and her husband into the Riehl home on Christmas Eve – into a much slower pace of life.

     Both couples are about to find out if they can weather the storm – and if miracles still happen at Christmastime.

REVIEW:  Mattie and Jaime are complete opposites – Mattie is Amish and loves the slow country life.  Jaime is a city girl who impatient, not content to stay where she is. Mattie loves cooking for her family while Jaime barely knows her way around a kitchen.  Mattie wants a large family; Jaime isn’t sure she even wants children.  When a major snowstorm (and an accident with Jaime’s car) throws these women together, along with their husbands, they all learn more about themselves and each other than they ever thought they would.  I love how Jaime and Mattie show each other what is missing in their lives and they learn how to solve some of their own problems.  I really liked how Mattie saw the good in everyone, especially her cousin Zach who was known to be a troublemaker.  Jaime’s husband, C.J., was inspirational too in that he never gave up, whether it came to his junior high students, a Search and Rescue event, or his marriage.  This is a great book.

This book was provided by Litfuse Publicity Group for review without compensation.

Suzanne Woods Fisher is the bestselling author of The Choice, The Waiting, and The Search, as well as nonfiction books about the Amish, including Amish Peace.  Her interest in the Anabaptist cultures can be directly traced to her grandfather, W.D. Benedict, who was raised in the Old Order German Baptist Brethren Church in Franklin County, Pennsylvania.  Benedict eventually became the publisher of Christianity Today magazine.  Suzanne is the host of a radio show called Amish Wisdom, and her work has appeared in many magazines. She can be found on line at www.SuzanneWoodsFisher.com or on Facebook Suzanne Woods Fisher.