A Gift Of Grace by Amy Clipston

Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: Zondervan (May 1, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0310289831
ISBN-13: 978-0310289838

From Amazon.com:
From the Back Cover
Rebecca Kauffman’s tranquil Old Order Amish life is transformed when she suddenly has custody of her two teenage nieces after her “English” sister and brother-in-law are killed in an automobile accident. Instant motherhood, after years of unsuccessful attempts to conceive a child of her own, is both a joy and a heartache. Rebecca struggles to give the teenage girls the guidance they need as well as fulfill her duties to Daniel as an Amish wife.

Rebellious Jessica is resistant to Amish ways and constantly in trouble with the community. Younger sister Lindsay is caught in the middle, and the strain between Rebecca and Daniel mounts as Jessica’s rebellion escalates. Instead of the beautiful family life she dreamed of creating for her nieces, Rebecca feels as if her world is being torn apart by two different cultures, leaving her to question her place in the Amish community, her marriage, and her faith in God.

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My thoughts? The book was a great read, and I could see this being a novel that would also appeal to pre-teens, teens, as well as adults.

The Amish attitudes in this novel left me feeling a bit unsettled because, I think it’s hard for them (the Amish) to understand what it’s like to be like “us” the “English” since they’ve always been Amish. When Jessica and Lindsay first come to live with Rebecca, Jessica wants to know where she’s going to school. Her aunt says that she was not going to enroll the girls in school since the Amish education doesn’t go beyond eighth grade. Aunt Rebecca states that those are their ways and she wanted them to respect their rules.

Jessica flips! A good student, she wants to go to college and get a degree to become an accountant, and I felt for her because, I could see myself going crazy if I’d been forced to quit school in the tenth grade to work in a furniture store full-time.
Jessica continues to unknowingly break Amish rules and her unhappiness in the community creates strong tension in this novel.

In contrast, Lindsay takes to the Amish life like a duck to water, even getting to the point where she starts wearing Amish garb. Jessica doesn’t mind quitting school and working full-time in the bakery. She loves working at the business and enjoys her new family as well as the nightly devotionals and Sunday services. Lindsay has always struggled to do well in school, so, she doesn’t mind not having to go back to the classroom.

Daniel, Rebecca’s husband, wants the girls to return to their English life. However, Rebecca refuses, stating that it’s God’s will, as well as her deceased sister’s wish that the children remain in the Amish community. This creates a lot of tension in their marriage, leaving the reader to wonder if all of their problems will be solved.

I enjoyed this novel and look forward to reading the rest of the books in the series.

Also, I want to point out that there were some yummy-sounding recipes in the book! I wanted to make the Peach Streudel recipe, but, when I went to the store to get the peaches, I was told they were not yet in season! When I get my hands on some peaches, I’m going to make that recipe! There was also a recipe for a three-layer chocolate cake that sounded good!

~Cecelia Dowdy~