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Amish Farm Trilogy #1
A Stranger's Wish
A Stranger's Wish (The Amish Farm Trilogy)
222 pages, Hardcover
First published February 1, 2010
12 people are currently reading
851 people want to read
About the author
Gayle Roper
81 books89 followersGayle Roper rejoices every day that she gets to be a writer because she's in love with story. Even on the days that words rebel and have to be coerced onto the paper, there is nothing else she'd rather do. When readers like her work, it's like God says, "See? I knew what you were wired to do." When her books win awards like the Carol Award (Caught Redhanded) or the RITA Award (Autumn Dreams), the Holt Medallion (The Decision, Caught in a Bind, Autumn Dreams) or the Reviewer's Choice (The Decision), it's icing on the cake. And she gets to teach others how to write at conferences too. She spends a lot of time smiling. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Romance Writers of America and is the best-selling author of Hide & Seek and more than forty other books.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews
January 30, 2024
In general, I enjoyed this book, though I do feel like there were some storylines that were picked up but never truly resolved. (I realise that this is the first book in a trilogy, but from reading the synopses of the other two books, I'm not sure if at least one in particular will be revisited later. Perhaps so?)
I liked that, though Amish people weren't the focus of the book, the setting and the circumstances (Kristie renting rooms with the Zook family for a time) allowed some of the focus to be on Amish culture and religion. I liked the discussions Kristie had about the difference between someone being a religious Christian and a cultural one, and think that it's important for us to make sure that we're truly following Christ and not just 'being a Christian'.
My suspicions about the 'villain' of the novel were proved correct, but the reveal and what happened thereafter weren't what I had anticipated.
I look forward to seeing what happens next on the Zook family farm.
3.5 stars
I liked that, though Amish people weren't the focus of the book, the setting and the circumstances (Kristie renting rooms with the Zook family for a time) allowed some of the focus to be on Amish culture and religion. I liked the discussions Kristie had about the difference between someone being a religious Christian and a cultural one, and think that it's important for us to make sure that we're truly following Christ and not just 'being a Christian'.
My suspicions about the 'villain' of the novel were proved correct, but the reveal and what happened thereafter weren't what I had anticipated.
I look forward to seeing what happens next on the Zook family farm.
3.5 stars
April 1, 2011
This was a wonderful book, I would suggest this book to be a first to a new reader of Amish lit because it's a very light read and doesn't give mystism about their culture but a very real perspective. I have read a lot of Amish tales that have me at one moment believe that I to should be Amish. They make me feel like an awful Christan. This book clearly marks the very real diffrences between old order Amish (non belief of Jesus as the savior) New order Amish ( those who believe Jesus is the savior but still think works over grace to redeem salvation) When you first learning about the Amish culture it's so beautiful and sweet and you think it's lacking in all the junk the moderm world brings in but this book shows you how Amish or not we are all still people. There are Amish people who live their lives never understanding a true relationship and yurning to be with Jesus just as their are in own churches. The little mystery at the end will have you drawn to a sweet old man and have you hate him in an instant.
August 27, 2010
Liked this book a lot, although could've done without the mystery/endangerment suspense. If this was just a love story/regular fiction book would still have liked it just as well. (But then it wouldn't have been in the new mysteries section and I probably wouldn't have found it!!)
Maybe I related to Kristie's being a watercolorist, and to the longing of the Amish mother's longing to do art. I definitely am fascinated with the Amish, living close to them. My friends have very intimate relationships with the local Amish. (Not the PA Amish, though, which are depicted in this book.)
Very enjoyable read.
Maybe I related to Kristie's being a watercolorist, and to the longing of the Amish mother's longing to do art. I definitely am fascinated with the Amish, living close to them. My friends have very intimate relationships with the local Amish. (Not the PA Amish, though, which are depicted in this book.)
Very enjoyable read.
March 3, 2011
Most of the Amish novels I've read are in the third person, but from the Amish perspective. This series is different. It's first person from an Englischer perspective, complete with all the questions an Englischer might have about the Amish faith and culture.
The plot is straightforward, although you're not sure of the motive for the plot until the end. It isn't all wrapped up neatly either. The main character, Kristi, is left with some sadness even when she gets her 'happily-ever-after.' That didn't detract any, however. If anything, it made it more realistic.
It's also a quick read. I had it read in about six hours.
The plot is straightforward, although you're not sure of the motive for the plot until the end. It isn't all wrapped up neatly either. The main character, Kristi, is left with some sadness even when she gets her 'happily-ever-after.' That didn't detract any, however. If anything, it made it more realistic.
It's also a quick read. I had it read in about six hours.
February 12, 2022
What a wonderfully endearing story that earned itself 5 stars from me and left me wanting more. I loved all the characters and what a great perspective to read from...an English woman living at an Amish farm. My heart flopped between happiness and sadness all through the book. I loved the drama and suspense which kept it from being a run of the mill romance. Now I know I need to go along the back roads of Bird-in-Hand and that whole part of Lancaster County on a Saturday night when all the courting couples are out. I think that would be wonderful to see. If you have never read Amish fiction before or have and are a fan then this is a MUST read. There isn't anything about this book I didn't like. Gayle Roper thanks for a wonderfully written Amish romantic suspense.
January 15, 2026
A good story line and a mystery all in one.
A message about helping out your neighbor.A different take on Amish fiction.
A message about helping out your neighbor.A different take on Amish fiction.
August 25, 2016
This was a well written and fairly entertaining novel about faith and choices contrasting the lives of Kristie, a Christian Englisher, and the Amish family she boards with. The characters were well drawn and interesting. There was also a fun element of suspense in the plot, but I thought the romance in it got serious way too quickly for the amount of time that the couple had spent together, which is why I only gave the novel 3 stars.
August 1, 2015
Intriguing story!
December 20, 2022
Kristie Matthews is the center of Roper’s A Stranger’s Wish, which opens right after Kristie was bitten on the check by a sleeping dog and then is rushed to the emergency room by the just met Jon Clarke Griffin. We are thrust into the middle of this trauma, this emergency, this mystery about the “what, where, and why” of a key commandingly shoved into Kristie’s hand at the hospital by an unknown man. No one is watching the emergency desk, when Kristie starts to exit the emergency area, but before she can leave, Mr. Geohagan insists he is having another heart attack, which makes her a little flustered as he expects her to help him (the key). The book cover is so idyllic, picturing an Amish farm, dirt road, and a serene couple walking down a road in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Interestingly, the benign cover belies the mystery that emanates from Mr. Geohagan and the metamorphosis that Kristie is stumbling through.
The characters in the story are clustered loosely around the Matthews family (Englischer) and the Zook family (Amish). Kristie is from a family of lawyers, but Kristie’s creative and professional pursuits are not in line with the “family professional direction,” much to the chagrined of her family; she is an art teacher and a watercolorist. An opportunity comes for her to live on the Zook’s Amish farm, where she believes, hopes she can sort out her life choices, perk her artistic horizons, find peace, and hopefully increase her watercolor output. All her hopes and dreams happen, only not quite as she envisioned.
Reflection:
I’m not a regular Amish fiction book reader, but what intrigued me with this book was the seeming disconnect between the book cover and the various synopses and reviews I read; that was the hook that got me to purchase and read this book.
As the story moved page by page, as Kristin became the person God planned for her to be, this book built a picture of the contrasts and similarities between the Englischer world and the Amish world. The book is written in such a way that we are also enrolled in Kristin’s learning curve, in every experience good and bad she encounters.
It is a quick, easy read and there were times I felt Kristin’s choices were poor. I couldn’t understand why she would agree to not tell anyone about the key and it certainly didn’t seem prudent that she didn’t inform the police. Also, although Kristin seems very naïve concerning Mr. Geohagan, I was totally impressed by her passion for reaching him for Christ and her grief when he died. I enjoyed and appreciated my read and will continue on with the series.
The characters in the story are clustered loosely around the Matthews family (Englischer) and the Zook family (Amish). Kristie is from a family of lawyers, but Kristie’s creative and professional pursuits are not in line with the “family professional direction,” much to the chagrined of her family; she is an art teacher and a watercolorist. An opportunity comes for her to live on the Zook’s Amish farm, where she believes, hopes she can sort out her life choices, perk her artistic horizons, find peace, and hopefully increase her watercolor output. All her hopes and dreams happen, only not quite as she envisioned.
Reflection:
I’m not a regular Amish fiction book reader, but what intrigued me with this book was the seeming disconnect between the book cover and the various synopses and reviews I read; that was the hook that got me to purchase and read this book.
As the story moved page by page, as Kristin became the person God planned for her to be, this book built a picture of the contrasts and similarities between the Englischer world and the Amish world. The book is written in such a way that we are also enrolled in Kristin’s learning curve, in every experience good and bad she encounters.
It is a quick, easy read and there were times I felt Kristin’s choices were poor. I couldn’t understand why she would agree to not tell anyone about the key and it certainly didn’t seem prudent that she didn’t inform the police. Also, although Kristin seems very naïve concerning Mr. Geohagan, I was totally impressed by her passion for reaching him for Christ and her grief when he died. I enjoyed and appreciated my read and will continue on with the series.
December 17, 2017
Look, I enjoy Amish fiction. I love Amish fiction. There is something very nice and relaxing about reading Amish fiction that doesn’t beat you over the head repeatedly with religion. What I don’t enjoy reading is a smarmy, holier than thou Christian badgering others to turn to Jesus. Kristie is exactly the type of Christian that turns me off from ever returning to religion. I have such revulsion towards her that I can’t even be bothered reading the rest of the series because I want to smash a whoopie pie into her face. Sorry, not sorry.
October 25, 2020
Not your typical amish fiction novel, but has enough suspense to keep one interested. Kristie Matthews who has decided to rent a room from an Amish farm with an Amish family, even though she is an Englischer. Her life becomes entwined in experiences confusing to her. The book highlights more of the amish traditions, then a real part of the storyline. Book 1 of the series 'The amish farm trilogy' of three books
February 2, 2022
Ugh, I had to delete my rant. I wanted to give this book 3 stars, but considering the nonstop obnoxious bible-thumping, that I hated all of the characters (Kristie most of all, don't get me started), that the Amish were merely background decoration, I have to stop myself from giving no stars at all! The only things I liked were the fast pace and the explanations about painting.
January 26, 2025
The four stars is a guess, because I read this 9 years ago and don't remember it well. However, I did like it quite a lot, and was searching unsuccessfully for the sequel (on Facebook - it came up as a memory). Reading the Goodreads blurb and tending, as I do, to look down on most "Amish fiction", I would not expect to like it, but I really did.
February 15, 2018
It was very fast moving, and I loved it!!!
March 1, 2018
Good book.
November 20, 2019
I learned a lot from the Amish culture they really live life , like in Jesus time.
November 25, 2019
This is the 1st book by this author I have read and I really liked it and I am looking forward to the next one..
January 28, 2020
It's an ok book not one that I would pick up again.i have read other amish books this is my least favorite
February 29, 2020
Lost interest. Not one of my usual authors.
December 12, 2020
This was a nice easy read and a great break from the intense books I often read. Story line was good although a little predictable.
May 24, 2021
Cute story of a young lady who decides to live with an Amish family and her finding love and a little adventure
September 18, 2022
A little too slow for me until the very last 2 chapters. Had trouble wanting to finish it.
November 29, 2022
A Great read! New author to me. A little mystery with a little romance. I enjoyed this very much😀
December 24, 2025
I’ve read this many times and this is one of my FAVORITE books in the world. It has a mystery but not cheesy at all. COMPLETELY unlike ANY other Amish book.
December 30, 2010
So I was lucky enough to win autographed copies of the first two books in Gayle Roper's Amish Farm Trilogy.
What treasures, no?
So, what could I do but read them?!?!
Starting with book one: A Stranger's Wish by Gayle Roper
A Stranger's Wish is the story of Kristie Matthews who has the unique experience to get to live on an Amish farm with an Amish family, even though she is an Englischer.
Kristie has always been the "odd one out" in her family. She comes from a family of lawyers and was expected to go into the family profession and work at the family firm. However, as Kristie progressed through school she easily decided that the life of a lawyer was the last thing she wanted. Instead of being starched and logical like her family, Kristie is colorful and an aspiring artist who absolutely loves painting watercolors, an activity her family scoffs on and does not consider a profession.
To make matters worse, Kristie's boyfriend, Todd, also a lawyer, finds most of her traits annoying and she feels as if he is constantly trying to change her. He doesn't like her painting, he doesn't understand her living on an Amish farm, he doesn't understand her colorful outfits, and their relationship seems to have a lot of strain. However, Kristie knows he is a good man, a good Christian man, who does, in fact, have a good heart and he is loved by her family, one of the few things in her life that her family actually approves of.
Kristie's adventure begins shortly after she moves onto the Zook farm and gets bit by their dog, Hawk, as she goes to pet him, not realizing he has a painful cut that she touches. Kristie is taken to the hospital at the insistance of a young man, John Clarke Griffin who arrived at the farm to visit one of the Zooks' sons, Jake, and the rest of the Zook family.
Though he injury is minor, not even requiring stitches, at the hospital Kristie meets an older man, Mr. Geohagan, who comes into the E.R. in the midst of having a heart attack and gives her a key, one which he does not explain what it goes to, and asks her to keep it for him. In a spur of the moment decision, she agrees to keep it, not knowing the adventure she is in for, and how one little key which opens one little lock will forever change her life...
In a story of intrigue, mystery, romance and Christian vales, along with being set in an Amish background, the book is a great tale of an Englischer experiencing the Amish world and finding herself along the way.
While it was not, perhaps, my most favorite Amish fiction book that I have ever read, it is one well worth reading, especially since it had an air of mystery mixed in, something I always enjoy. If ind it nice to mix between Amish fiction which involves solely Amish characters, and Amish fiction which involves Englischers experiencing the Amish world firsthand.
It is definitely a pretty believable story, at least insofar as the character development. I really liked Kristie, and was rooting for her along the way. The only part I did not enjoy is how all the lawyers in the book were portrayed as condescending, unyielding and not understanding. This is probably because I, myself, am in law school and an aspiring lawyer, and though I realize stereotypes may exist for a reason, it gets a bit redundant to see the same clichés over and over, especially in portraying lawyers as cold, unyielding and most of the time, heartless.
However, the lawyer we experience the most, Todd, Kristie's boyfriend, we learn more about in the next book, and it definitely paints him in a different light. But that review is for another time.
I recommend A Stranger's Wish to those who enjoy Amish fiction, or to those who enjoy Christian fiction but know little of the Amish, as many things are explained that those unfamiliar with the culture would probably be unaware of.
Four out of five stars!
What treasures, no?
So, what could I do but read them?!?!
Starting with book one: A Stranger's Wish by Gayle Roper
A Stranger's Wish is the story of Kristie Matthews who has the unique experience to get to live on an Amish farm with an Amish family, even though she is an Englischer.
Kristie has always been the "odd one out" in her family. She comes from a family of lawyers and was expected to go into the family profession and work at the family firm. However, as Kristie progressed through school she easily decided that the life of a lawyer was the last thing she wanted. Instead of being starched and logical like her family, Kristie is colorful and an aspiring artist who absolutely loves painting watercolors, an activity her family scoffs on and does not consider a profession.
To make matters worse, Kristie's boyfriend, Todd, also a lawyer, finds most of her traits annoying and she feels as if he is constantly trying to change her. He doesn't like her painting, he doesn't understand her living on an Amish farm, he doesn't understand her colorful outfits, and their relationship seems to have a lot of strain. However, Kristie knows he is a good man, a good Christian man, who does, in fact, have a good heart and he is loved by her family, one of the few things in her life that her family actually approves of.
Kristie's adventure begins shortly after she moves onto the Zook farm and gets bit by their dog, Hawk, as she goes to pet him, not realizing he has a painful cut that she touches. Kristie is taken to the hospital at the insistance of a young man, John Clarke Griffin who arrived at the farm to visit one of the Zooks' sons, Jake, and the rest of the Zook family.
Though he injury is minor, not even requiring stitches, at the hospital Kristie meets an older man, Mr. Geohagan, who comes into the E.R. in the midst of having a heart attack and gives her a key, one which he does not explain what it goes to, and asks her to keep it for him. In a spur of the moment decision, she agrees to keep it, not knowing the adventure she is in for, and how one little key which opens one little lock will forever change her life...
In a story of intrigue, mystery, romance and Christian vales, along with being set in an Amish background, the book is a great tale of an Englischer experiencing the Amish world and finding herself along the way.
While it was not, perhaps, my most favorite Amish fiction book that I have ever read, it is one well worth reading, especially since it had an air of mystery mixed in, something I always enjoy. If ind it nice to mix between Amish fiction which involves solely Amish characters, and Amish fiction which involves Englischers experiencing the Amish world firsthand.
It is definitely a pretty believable story, at least insofar as the character development. I really liked Kristie, and was rooting for her along the way. The only part I did not enjoy is how all the lawyers in the book were portrayed as condescending, unyielding and not understanding. This is probably because I, myself, am in law school and an aspiring lawyer, and though I realize stereotypes may exist for a reason, it gets a bit redundant to see the same clichés over and over, especially in portraying lawyers as cold, unyielding and most of the time, heartless.
However, the lawyer we experience the most, Todd, Kristie's boyfriend, we learn more about in the next book, and it definitely paints him in a different light. But that review is for another time.
I recommend A Stranger's Wish to those who enjoy Amish fiction, or to those who enjoy Christian fiction but know little of the Amish, as many things are explained that those unfamiliar with the culture would probably be unaware of.
Four out of five stars!
March 21, 2016
This was a strange book, or at least it started out that way to me, but if I'd gone with my first impressions of the beginning of the book and not finished it, I would have missed a really good story.
Kristie is an elementary school art teacher and watercolor painter. She rents a room on an Amish farm, to the horror of her lawyer parents and lawyer boyfriend, who don't even think her painting is worth considering as a career. She's too eccentric for them. She was supposed to go to law school and become a lawyer, just like her parents and sister, but as soon as they found out she'd changed her major to art, they stopped paying for her expenses, making it perfectly clear if she'd been doing what they'd wanted her to do, they'd still be paying for her. They helped her get her apartment, but after that, they made it clear if her chosen career couldn't pay for her expenses, she was going to have to deal with it. When they found out she was living on an Amish farm, they felt like they'd totally lost her. Her boyfriend Todd had no respect for the Amish way of life and couldn't understand Kristie's art either.
Kristie had a lot of respect for the Amish culture and considered it an honor to be able to live among them while she taught and painted. She got to know their family and some of their friends. Her introduction into their life was a rocky one, though, involving a hospital visit during which she met an old man with numerous health problems who gave her a key, telling her to tell no one she had it. She didn't even know what the key went to, but she took it.
John Clarke took her to the hospital and seemed to be her hero more than once. The mystery of the key isn't revealed until near the end of the book, and that's when things start getting suspenseful. There are a lot of complex relationships here, too, that get woven together nicely by the end of the book. The little bit of romance thrown in was nice, too.
Overall, not a bad book, although it took me a while to get into it, but once I did, I couldn't put it down. I had to find out what happened to the old man, what kind of relationship Kristie and Clarke would end up having, if any, and what about that crazy key? Where did it go and why is the old man so secretive about it?
Kristie is an elementary school art teacher and watercolor painter. She rents a room on an Amish farm, to the horror of her lawyer parents and lawyer boyfriend, who don't even think her painting is worth considering as a career. She's too eccentric for them. She was supposed to go to law school and become a lawyer, just like her parents and sister, but as soon as they found out she'd changed her major to art, they stopped paying for her expenses, making it perfectly clear if she'd been doing what they'd wanted her to do, they'd still be paying for her. They helped her get her apartment, but after that, they made it clear if her chosen career couldn't pay for her expenses, she was going to have to deal with it. When they found out she was living on an Amish farm, they felt like they'd totally lost her. Her boyfriend Todd had no respect for the Amish way of life and couldn't understand Kristie's art either.
Kristie had a lot of respect for the Amish culture and considered it an honor to be able to live among them while she taught and painted. She got to know their family and some of their friends. Her introduction into their life was a rocky one, though, involving a hospital visit during which she met an old man with numerous health problems who gave her a key, telling her to tell no one she had it. She didn't even know what the key went to, but she took it.
John Clarke took her to the hospital and seemed to be her hero more than once. The mystery of the key isn't revealed until near the end of the book, and that's when things start getting suspenseful. There are a lot of complex relationships here, too, that get woven together nicely by the end of the book. The little bit of romance thrown in was nice, too.
Overall, not a bad book, although it took me a while to get into it, but once I did, I couldn't put it down. I had to find out what happened to the old man, what kind of relationship Kristie and Clarke would end up having, if any, and what about that crazy key? Where did it go and why is the old man so secretive about it?
January 23, 2016
A STRANGER’S WISH by Gayle Roper, come to find out is a re-release of the originally titled novel “The Key”. This answered a lot of questions for me, because, though I enjoyed A STRANGER’S WISH, I didn’t find it as captivating as some of Gayle’s more recent works. With that said, there were still several positives. I loved her character development and the ease in which the characters came together. The interaction between Kristie and Jake was pure and honest. At times I found myself wishing these two would end up together. I had mixed feeling about Mr. Geohagan. At times, he was a dear older man in need of companionship, and at other times he was self-centered and unaffected by the danger he put Kristie in. His outcome was sad, but true to life. Hate is a power emotion that skews people’s thinking and never allows them to live beyond revenge.
I also enjoyed reading this “Amish-setting book” from the perspective of an outsider. I am not a fan of Amish books, but enjoyed this one because of its unique point of view. Though, I must say, I was a little disappointed in the fact that Kristie encountered one bazaar incident after another but never thought to involve the police. This didn’t ring true to me. No matter how gutsy Kristie was, she was still a single girl away from home with men pushing her around left and right. I think she would’ve been practical enough to call the police. I even began to suspect Clarke might be part of the problem since he didn’t insist she go to the police.
Over all, A STRANGER’S WISH was a quick, light read. It exposed the reader to the Amish life and some of their traditions without that being the main focus.
Book provided for review purposes.
I also enjoyed reading this “Amish-setting book” from the perspective of an outsider. I am not a fan of Amish books, but enjoyed this one because of its unique point of view. Though, I must say, I was a little disappointed in the fact that Kristie encountered one bazaar incident after another but never thought to involve the police. This didn’t ring true to me. No matter how gutsy Kristie was, she was still a single girl away from home with men pushing her around left and right. I think she would’ve been practical enough to call the police. I even began to suspect Clarke might be part of the problem since he didn’t insist she go to the police.
Over all, A STRANGER’S WISH was a quick, light read. It exposed the reader to the Amish life and some of their traditions without that being the main focus.
Book provided for review purposes.
December 22, 2014
Book#1 -series Amish Farm triolgy,"A Stranger's Wish" by Gayle Roper
I have read these books back to front, 3-2-1 at different times and it was fun with the characters. I am sure it would have been better had I read this one first though.
this books starts with mystery and runs through the story. Kristie Matthews comes from a well to do family of lawyers and they wanted her to follow in their steps but she marches to a different drummer and wants to paint. She moves to an amish farm and rents rooms to live in area that is ripe for a painter to find lots to paint.
At the beginning she is bitten by a dog and goes to ER where she meets a stranger who gives her a key to keep for him and this begins the mystery.
Come read this story and meet some wonderful characters and the Zooks family that live here midst the amish folks.
Kristie will learn much about others and herself as she lives in Lancaster County. She is caught up in danger while she has this mysterious key and tries to help its owner come to terms with God and his faith.
I have read these books back to front, 3-2-1 at different times and it was fun with the characters. I am sure it would have been better had I read this one first though.
this books starts with mystery and runs through the story. Kristie Matthews comes from a well to do family of lawyers and they wanted her to follow in their steps but she marches to a different drummer and wants to paint. She moves to an amish farm and rents rooms to live in area that is ripe for a painter to find lots to paint.
At the beginning she is bitten by a dog and goes to ER where she meets a stranger who gives her a key to keep for him and this begins the mystery.
Come read this story and meet some wonderful characters and the Zooks family that live here midst the amish folks.
Kristie will learn much about others and herself as she lives in Lancaster County. She is caught up in danger while she has this mysterious key and tries to help its owner come to terms with God and his faith.
September 24, 2011
This book made me think. Roper has introduced some spiritual truths that really captured my attention.
They are woven through the story, in no way 'preachy', but touched my heart and set me to thinking. I love when I find a book that helps me draw closer to God's truth and this one certainly did.
Kristie's first person account is sharp and witty and heartfelt. We learn about the Amish culture through her eyes and Roper is an author who hasn't romanticized the people and the religion. She portrays their struggles to live in the middle of the ever encroaching Englischer world and the effects it has on their community with honesty and compassion.
The mystery has some surprising twists and turns that build to a page-turning action sequence. And in the middle of it all Kristie picks her way around a complicated love live. Angst on all sides!
Roper has created a memorable cast of characters who bring Lancaster County to life and make me eager to rush out and get the next book in the series.
They are woven through the story, in no way 'preachy', but touched my heart and set me to thinking. I love when I find a book that helps me draw closer to God's truth and this one certainly did.
Kristie's first person account is sharp and witty and heartfelt. We learn about the Amish culture through her eyes and Roper is an author who hasn't romanticized the people and the religion. She portrays their struggles to live in the middle of the ever encroaching Englischer world and the effects it has on their community with honesty and compassion.
The mystery has some surprising twists and turns that build to a page-turning action sequence. And in the middle of it all Kristie picks her way around a complicated love live. Angst on all sides!
Roper has created a memorable cast of characters who bring Lancaster County to life and make me eager to rush out and get the next book in the series.
March 22, 2010
A bit different take on traditional Amish stories, this was a fast, easy read. While I found much of the premise implausible, this was still an appealing story. I would have thought that Kristie could have made connections between the robbery/attacks sooner, and I kept wondering why she never reported any of it to the police. Her new boyfriend, however, saves the day in true heroic fashion.
I would have loved more character development but these characters still kind of grow on you. What I did enjoy were the conversations, especially between Kristie and Jake, the disabled son of the Amish family with whom she boarded. The discussions about the differences between the Amish faith and Christianity were fascinating.
A light escapist read. Easily recommended. This is a reprint/update of The Key, originally published in 1998.
I would have loved more character development but these characters still kind of grow on you. What I did enjoy were the conversations, especially between Kristie and Jake, the disabled son of the Amish family with whom she boarded. The discussions about the differences between the Amish faith and Christianity were fascinating.
A light escapist read. Easily recommended. This is a reprint/update of The Key, originally published in 1998.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews