Mennonite Ella Bayer has a plan for her life. She wants to
go to baking school, then join the Amish church and marry
her sweetheart, Ezra Gundy. Their families don't like that
idea, and Ezra's father decides to send him to a different
community, to apprentice at a dairy farm.
Ella wants to leave Lancaster County, too. Her father, who
abandoned the family when she was three, has come home, and
she doesn't want to see him. She also has a journal, written
by her great-grandmother Sarah. Parts of it are written in
code, and her grandmother wants her to visit Sarah's home in
Indiana, to look for clues to decipher it. Ella finds a room
for rent near the Home Place, and plots to get Ezra a job at
a nearby dairy farm. Everything is perfect.
Their families are furious. Ezra is sent home, and Ella is
all but ordered to stay. She reluctantly moves to the Home
Place and tries to fit in, but nothing is going right. Her
baking instructor belittles her efforts. Her attempts to
build business for her cousin's bakery fall flat. And the
only person she knows who's her age, Luke Kline, barely says
two words to her. She puts her faith in God and counts the
days until she can return to Pennsylvania.
When an unthinkable accident sends her rushing home sooner
than expected, she's forced to make a choice about her
future. She realizes that she can have her dream, it's just
a little different from the plan she started out with.
The title, THE AMISH BRIDE, refers to Ella. She wants to
join the Amish church primarily so she can marry Ezra.
Through the course of the book, she comes to understand that
her decision to join the church should come from her own
heart. The decision is less about "what" she wants to be and
more about "who" she wants to be.
Authors Mindy Starns Clark and Leslie Gould have done an
amazing job of weaving the details of Amish culture and
beliefs -- and the differences between Amish and Mennonite
communities -- into Ella's thoughts and conversations. The
authors have developed complex, realistic characters, whose
faith -- or in some cases, lack of faith -- is very genuine.
THE AMISH BRIDE doesn't feel fast-paced, though a lot does
happen, some of it quite emotional. The story has mystery,
love, dysfunctional families, teen angst, a precocious
child, and several life-and-death events, but I believe it's
suitable for young readers as well as adults. Faith and
prayer are an important part of Ella's story, but unlike
some other Christian fiction I've read, it never feels
heavy-handed or preachy. It won't be everyone's cup of tea,
but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Finishing the book, I felt like
I'd really watched a young woman grow up and find her way to
the right path. That's a testament to the authors' skill and
the story's strength.
Bestselling authors Mindy Starns Clark and Leslie Gould
offer readers The Amish Bride, Book 3 in the Women of
Lancaster County series, which tells the stories of young
Plain women as they explore their roots, connect with
family, and discover true love.
Ella Bayer and Ezra Gundy are in love and hope to marry
someday, but she is a young Mennonite woman while he is an
Amish man. Though both Plain, one of them will have to
forsake what they believe to embrace another way of life.
Hoping some distance will cool the relationship, Ezra’s
family sends him to work at an Amish dairy farm in Indiana.
But Ella disregards what her family wants and follows Ezra.
In short order she finds a place to live, a job in a bakery,
and an unexpected but budding friendship with a handsome
Amish farmhand, Luke. When a family tragedy forces Ella back
to Pennsylvania, she must face all she’s been running away
from. And once she has made peace with those around her, she
has an important decision to make: Whose Amish bride will
she become—Ezra’s or Luke’s?
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