Dorcas is a tall, sensible-looking girl who honours her
parents and has been praying for a beau since she was
fifteen, without luck. Now she's finally managed to gain a
job, working for a widow named Sara, which will help her
family's strained finances, and she feels grown-up.
Falling
into a briar patch isn't a good start, but the handsome
clean-shaven - so unmarried - man who picks her up is
amused, and prefers to call her by her middle name, Addy.
A MATCH FOR ADDY hasn't been on the cards, but this
workman
Gideon is a stranger to the Delaware community, from
Wisconsin. He doesn't know she normally respects her
mother's wish to dress in drab colours and today is
wearing
her first new lavender dress. In fact, he's the first
Plain
man who hasn't dismissed her outright. This is the most
exciting thing that's happened to the girl in years.
Gideon
turns out to have unexpected skills, like sewing and
making
excellent spiced sausage. Given that there are unwed
girls
with dowries willing to pay the matchmaker, though, is
there any point in Addy raising her hopes?
I thoroughly enjoyed the descriptions of the Amish
community activities. While dancing is not approved, the
young people gather for lively singing evenings or
softball
while Sundays mean a church service followed by a communal
meal. The women don't wear wedding rings, so single girls
might choose to serve a man with extra food or tea to let
him know of their interest. The Amish Matchmaker
series
follows on from the Hannah's Daughters series by Emma
Miller, so we meet many familiar faces and the friendly
herd of alpacas. The main new character is Sara Yoder, an
easygoing, wise lady who has come to live here and carry
on
her matchmaking for everyone's benefit. Newcomers would
find A MATCH FOR ADDY an ideal place to start if they wish
to know more about the lifestyle. The gentle romance and
dilemmas are a pleasant antidote to today's busy world
while this is still a modern tale. Emma Miller's many fans
won't be disappointed.
Spinster Addy Coblentz fears she'll never marry. So her
parents hire the new matchmaker who's moved to their Amish
community of Seven Poplars. But Addy doesn't just want a
match. She wants love. While some of her potential suitors
are perfectly fine, only one man catches her eye. Gideon
Esch is everything Addy's looking for: strong, kind—and
handsome. But he's only a poor hired hand who can never
give
her family the stability they want. With her future
happiness at stake, will Addy follow the rules or
follow her
heart?
THE AMISH MATCHMAKER: Bringing love to Seven Poplars— one
couple at a time!