I happen to love the film Witnesswith Harrison Ford which is about an ?English? man living in an Amish community ? and this book is written on a similar theme, but without the grisly murder. It is essentially a love story with sad bits and surprises, and I liked the characters involved and the story moved along at a good pace. It appealed to me because it had several sub-plots interweaving through the main story of how a young Amish girl copes with the death of her father and enters a marriage that was not what she had expected. There are ?English? characters who help the story along by showing the conflict between community living and a materialistic life-style; and also we see the theme of how the Amish can live for their community alone without fully understanding the Christian Faith that underpins it, as several of the young people struggle to determine whether they will stay with the Amish or leave the stable family life that they have had, to experience life with the English. The simplicity of the Amish life is described well and the rhythm of life throughout each year is very evident in the farming community ? the author manages to make it a very appealing lifestyle. I read the book in two sittings ? I enjoyed the twists and turns and was satisfied with the ending, which although I am a hopeless romantic, wasn?t over mushy and left enough loose ends to leave you thinking - ?I wonder what happens afterwards...?

I happen to love the film Witnesswith Harrison Ford which is about an ‘English’ man living in an Amish community – and this book is written on a similar theme, but without the grisly murder. It is essentially a love story with sad bits and surprises, and I liked the characters involved and the story moved along at a good pace. It appealed to me because it had several sub-plots interweaving through the main story of how a young Amish girl copes with the death of her father and enters a marriage that was not what she had expected. There are ‘English’ characters who help the story along by showing the conflict between community living and a materialistic life-style; and also we see the theme of how the Amish can live for their community alone without fully understanding the Christian Faith that underpins it, as several of the young people struggle to determine whether they will stay with the Amish or leave the stable family life that they have had, to experience life with the English. The simplicity of the Amish life is described well and the rhythm of life throughout each year is very evident in the farming community – the author manages to make it a very appealing lifestyle. I read the book in two sittings – I enjoyed the twists and turns and was satisfied with the ending, which although I am a hopeless romantic, wasn’t over mushy and left enough loose ends to leave you thinking - ‘I wonder what happens afterwards...”