I said that it’s a sweet story, and it is. Emma was orphaned at 7. She went to live with her bitter grandmother and then was sent to live with her aunt and uncle. They showed preference for their daughter. This left Emma feeling utterly alone and wanted by no one. Scattered in between were stints working for the Esh household. The mother was sick and convalescing, so Emma cooked and cleaned for the Esh family.
Thomas Esh may have grown up Amish, his youth was wayward indeed. He gambled and became drunk. It was even said that he got a girl in the family way. Now grown, he has left that life behind and is looking for a wife. When he heard that Emma’s uncle was looking for a husband for his niece, he jumped at the chance to marry her. Unfortunately, things don’t get off to a good start.
Emma is given no warning about Uncle’s plan and she doesn’t know that Thomas is coming until he arrives. She remembers him and how Mrs. Esh used to fret over him. He makes things worse by pretending not to remember her. Emma is so upset over being forced to marry someone with questionable character that she storms upstairs and then later runs away.
Months later, she returns and runs into him. The man she meets is not the man she thought he was. Could she be wrong? He asks for a second chance and she wonders if she should give it to him.
Like I said, a sweet story. The characters were likable (even if Emma is prone to giggling like a school girl — annoying!) and there’s a happy ending. It just didn’t feel like it was a story that had Amish main characters. It felt like the author had an idea for a story and slapped a few Amish features and terms on it. Oh, and didn’t do any research on what the Amish are like, just played into English stereotypes of what the Amish are like. Towards the end, it seemed like every page I was pausing to go: “That wouldn’t happen. The Amish don’t do/say/think that way.” The story setting and characters felt like it was Little House on the Prairie fan fiction retooled for a popular genre.
And then there were the grammar and consistency issues.
I thought perhaps the author was new and needed an editor. She’s written over 180 books and has been on the best seller list. It looks like most of her titles are in an Amish setting. It’s just a shame: that she thinks this is how the Amish are and that the people who read her books don’t know the difference. If you’re not sure, here’s some places where she got it wrong:
1) Amish don’t date. They don’t go out on dates. They court someone with the intention of marrying them. They don’t go anywhere unchaperoned with their interest.
2) Emma is very upset over Thomas and her uncle speaking about the engagement before he approached her. That’s not an issue for the Amish. That’s what a man of good character does: ask her guardian for permission before he even says anything to her about it.
3) The women don’t go to a man’s home alone nor do they give them a pie to indicate interest. That’s way too forward. She’d be branded loose.
4) The way both Emma and her cousin spoke to her uncle was so far outside what would be viewed as acceptable, it’s ridiculous.
5) It was rare for Emma to read the Bible or pray. I don’t recall her being gawked at when in Plain garb. The casual way that sin is regarded in not Amish.
6) The way the Amish spoke was too informal and the language too modern. It also uses idioms that they wouldn’t have come across because they’re Amish.
One of the other things that kept jarring me was the inconsistencies. One minute the toddler loves running, the next he tries to run and can’t. A table appears out of nowhere. Emma has to ask permission to take time off, even though her boss already told her that she was on vacation. Thomas doesn’t react to Emma in Englisher dress.
It’s rare for me to give a book less than 3 stars. It’s not the worst book I read, but there were so many problems with it that I couldn’t stay immersed. Practically every page. So, if you’re looking for a book that gives gives you a quaint, sweet story with an HEA, don’t let me dissuade you from reading the book. It just feels like it should be in the pioneer setting instead of an Amish one.
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