“No one could live as he had – half in the Amish world and half out – and not be dangerous.”
Jemima has been feeling her husband Roy grow distant for months. She chalked it up to the recovery from a car and buggy accident that left them living apart for a few months while he recovered and she was on bed rest for pregnancy. However, when he tells her the money is gone that has been saved for years to get her and her sister a food truck and then disappears, Jemima can’t help but think the worst. But the truth is actually something she never imagined.
The Englisch Daughter is an Amish novel about love and trust. I received an advanced copy in exchange for a fair review from Penguin Random House. I’ve never read a book by Woodsall and have actually only read a handful of Amish novels, although two were read very recently. (The Missing and The Secret by Beverly Lewis).
Jemima’s sister, Abigail, plans to stay single unless she can marry an Amish man who also lets her have some control of her own life. When Chris comes to help Roy with the horse farm, she finally feels interested in a man, but he comes with his own baggage. He enjoys boxing, which is against Amish teaching. He’ll have to choose, but Abigail won’t accept anything but a man who is entirely in one world or the other.
As the two stories unfold in The Englisch Daughter, there is more drama than you would typically expect in the Amish world. However, it makes the characters more real and authentic than I’ve seen in an Amish novel yet. I really enjoyed the story.
Do you enjoy Amish novels? Share your favorites in the comments.