"Katie Opens Her Heart"By Jerry Eicher
Once again, one of my favorite authors, Jerry, has started another winning series in the Amish fiction genre, entitled "Emma Raber's Daughter". After completing the first book, I can already tell it will be another hit with those of us who are Amish fiction fans!! Upon finishing this book, I can hardly wait for the next.
The main character, Katie is known in the community as just "Emma Rader's daughter. This is not a good thing for her, as her mother is thought to be strange and not one to be friends with, by those who know her. People think her very unapproachable and prefer to stay away, rather than be rebuffed. After her husband's death, Emma withdrew from all community activities and life in general.
However, there is ONE man who believes in Katie's mamm. Jesse Mast, a widower, actually asks Emma to marry him!! Of course, she refuses!! This is extremely upsetting and disappointing to Katie, as she has hoped that remarrying would rid her mamm of bitterness, as well as having a young, handsome man, Ben Stoll, notice her! Her hopes are dashed as Emma continues to refuse to even entertain the thoughts of marrying again. Katie is overwhelmed with disappointment and so frustrated that she begins attending Mennonite gatherings in the area. This , in turn, upsets her mother immensely. For a young Amish woman to stray to the Mennonites is thought to be turning away from her faith and the Amish way of life.
Will Emma ever change from the bitter widow to a happy wife?? Will Katie ever be happy and content?? Only God can provide what they each need, but will they follow His plan?
Jerry has a real talent when developing new characters. They were all realistic and had typical difficulties with which to deal. Katie became my very good friend. I could easily empathize with her as well as rejoice. I felt her frustrations and disappointments, wanting to sit her down and give her hope, as well as some advice!! To me, this is what makes a good book- when I become connected and identify with the characters! All of the characters were realistic and well described. You could picture each as the story progressed. The personality of Katie's mom, Emma, had me totally frustrated and yes, at times, even feeling a bit angry, at her demands and attitude.
The plot, although simple in nature, was well developed and kept me glued to the page. There were enough twists in the plot to keep a reader satisfied and interested. The Amish faith was realistically and accurately described, as the problems that the characters had were identified and dealt with.
Jerry has once again been successful in capturing my attention in this new series. I can hardly wait to read the next book to see what happens next in Katie's and Emma's lives!! I would highly recommend this book!!
Definitely worth the read!
This book was provided by the author and Harvest House in exchange for a fair and honest review.
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