A Most Thought Provoking Book!!

         "An Empty Cup"
         By Sarah Price

Synopsis:

Amish woman Rosanna Zook lost her self-confidence within the confines of a loveless and abusive marriage. In the years spent quietly dealing with her burdens and dutifully caring for others, she forgot her sense of self and ability to feel. But after her first husband’s untimely death, she gets a second chance with Reuben Troyer, a godly man who welcomes Rosanna and her two children into his life.

Despite the love and respect she finds in her new marriage, Rosanna soon learns that juggling the demands of her family and church community is more than she can handle. When Rosanna becomes ill, she is forced to confront a hard truth: one empty cup cannot fill another. For a woman who has spent her life giving, will Rosanna finally be able to let go and receive?

Sarah Price's newest book  makes one look at life in a deep, thoughtful manner. How many of us have felt empty??? We have given and given, of ourselves to others, but have never been able to accept others reciprocating!  It is so easy to get  busy seeing to the needs of others, as we think a good Christian should,  that we forget that we ourselves have a life that can become forgotten.

The setting of this novel is one that we think should be peaceful and calm, an Amish home. Surprisingly, this is far from the truth! The reader quickly becomes aware that even within the Plain People, there can be devastating events, that challenges one's faith. They are not exempt from problems of the world!  

Rosanna, the main character, becomes your best friend , the minute you open the book. She is a faithful wife and mother, who experiences horrendous challenges in her own home. It is hard not to become deeply involved with this character as Rosanna is so realistically described. I must say that I became so engrossed in her problems that my desire to reach out and shake Timothy and knock some sense into him was strong. Rueben was the kind of man that we all desire to have in our lives, kind, caring and God loving. Sarah Price always puts a somewhat quirky character in her story and this book was no exception, but you must  read to discover who this was.

The plot was well developed and had so many twists and turns that you constantly were kept guessing as to what the next event would be. It keeps you  glued to the page as  the world passes you by. The  whole message of this novel  
is unlike any other I have ever read in the Amish genre.You have your eyes opened to the fact that the Amish are regular people with similar problems to you and I. 

Definitely, a five star book!! A unique and compelling message!!

This book was provided in exchange for a fair and honest review.

About the Author

The author of more than two dozen novels, Sarah Price brings twenty-five years of experience of living among the Amish to her books, many of which have been Amazon Top 100 Bestsellers. Her recent title First Impressions: An Amish Adaptation of Pride and Prejudice debuted in the ECPA Christian Fiction Top 25 Bestseller List a month after publication.
Price has family roots in the same region of rural Pennsylvania where many of her stories are set; the Preiss family emigrated from Europe in 1705 and settled in the state along with the area’s first wave of Mennonites. Born into a Mennonite family, Price has firsthand experience with the culture and religion of both the Mennonites and the Amish. Her grandparents first introduced her to the world of the Amish in 1978, and since then Price has visited and even lived among different Amish communities in Lancaster County.