Tag: Pleasant Valley

Guest Review: Sarah’s Gift by Marta Perry

Posted March 10, 2011 by Book Binge Guest Blogger in Reviews | 2 Comments

Judith‘s review of Sarah’s Gift by Marta Perry.

After years in a disappointing, childless marriage and now widowed at only twenty-six, Amish midwife Sarah Mast moves to Pleasant Valley for a fresh start. But unpleasant surprises beset Sarah when she joins her aging aunt’s dwindling midwife practice. Signs of her aunt’s decline suggest that she may no longer be capable of meeting the rigorous demands of her work. With Sarah’s last dollar now invested in the birthing center, can she help her aunt face the truth and run the practice alone?

Aaron Miller, Sarah’s neighbor, counts himself among the skeptics until he witnesses the dedication and love Sarah has for her patients. But when an English doctor files a complaint against Sarah and she is ordered not to deliver any more babies until a court hearing, Aaron’s misgivings resurface . . . just as his own sister faces a birthing crisis and only Sarah is available to help. In the midst of such difficulties, Sarah prays for the strength to defend her practice, care for her patients, and win the hearts of the community she has grown to love.

This is the fourth novel in the Pleasant Valley series and it is another fine offering by author Marta Perry. Drawing on her own first-hand knowledge of the Amish culture and ways, the story of Sarah is told with grace and sensitivity. The gentle persona that Sarah is comes through as the reader walks with her as she hopes and prays and even invests her savings to make the midwife practice successful and to give quality care to the expectant mothers who opt for care by the midwife rather than go to the local hospital to have their babies. Midwives have long been a part of the Amish community. In fact, there was a time when Amish women had little if anything to do with the “English” medical community. As Sarah found out, not all doctors accept and support the work of the Amish midwife. The doctor closest to Pleasant Valley certainly gave evidence that he would rather see the midwife practice closed. What most people don’t know is that Amish midwives are very well trained, recognize difficulties and signs that the expectant mother needs care beyond the midwife’s capabilities. Their success rate is quite phenomenal.

In Sarah’s case, she had always wanted to practice with her aunt who had served the Pleasant Valley Amish community for years. It did not take long to recognize that Aunt Emma was in trouble–mood swings, vacant stares, and ultimately, an episode right in the middle of a delivery. Thankfully Sarah was able to step in and prevent disaster. Almost from the first, Sarah encountered resistance to her expanding her aunt’s practice. Her neighbor, Aaron Miller, was totally opposed to her practice as Aaron’s mother was the only mother Aunt Emma lost for decades. Little did Aaron realize that for years Aunt Emma and the few others who knew the truth of what happened that fateful night had kept the truth from him, thinking to protect his relationship with his now-dead father.

This novel is a wonderful glimpse into this aspect of Amish life and the surprising relationship many have with the “English” on a number of levels. As always, Ms Perry brings her characters to life so that the reader can so easily be a part of the story. It is a story of old hurt and wounds, of the unwillingness to forgive, anger over the loss of a mother, resentment that a young teen had to carry the responsibility for siblings, romantic attraction that takes a beating in the face of all those negative feeling. Aaron failed to realize that Sarah believed that her empathy with the mothers-to-be, her skill in time of crisis, her patience and desire to be of service was God’s gift to be used for the community. There are several occasions in the story that Sarah’s calm and sure presence made significant difference, especially for first-time parents.

I found this story to be very inspirational. Certainly everyone realizes that the Amish way of life is based on their faith and their manner of living is intended to reflect the strength of their faith. Even in real life the gentle strength of the Amish has been seen when crisis has intruded on their way of life. The biggest mistake most non-Amish people can make is to assume that their non-violent ways is an indication of their inept approach to living. If anything it is the opposite. We see this in Sarah’s response to the complaint filed against her, in her willingness to brave any kind of difficulty if it will mean that she has an opportunity to carry on what she believes to be the Lord’s work. The great sadness in Sarah’s heart is that no matter the strength of her and Aaron’s attraction, he just can’t seem to accept her as she is and to support her work as a ministry to her community.

Readers will find much to like in this novel. Those who have read the first three novels will recognize some of the participants in this novel which moves those background stories along. Leah, Rachel, and Anna, all subjects of the first three novels are present to welcome Sarah to her now home. There is the whole matter of how a person responds to circumstances that are completely out of one’s control. Sarah’s response was based in her faith, her life of prayer, her conviction that ultimately God’s will prevails. And whether or not the reader is a person of faith, there is still an admiration for the quality of her belief that supports her in a tough situation. Readers will once again encounter the strength of the community as they stand in the gap for one another. It is one of the Amish qualities that never seems to get sidetracked. This fourth novel is every bit as good as the first three, and that is just not always the case. Perry evidently has the moxie to make that happen. So I hope if you are just a little curious about these wonderful people and Sarah in particular, you will manage to read this book.

I give this novel a rating of 4.5 out of 5.

The series:

You can read more from Judith at Dr. J’s Book Place.

This book is available from Berkley. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

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Tagged: 4.5 Reviews, Amish Books, Berkley, Guest Reviews, Judith's Reviews, Marta Perry, Pleasant Valley, Reviews

Guest Review: Anna’s Return by Marta Perry

Posted June 23, 2010 by Book Binge Guest Blogger in Reviews | 0 Comments

Judith‘s review of Anna’s Return by Marta Perry

After spending three years in the English world, Anna Beiler has come home. She brings with her a baby girl, which will surely cause a stir since Anna is unmarried. She is also hiding secrets: The baby is not hers by birth, nor does Anna intend to stay. Rather, she desperately needs sanctuary from the child’s violent father.

It surprises Anna how quickly her Amish habits return to her and how satisfying it feels to reconnect with her father, her sister Leah, and her brother, Joseph. Even Anna’s childhood friend Samuel, whose slow, thoughtful manner used to frustrate her, becomes a fond and reassuring companion. But Anna hasn’t fully faced the consequences of her irresponsible youth, when her behavior led to a tragic accident. And now her mere presence may endanger the family she holds dear. How easy it is to return to the safe and familiar community whose blessings she once took for granted. But if she wants to stay, Anna must seek forgiveness and experience the true change of heart required to make a new beginning.

This is the third book in Perry’s Pleasant Valley Series that picks up the story of Leah’s sister, a story that was told initially along with Leah’s in book one. Anna, a rebellious and flighty and know-it-all teen has opted to exercise her right to rumspringa, a period of life exploration given to teens and young adults by the Amish tradition. Anna decided that she was thoroughly fed up, angry with, and resistant to her family and their old-fashioned, religion-bound ways. And so she spreads her wings, takes up partying, driving, drinking, carousing, and living independently with the family of her then-boyfriend.

Anna’s journey of discovery is slowly revealed in this book as the back story is interwoven in the plot of this tale. She rediscovers her family and their deep acceptance, but now she sees it through the eyes of motherhood because she is now the adoptive mother of little Gracie, the daughter of her best friend and “roomie” in Chicago who died almost immediately after Gracie’s birth from leukemia. But she is hiding from a violent man who now seeks to wrest Gracie from her, a man who is a convicted felon, who signed away his rights to Gracie even before she was born, and who abandoned Gracie’s mother not only during her pregnancy but in the final days of her terminal illness. Needless to say, Anna has experienced life at a level she never anticipated and it has changed the way she now sees her old community. She honestly believes that being so far from Chicago and “hidden” in her Amish village can protect her and Gracie, but she lives in fear that somehow she will have to run again.

This is truly one of the inspirational novels that can warm your heart with its gentle characters, its non-violent and forgiving ways, its family loyalty and kindness under the most trying of circumstances. Anna finds a gentle acceptance and understanding from her friend Samuel who also “jumped the fence” for almost a year in search of his father who decided to leave the Amish community when Samuel was 16 years old. He not only left a way of life but he left a wife and two children. Samuel returned because his mother was dying, but he shares some of the struggles he still must face, doubts about himself, worries about the strength of his faith, and his growing attachment and deepening feeling for Anna.

This is the kind of novel I love to read — I was raised by a Mennonite father and my paternal grandparents were very much in this kind of mindset as the Mennonite community is thought to be “kissing cousins” with the Amish. There is an old saying that claims that ” . . . our grandmothers baked bread together . . . ” if we know there is a connection but we can’t find out exactly what it is. So I can understand the deep desire to be connected to the earth, to be steadfast in their understanding of obedience to the faith, and a desire to be extended family to one another. But Anna is still struggling with the sense of being tied to so many people, of giving up her personal freedom, of worrying about what her life will be like and whether this is the best life for her daughter.

There is just simply not anything in this book that is not to like. Perry brings a wealth of personal background to these books which grows out her own exposure to the Amish tradition during her childhood. She is a writer of note and one that has proven time and again that she can tell a story that is readable, understandable, with a well-developed plot and well-defined characters, using a number of literary devices to fill in the blanks for the reader. All in all, this is a book I plan on giving to my teen granddaughters and urging them to enjoy and learn. This book is an example of what a romantic, in-depth study in human nature looks like while entertaining and uplifting the reader.

I give this book a rating of 5 out of 5.

The Series:

You can read more from Judith at Dr J’s Book Place

This book is available from Berkley. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

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Tagged: 5.0 Reviews, Berkley, Guest Reviews, Judith's Reviews, Marta Perry, Omish, Pleasant Valley, Reviews

Guest Review: Leah’s Choice by Marta Perry

Posted February 16, 2010 by Book Binge Guest Blogger in Reviews | 2 Comments

Judith’s review of Leah’s Choice (Pleasant Valley book 1) by Marta Perry

The blessings of lasting tradition—or the challenge of somethng new? All of Pleasant Valley seems to think the newcomer from Lancaster County is the perfect match for Teacher Leah. After all, so few new families come to their secluded Amish community, and fewer still unmarried men. That Daniel Glick is a widower with three young children to look after while he manages his farm should make him even more open to the idea of marriage

But Daniel’s past haunts him at every turn. Though he cannot miss the beauty in Leah’s bright eyes and patient ways, but he also sees a reminder of the pain he came so far to escape. And Leah has a burden on her heart that could daunt even someone as strong and steady as Daniel. Years ago she was engaged to Johnny Kile, a young man who became swept up in the outside world, leaving her behind, alone and heartbroken. Since then she has immersed herself in her love of the children she teaches, forgetting any hopes of having her own family. When Johnny returns, seeking reconciliation, Leah suddenly must decide between two pathways, either of which will change her life forever.

Author Marta Perry, drawing upon her own Pennsylvania Dutch roots, has written a gentle and inspiring story of a lonely woman in an Amish community in central Pennsylvania. Teacher Leah, as she is respectfully and fondly called, has subjugated her personal grief and broken heart in the task of providing the best possible education that can be had within the Amish Tradition. She and her younger sister Anna are the only sibling still at home with her parents and her sister is already involved in the rumspringa, the period given to all older teens in every Amish community to come and go and become involved in the outer world. Each must then decide whether to leave the community or return, declare their desire to stay, be baptized, and join the church and community. Anna appears to be wandering farther and farther away from her Amish roots.

Add to Leah’s conflict the re-appearance of her old fiance who had betrayed his promises to her and left the community permanently ten years earlier. He appears to be trying to re-establish contact with his family, especially his twin sister who is Leah’s best friend, and he also invites her to volunteer her time at a local clinic that is seeking to find treatments for those children suffering from genetically caused diseases. Working with Johnny causes increasing pressure on Leah. The match-making women of the Amish also are constantly seeking to throw Leah in the path of Daniel who is looking for a mother for his children but who is guarding his heart zealously because of past hurts. All this within the context of a community that is built on friendship, family, faith, mutual respect and hope for the future, respect for the land, and a desire to maintain a tradition of faith and life that has sustained them for hundreds of years.

I didn’t know if I would enjoy this book, but after beginning the story I found so much that reminded me of my father’s tradition in the Mennonite community in the Northern Plains of America. The greatest conflict in this story is that between the Amish Tradition and the lure of the outside world. The pain of Anna’s defection, the hurt and scars of Johnny’s leaving, Leah’s own love of learning and scholarship that can only go so far, – all are constantly whirling in her mind and in her heart. I think this book really chronicles Leah’s journey of learning where she belongs, finding her own inner serenity, and gaining what is often called “a settled heart.” Then, and only then, can she open her heart and mind to the future and to the love she truly desires. I liked the way the author took the time to develop the personalities and give shape and form to the characters. Each is really an icon of the kinds of people one will find in every community, especially one that is so defined as the Amish.

This is not one of your hot and heavy romances, but its exploration of the human heart and spirit make it a worthy literary effort. This is not so much about religion as it is about the marriage of faith and living. Leah really symbolizes every individual who must come that critical point of choosing whether to live in the outside world or remain within the Amish context. Marta Perry writes delightful books and she has done it again! When I finished the final page, I said to myself, “That was really a wonderful book.”

I give this book a rating of 5 out of 5.

The series: