Filled with gripping drama: My review of The Wounded Heart by Adina Senft

 

Publisher: FaithWords (September 27, 2011)

Since the passing of her husband, widow Amelia Beiler has focused on caring for her 2 sons, running her late husband's pallet buisness, and making quilts with her closest two friends. However, Amelia starts experiencing strange physical ailments that she is unable to ignore, such as tingling and loss of movement in her left arm. After she seeks medical help, she receives a difficult diagnosis that presents a stunning expectation of loss for Amelia, one that forces her to face difficult decisions about the future of her business, whether to take a chance on new love, and even the possibility of being shunned by her Amish community.

Adina Senft has created a promising beginning in this first book of her "Amish Quilt" series, filled with memorable characters, a true wrestling with tough questions about suffering and God, and heart-gripping drama. Amelia's medical journey was fascinating to behold, and the unexpected twists kept the pages churning through my fingers. Senft perfectly captures the Amish setting of the novel, causing me both to long for the simplicity and beauty of the Amish way, but also to ponder with puzzlement some of the decisions made by the Ordnung. Amelia is an endearing character, and there were a few laugh-out-loud moments for me that I wasn't even expecting. The outcome of some of the gossip flying around the community especially had me chuckling! When I came to the end of the book, I was left craving more, and I am thankful that this is only the first book in the series!

Although this is the first book I have read by the author, she has been added to my "must read" list. If you are a fan of Amish fiction, then plan on reading The Wounded Heart soon!

I highly recommend this novel and give it 5 out of 5 stars.

Book provided courtesy of the publisher for the purposes of this unbiased review.