When we go out to eat, I typically order a “safe” meal. Even if it doesn’t taste that great, I feel obligated to eat it because I’m paying for it. I just mindlessly consume calories. That’s a bit how I felt about Pennsylvania Patchwork by Kate Lloyd. This was the epitome of what I imagine an Amish romance novel to be. It wasn’t a terrible book. It just wasn’t something I really enjoyed reading, nor will I pick it up to read again. It was just a book to pass the time while I participated in the book tour for Pennsylvania Patchwork. Much like a well-designed menu, the summary sounded good.
ONE HEART. TWO LOVES. ONE CHOICE.
Seattle native Holly Fisher is smitten by Lancaster County, its simplicity and her long lost relatives. In the sequel to bestselling Leaving Lancaster, Holly embraces the Amish culture, learning to slow down to see what – and who – really matters.
Sounds gripping, right? Those who really enjoy Amish culture stories probably loved this book. The story was fairly interesting, if not believable. The premise of two women–mother and daughter—standing at the crossroads of the Amish lifestyle and the “Englisch” way was interesting to me. The story just wasn’t well executed. Each chapter changed perspectives, so that I felt confused about whose point of view I was seeing through. Also, two of the characters (Holly and Esther) were so obviously desperate for a husband. I couldn’t stand that! Maybe it’s just my girlfriend pride, but I wanted to say, “Get a life already!!!” The only person who seemed to have it together was the grandmother, Anna. She was a tough old bird and I liked her down to the core. There was an element of mystery in the story woven through two characters. Basically it was the same idea……is my long-lost spouse alive? I also wanted to find out what the root of the problem was between the brothers Nathaniel and Armin. Now that I think about it, maybe I did like the story a bit more than I realized because I really wanted to see how it ended. Hmmm….food for thought.
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