Book Review: The Wonder of Your Love

“The Wonder of Your Love” is the second novel in the Land of Caanan series. The nice thing about this series (at least these first two books) is that they are not sequential books about the same character. The first book, “Seek Me With All Your Heart,” was about two different characters who live in the same community of Caanan. You can read them independently without feeling like you are missing part of the story.

This book centers around Katie Ann Stoltzfus, a widow raising her late-in-life first baby. She meets and forms a friendship with Eli Detweiler, a relative of a family friend. They are attracted to each other, but neither one wants to start a relationship due to their very different stages in life. He has finished raising his children; she is just beginning.

This book was unlike many other Amish books that I have read. It provided a different portrait of the Amish. Granted, most Amish fiction seems to be a bit romanticized and idealized – but this book did a good job of portraying the Amish as real people with real problems. Despite living apart, they go through tough times the same way anyone else does. For example, Katie Ann is reeling from her deceased husband’s infidelity and the unanswered questions about his feelings and commitment to her.

I also enjoyed the character of Martha in the story. She is Katie Ann’s English friend who has been accepted into the Amish community. Martha is almost a second mother to Katie, a woman with a somewhat gruff exterior but a kind heart. She considers herself to be honest, forthright and a “snappy dresser.” I thought she was a hoot and added humor and liveliness into the story.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this book and liked the different perspective the author brings to Amish fiction.

Note: I received a copy of this book free of charge from BookSneeze in exchange for an honest review.