I was hooked when I read the first sentence of the description, “If God wills it, Mary Yoder will do it, even if that means using crutches for the rest of her life.” The rest of the description settled it. Had to request this one.
Mary was badly injured in a buggy accident as a child and has gone through more operations than you or I want to think about. That same accident took her father’s life. Mary is 29 and lives in the Dawdi Haus. She is in pain, well, all of the time. Sometimes worse than others. She is blessed with a little calico kitty named Hope, a gift from a friend Lydia Coblentz. I met Lydia in Ruth’s Ginger Snap Surprise by the same author. Hope, the calico cat, will make you smile throughout the book.
An Amish man becomes a doctor. Of course, he’s not Amish anymore — he is Mennonite. He has taken over the practice of Doc Smith. His name is Reuben King. I found it amusing that upon meeting the dokter, Mary’s mother comments that Mennonite isn’t THAT far from Amish. I guess she really would like to see Mary married. And so would Mary but she knows the chances of that happening are remote.
Mary makes fishing flies to sell. Unique ones and they sell! She raises special roosters for their feathers. This reviewer has never fly-fished. Cane pole, cork that bobs, and a worm on a hook, yep. And I had to dig for the worms. Turns out Reuben had never fly-fished either.
Yes, you can tell what’s about to happen. But it is HOW it happens that makes Mary’s Calico Hope special. You will love Mary, Reuben, and Lydia. A section deals with courage. You want to know what courage is? Mary’s definition is exceptional. “It’s smiling when your heart is breaking so you don’t force your troubles onto other people.”
Reuben is well-meaning. He believes Mary can have more mobility and less pain with another surgery — but at times, he puts his foot in his mouth up to his kneecap. How Reuben went from being an Amish teen to being a doctor is believable. Mary struggles with having another surgery — for good reason.
When I read any book, some passages or words trigger memories. One of those was buckwheat pancakes. I hadn’t thought of this in years. My daddy LOVED buckwheat pancakes. I couldn’t stand ’em. Tasted gritty to me but the second I read those words I started smiling.
I forgot to mention THAT woman. The one who always has an opinion is a busybody, loves to gossip, and tattles to the bishop. She doesn’t bother to get her facts straight. If it could be seen as BAD, she’s in hog heaven.
Hope’s observance and thoughts perfectly end the book.
Okay, okay. I had a beautiful calico cat when I was a teenager. His name was Butterly and he loved to lay on top of my old upright piano while I practiced. Everything. But Butterfly HATED one piece, Rachmaninoff’s Prelude in C# minor. The minute I started playing it — the piece begins with huge, crashing chords — Butterfly would turn, if necessary, to the treble part of the piano. With much dignity, he would march his way to the end of the keyboard. Then cat pawed his way to the middle of the keyboard and lay his whole body across my hands and fingers. Why he always regally descended via the treble side? I have no idea.
I liked this story. Loved some of the moments. Loved the memories that popped up. And enjoyed, oh how I enjoyed Amelia’s (THAT woman) comeuppance. All that led to a five-star rating for me.
I received a complimentary DRC (digital review copy) of Mary’s Calico Hope via NetGalley from the publisher, Barbour Publishing, Barbour Fiction. A positive review was not required; the opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
Rating: 5 stars
Series: The Heart of the Amish, #6
Cover: Just okay. The cat is NOT a calico.
Pages: Unknown at time of review but probably about same length as book #2 in the series by Ms. Blackburne which was 258.
Publish Date: 1 June 2024
#MarysCalicoHope #NetGalley #AnneBlackburne
