Imagine — you are an Amish grandparent. You have four Englisher grandchildren. And all four of them show up – no heads up — announcing they want to be Amish. All four of them at the same time! AND they expect not only to live with them BUT also to help them every step of the way. You will admire how Josiah and Sylvia Schrock handle this surprise.
Martin, the oldest of the four, is successful in his career but it no longer fulfills him. And a bad ending to a relationship has him remembering the calm and serenity he always felt when visiting his Amish grandparents.
Martin’s siblings, Kelsey, Beth, and Jonny, are all different. Jonny is in college. Beth has a successful career. Kelsey is the youngest and out of the four, the one who truly wants to live the Amish life. The rest “think” they do and luckily for them their grandparents have wunderbar advice.
Another principal character is an Amish neighbor, Patti Coblentz, who is self-conscious of a birthmark on her neck. She feels it is the first thing people see when meeting her and some kidding by children during her school days didn’t help. Oh, and there is the very single Amish preacher.
A Is for Amish is the first of a new series by this prolific author, Shelley Shepard Gray. And what an unusual plot. As a grandparent, I could easily imagine myself as Sylvia Schrock faced with four grown grandchildren stating not only were they moving in but she and Josiah were expected to “make” them Amish. The idea is wonderful; the implementation is a nightmare.
The author handles this interesting plot beautifully. The decisions made by the four are reasonable and doable. The preacher adds some fun situations. I quite liked this first book of the series, Amish ABCs, and look forward to the next book. And yes, I recommend it.
I received a complimentary DRC (digital review copy) of A Is for Amish via NetGalley from the publisher, Kensington Books | Kensington. A positive review was not required; the opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
Rating: 5 stars
Cover: Nice.
Pages: 280
Publish Date: 25 June 2024
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