Leah's Choice

I am a lover of Amish-themed books. I am interested in their lifestyle, and one can learn of their beliefs and lifestyle while being entertained when they read Amish fiction. Leah's Choice was a good book. Leah is a school-teacher who never married, because her beau left the faith. She never go over that and was committed to living as a spinster. Things change when Daniel Glick and his family move to their community. She finds herself drawn to Glick, but her former boyfriend appears on the scene. The choice that Leah must make is to remain Amish and possibly never marry, or leave to marry John. Meanwhile Glick is battling with his own choices. He has a background, heartaches, fears, and yet he finds himself falling for Leah. The reader will have to get the book to learn what happens, as I shall not spoil it for him/her. Marta Perry writes a good book. Her style and abilities do not quite measure up to those of Beth Wiseman and Beverly Lewis, but she has done a very good job. Lovers of Amish fiction will find themselves enjoying this book.

This book is one of few Amish books that I think really gets it. By it, I mean it allows the reader to enter the Amish world, yet does not try to push Amish beliefs on them, does not paint the Amish lifestyle as ideal or makes the world feel as if you're living in a bubble. I really enjoyed this book for the realistic way the Amish and the English worlds are portrayed. This book talked a lot about subjects that I have never read in Amish fiction before. The one that stood out the most was the medical issues. This book mentioned a great deal about birth defects and other medical problems that stem from communities that continue to live in close proximity and only marry within that community. This is something I have never read in any other Amish book I have picked up and is a topic that I have always wondered about due to the circumstances of who someone can marry. Therefore kudos to Marta Perry for bringing this up. It may be a sore subject that no one wants to talk about but to deny that it exists because it makes the community look not so ideal is not helping anyone either. Honestly I feel like other authors don't bring it up because it breaks the bubble of the image that they are trying to portray of making Amish lifestyle appealing. I thought I was going to have problems with Daniel due to comments he made early in the book but after finding out about his background, I understood him a lot better. His family's past was unique to the typical Amish storyline and even more so by the way he handled the situation. As for Johnny, I really liked the way his storyline played out. Everyone (for the most part) ends up where they want to be. Honestly this is one of the most refreshing Amish novels I have ever read. I didn't feel as if this book was unrealistically portrayed and the outside world is seen in a positive light for once. If the rest of the series continues to be written in the same manner and tackles difficult but necessary subjects, it might possibly rank as one of my favorite Amish books. That being said, if you want a dose of reality with your Amish fiction, pick up this book.

This book focuses on Teacher Leah, a "maidal," or old maid who has been teaching school for 10 years and has no plans to marry. When a widower with three children moves into the community, the matchmakers start working. To complicate matters, Leah's old fiance, who left the Amish a decade ago, is back in town, but with no thoughts of returning to the Amish. Thus, the title of the book. Leah has a choice between remaining single as she had expected and marriage, and in the case of the latter, between two different men, and two different worlds. The subject matter had the potential to come across as melodramatic soap opera, which has happened with other books I've read in the genre, but it didn't. There were the occasional coincidences, present in almost all fiction, but nothing ridiculously so. And, the dramatic events that occurred came across very realistically. I really liked Leah, and I think it was very clear how she needed to rely upon God. Frequently the text includes short mini-prayers when she doesn't know what to do, in times of trouble, etc. She was very sweet and kind, but obviously very human, having to choose to be that way at times when she really didn't want to. I felt like Leah was someone that I would enjoy getting to know. Daniel, the widower, was also a well-developed character, and several other minor characters were well-drawn as well. They felt like real people. I loved the look into the Amish world. Without coming across as lecturing, the author displays very naturally many facets of Amish life. I liked the detailed look at the differences between the Amish and English world, and what happens when someone leaves the Amish world. I liked learning about the genetic disorders that the Amish are prone to. Seeing the community pull together in times of need. Good stuff. As seems to be common in this genre, there's a glossary of Amish words in the back, though you can generally figure things out from the context, without having to look things up. I liked this book, and I liked it a lot. I've reviewed several Amish fiction books, and this is the only one that I have given 5 stars. I will check out other books by this author.

This is a delightful book to read that captures your interest from the first page. I have read quite a few Amish novels so I guess I have come to expect a certain standard and this one hits the mark right on. It uses the language (Penn Dutch) here and there like Ja and gut, ain't so? To me that helps step right into the lives of the charachers. We open with Leah a "mandil" (old maid) who is the local teacher. She had a promised husband who decided that during the time of rumspringa-the time Amish youth can venture into the English world then make the choice to stay of go. When they choose to stay in the English world they are shunned by the whole community. The only way to return is to repent and join the church. Jonny Kile chose to go and stayed away for 10 years. So when Daniel and his 3 children come to the school the tought comes to everyones mind ah ha someone to fix up Leah with. Trouble is Johhny the old bo returns...not to repent but to work at a clinic. This book brought out something I have wondered about. With the high number of close family marriages why are there not birth defects. This book goes into some details about some of them. I found that both sad and interesting. So now we have and old bo and a new man in town. Choices! Johnny wants to help the local doctor study the birth defects of these amish children. Do research. He of course wants to get Leah involved...will she...you will see. The story line does leave you wondering at times what will happen and it is not always predictiable which I love. Why read a book when I can tell after chapter one how it will end. Not here, you will keep turning the pages until the wee hours of the morning. I will leave you with this thought. Even though there is sadness and some hard circumstances it has a happy ending. Knowing that much know this is a keeper and a great read. I also love the cover artwork. It helps form the character Leah very well.

I've grown to enjoy these Amish/Romance novels and was excited to get this one (does standing by the mailbox count in as excitement?). I read it in a few hours and really enjoyed the storyline. My only complaint is that while other authors stress the value of their characters relationship with the Lord, this one doesn't do that as much. It mostly focuses on a soap-opera type setting with the characters barely mentioning God at all. The way it ended seemed a little trite, moreso since this is supposed to be the first installment of a trio. The story mostly deals with what happens in the Amish community when one of them decides to leave during their rumspringa and actually go out into the world on their own. It does a wonderful job of what to expect, how much it hurts their community, and how vividly contrasted the lives of most of us are in our old age, compared to the Amish. There's always someone to care for the elderly, even if it's a neighbor, compared to us where it's sink or swim on your own. It actually made me realize how closely knit the Amish really are and how much we all need that closeness in our own lives. Wish we all were like that! What I've come to appreciate the most about this book and others I've read is the descriptive details of Amish life, how much they care for one another, respect one another, just like they're one huge family. We can all learn from that! This book deals with an "old maid" teacher that thinks she never wants to marry after being jilted 10 years prior. Until, of course, the stranger comes into town and well, what will happen?! I won't spoil it but get the book, it's well worth getting lost in its pages on a sunny, autumn afternoon. Highly recommend!