The Amish Candymaker

The Amish Candymaker by Laura V. Hilton is a captivating story about an Amish community in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It is indeed a love story but it is so much more. There is tension in the relationship between Isaac and Agnes (or Beautiful as Isaac affectionately calls her). One wonders if they will be able to overcome the difficulties that come at them. Readers will cheer for, cry with and be drawn into the lives of this Amish community of colorful and riveting characters. The story flows well with action and emotion and has a few "oh, no!" moments where one wonders how will this turn out? I loved the bits of humor throughout the story. With three of the characters being preschool children there are a fair amount of humorous mishaps and then there is Bishop Miah. Such a great character--wise and fatherly and yet is heard to mutter slightly sarcastic comments, such as 'courted, schmorted' in response to other characters. And he certainly keeps his eye on Agnes and Isaac as they develop a relationship. I especially liked one of the thought-provoking bits of advice that Bishop Miah gives to Isaac--to 'let prayer be the key to the day and the bolt to the nacht.' The author deals well with somewhat difficult situations as she writes of robberies, flirtatious wives, the pain of lost love, and emergency medical situations. All in all, she writes an entertaining and inspirational book. It is a story not only of finding a home and romance but of realizing the faithfulness of God in times of trouble and learning to seek forgiveness as well as to forgive oneself. I thoroughly enjoyed this addition to the Amish of Mackinac County and am hoping there is another yet to come. I received a complimentary copy of this book via CelebrateLit. A favorable review was not required and the opinions are my own. This review is part of a CelebrateLit blog tour.