Finally back in the Old Order
Amish world she loves, will Ariana’s new perspectives draw her family closer
together—or completely rip them apart?
After months away in
the Englisch world, Ariana Brenneman
is overjoyed to be in the Old Order Amish home where she was raised. Yet her
excitement is mixed with an unexpected apprehension as she reconciles all she’s
learned from her biological parents with the uncompromising teachings of her
Plain community. Although her childhood friend, ex-Amish Quill Schlabach, hopes
to help her navigate her new role among her people, Ariana’s Daed doesn’t understand why his sweet daughter
is suddenly questioning his authority. Will she sow seeds of unrest and
rebellion in the entire family?
Meanwhile, Skylar Nash
has finally found her place among the large Brenneman family, but Ariana’s
arrival threatens to unravel Skylar’s new identity—and her sobriety. Both Ariana
and Skylar must discover the true cords that bind a family and community
together and grasp tight the One who holds their authentic identities close to
His heart.
Gathering the Threads is
the third book in Cindy Woodsmall’s Amish
of Summer Grove series, coming after Ties That Bind and Fraying at the Edge.
Although I didn’t get the chance to read Fraying
at the Edge, I did read Ties That
Bind and I really enjoyed it! However, I am unfortunately not as pleased
with this final book in the series. While I did like the story and was glad to
finally know how everything was going to end, there were just a few things that
really bothered me about this novel. There were some minor plotlines that were somewhat
glossed over and I felt like were never fully resolved, and that is something
that really bothers me. Along with that, some interactions between the
characters felt a little forced, and I felt that some of the other minor
plotlines were somewhat unnecessary.
Despite all of that, I still loved Ariana. Although her
now-constant feministic attitudes grated on my nerves quite a bit, I have
noticed throughout the years of reading Amish novels that it does seem as if
Amish women are very held back by their fathers and then eventually their
husbands. While I do agree that this issue is something that needed to be
addressed, it felt a little bit forced coming from sweet, obedient Ariana,
though she did undergo some changes after spending time with her Englisch family. I also wasn’t really
pleased with the way that things played out with her and Rudy, because it just
made him seem a little like he had two different personalities.
As for Quill, I have finally decided that I do in fact like
him. Before I wrote this review, I went back and read my review for Ties That Bind, and I had to laugh at my
original opinion of Quill. While I do still believe he tends to unintentionally
hurt Ariana far too often, I did realize he really is just a sweetheart. He has
such a heart for people and genuinely loves helping them escape injustice, and I
did love the way he constantly proved he was happy for Rudy and Ariana even
though he was in love with her himself.
All in all, I did enjoy reading this novel, even though
there were those few things that bothered me. I was so glad to finally know the
rest of the story, especially with regards to Frieda, and I was also desperate
to find out what would happen with the bishop, whom I definitely hated. So, I think
I can confidently give this story four out of five bookshelves, and I am
looking forward to hopefully reading more of Cindy’s books in the future!
Happy reading!
I received a copy of this book through the Litfuse Publicity
Group in exchange for only my honest review.
To see where I’m linking up, check out my Where I Party
page.
All credit for the italicized synopsis goes to Cindy
Woodsmall and Waterbrook Publishing.
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