Amish Generations: Four Stories

Fuller (Hearts of Middlefield) delights with four joyful Amish stories of love and faith. In “Young Love,” 20-something Fern has rheumatoid arthritis and worries her illness will one day make marriage and life as an Amish wife difficult. When her longtime crush, Dan, becomes single, Fern overcomes her doubts and starts a relationship with him, and they both learn to overcome pride and open their hearts to trusting others to make it work. “Long-Awaited Love” follows the marriage of Everett and Jemima as Everett reckons with some selfish decisions he made in his youth and repairs his relationship with his father. In so doing, he comes to recognize Jemima’s virtue of generosity; conversely, Jemima follows Everett’s example of setting boundaries with others and learns to honor her own needs. “Second-Chance Love” is a tale of discovering love after loss as Ben, a widower, and Lora Beth, a widow, bond through letters after meeting each other. Fuller particularly shines in “Never Too Late,” in which 63-year-old Elva, whose abusive husband of 45 years recently died, finds true love with a 70-year-old bachelor. Fuller cements her reputation a top practitioner of Amish fiction with this moving, perceptive collection. (June)