Piecing It All Together by Leslie Gould Is Rich, Entertaining and Heartwarming

...from the publisher...
When Savannah Mast's fiance dumps her a week before their wedding, she flees California for the safety of her Amish grandmother's farm near Nappanee, Indiana. She's not planning on staying long but becomes unexpectedly entangled in the search for a missing Amish girl. She can't leave--especially not when her childhood friend Tommy Miller is implicated as a suspect.
When Savannah accompanies her grandmother to Plain Patterns, a nearby quilt shop, the owner and local historian, Jane Berger, relates a tale about another woman's disappearance back in the 1800s that has curious echoes to today.

Inspired by the story, Savannah does all she can to find the Amish girl and clear Tommy's name. But when her former fiance shows up, begging her to return to California and marry him after all, she must choose between accepting the security of what he has to offer or continuing the complicated legacy of her family's faith.

...my thoughts... 
The title Piecing It All Together is so fitting for this story as it pieces the past along with the present as though each piece was part of a whole.  Savannah Mast's heart was broken but when she landed in Nappanee, her upset world was only the beginning of the whirlwind she found at her grandmother's.  Like most quilt shops, Plain Patterns was a haven for the women in the community to learn the comings and goings of the small town. The events, which for a sleepy Amish community run at a fast clip, unfold events in Savannah's own life that put more than her broken heart into perspective. She was drawn to the circle of quilters, especially Jane, who possessed the amazing gift of sharing stories of her ancestors who settled the area long before the town was born.

I enjoyed this book. To write the journey of one woman is one thing, but to write two women's stories is another matter and to do it well, takes the talents of a writer like Leslie Gould.  I found myself favoring Emma's story over Savannah's, only to realize both women's stories were so good.  Each woman had compelling events in her life that makes her stronger. It is interesting to see how the past, however far removed, can be relevant to our stories today.  Well written, with very interesting characters, Piecing It All Together is not your average book of Amish fiction.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bethany House for an advance reader copy of this book.  All opinions are truly my own.


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