Reviewing: A Faithful Gathering by Leslie Gould

...my thoughts...
 
 I recently read A Faithful Gathering, book three in the Sisters of Lancaster Series by Leslie Gould. I enjoy Leslie's books not only for the good story but also for the characters, each one unique and complex.  Leisel is no exception.  She courageously left her Amish faith and comforts of home to study nursing, a field she felt God called her to enter.  For an Amish woman with an eighth grade education that is no small fete. When you open this book you will find she has accomplished all that hard work and she is ready to take her board examinations. With her future full of opportunity, her life around her shifts and she suddenly finds herself on new ground and nothing is going to be what she planned.

Her mother does not support her leaving the faith and becoming a nurse. Her sister Marie is on shaky ground with a cancer diagnosis. The farm is at a point where some changes need to be made to keep it productive.  Nick is planning a change in his career that will alter the life they planned together.  The calm in this port of storm is her beloved aunt relating the wonderful story of her grandfather.  His story is like the balm she needs to see things in a new perspective. 


...from the publisher... 
 
Leisel Bachmann left her Amish roots and beloved sisters to pursue a career in medicine without a second thought. She has an Englisch boyfriend, Nick Jordan, and dreams of a new life--but those dreams come crashing down when her sister Marie is diagnosed with cancer.

Soon nothing is going as she planned--not her state boards, not her first nursing job, and certainly not her relationship with Nick. As she becomes increasingly discouraged, her aunt shares the story of Leisel's grandfather during World War II and the struggle he faced between returning to Lancaster or being with the woman he loved.

Peace and a vision for the future are difficult to find, and when Nick leaves Pennsylvania for a completely new life, Leisel is faced with impossible choices. Will she stay in Lancaster, close to her family and the traditions of her past? Or learn from her grandfather's story and embrace a life of love and service in an uncertain future?

Nothing is Easy in A Plain Leaving

When Jessica Bachmann left her home in Lancaster County three years ago.  She left behind her family, the man she loved and her Amish way of life.  Starting over in the Englisch world, she worked her way up in her job at the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture.  Things in her life were settled until she received word that her beloved father had passed away from lung cancer.

I wasn't surprised to get hooked right away into Leslie Gould's latest offering, A Plain Leaving.  This happens every time I pick up one of her books to read and like the others, I had a hard time putting it down.  I am excited to share that this is book one in her new The Sisters of Lancaster County series. 

Traveling home was almost harder than the day she left.  Her relationship with her mother had been distant. Her brother Arden and sister Marie were only to happy to show her a less than welcome homecoming. Baptized into the faith before she had left, she was shunned and felt the sting from her family especially at mealtimes.  All were content to leave it that way except Silas, her former boyfriend and her dear Aenti Suz.

Her Aenti Suz was a welcome relief in her grief and as Jessica sought her comfort, a parallel story unfolded about Ruby.  The Bachmann family had farmed their land for over 240 years and Ruby was the only daughter of the first Bachmanns to settle in America.  Aenti Suz shared enough of Ruby to keep Jessica eagerly coming back for the whole story.  I must admit that I, too eagerly waited for more of that story.

Jessica loved her family's land and worked  hard to assist with all the chores to help make their load lighter under difficult circumstances. They didn't appreciate her help although they accepted it.  She quickly got back into the routine.  However, she soon learned that her brother had plans for the land that her father would never have agreed to had he lived.  Her job at the Department of Agriculture uncovered information about oil fracking on several farms in the area. It seemed like a good alternative to farming if one didn't like that line of work.  It seemed her brother would willingly give up their livelihood to turn a profit. Jessica had to stop Arden from destroying the land and the family's legacy.  Could she truly leave her home once more after all that she has learned?

I liked this story for many reasons.  The author has a gift for creating characters the reader can identify with.  Forgiveness, unconditional love, loyalty, deceit, perfection and jealousy are just a few things that are woven into the story.  So too is hope and courage.  I recommend this book for anyone who enjoys a good story that will leave you looking for more.  Many thanks to Bethany House for the opportunity to read this wonderful book and to the author for beginning a new series that promises to be a good one.