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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
weatherlover1's review
4.0
I with we could give have star ratings.
I give this 4.5 stars.
I enjoyed all three of these stories. In the first one
A Miracle for Miriam I found it interesting to read of a Amish young lady dealing with body image. Reading as these two young people fell in love was heart warming and a good reminder to be proud of who we are. Seth was learning to see everything different after an accident scared him for life and Miriam learned to love herself as she is. A great story.
A Place of His own was a little slower for me I did not feel like the characters got fully developed but it still was a fun read. Josiah had to forgive his father for the way he was treated after his mother dies and it also touched on tempers and control which is another subject one would not expect to read about in an Amish book. Amanda was a sweet girl but to me her character was kind flat. I did not feel like I really got to know her that well and the ending left me going that’s it? But I did enjoy the story over all.
I read What the Heart See’s in another collection a month or so ago. I loved is story. Ellie was blind and feared she would never marry. Christopher is still getting over the death of his girlfriend. Together they both come to better understand who they are and learn to put the past behind them and move ahead together.
Over all a great book. I enjoyed all three stories and if you enjoy Amish Romances then you should grab this book! This author is one of my favorites and I look forward to reading more of her books.
I give this 4.5 stars.
I enjoyed all three of these stories. In the first one
A Miracle for Miriam I found it interesting to read of a Amish young lady dealing with body image. Reading as these two young people fell in love was heart warming and a good reminder to be proud of who we are. Seth was learning to see everything different after an accident scared him for life and Miriam learned to love herself as she is. A great story.
A Place of His own was a little slower for me I did not feel like the characters got fully developed but it still was a fun read. Josiah had to forgive his father for the way he was treated after his mother dies and it also touched on tempers and control which is another subject one would not expect to read about in an Amish book. Amanda was a sweet girl but to me her character was kind flat. I did not feel like I really got to know her that well and the ending left me going that’s it? But I did enjoy the story over all.
I read What the Heart See’s in another collection a month or so ago. I loved is story. Ellie was blind and feared she would never marry. Christopher is still getting over the death of his girlfriend. Together they both come to better understand who they are and learn to put the past behind them and move ahead together.
Over all a great book. I enjoyed all three stories and if you enjoy Amish Romances then you should grab this book! This author is one of my favorites and I look forward to reading more of her books.
arjayebrewerforestfern's review against another edition
5.0
A great story about forgiveness even if it takes time to forgive. Ellie learns how to do things with determination after an accident left her blind and after her friends passing.
Christopher comes back to the community unsure if joining the community again and unsure what he wants to do as his grief and anger comes flooding back. Over time he listens to those he loves, learns to forgive again and rejoins the community. His little sister gets married, learns to forgive Ellie and her fiancé for lying to her and Ellie along the way found her special someone too who respects her.
A wonderful story about how Gods plan isn’t always what we thought it was or would be but it turns out to be something else bringing people together and turning out better than we could have imagined it would.
Christopher comes back to the community unsure if joining the community again and unsure what he wants to do as his grief and anger comes flooding back. Over time he listens to those he loves, learns to forgive again and rejoins the community. His little sister gets married, learns to forgive Ellie and her fiancé for lying to her and Ellie along the way found her special someone too who respects her.
A wonderful story about how Gods plan isn’t always what we thought it was or would be but it turns out to be something else bringing people together and turning out better than we could have imagined it would.
wakela's review
5.0
I have to admit that this was the first Amish romance that I have read. I really enjoyed it. First, for those of you who are knew to the nuances of Amish culture like I was, there is a glossary of commonly used words to help out.
Its really hard for me to choose between the three stories which is my favorite. They were all really great.
The first story was great in that we realize that people hold many scars. Some are easily seen. While others are deep within the heart. It’s how you handle your scars that will determine how you live your life.
The second story was about not holding onto past hurts. We can’t change our pasts, but we can accept that we can have a great future.
The third story was about triumphing over great odds and living our lives with grace.
In conjunction with the Wakela's World Disclosure Statement, I received a product in order to enable my review. No other compensation has been received. My statements are an honest account of my experience with the brand. The opinions stated here are mine alone.
Its really hard for me to choose between the three stories which is my favorite. They were all really great.
The first story was great in that we realize that people hold many scars. Some are easily seen. While others are deep within the heart. It’s how you handle your scars that will determine how you live your life.
The second story was about not holding onto past hurts. We can’t change our pasts, but we can accept that we can have a great future.
The third story was about triumphing over great odds and living our lives with grace.
In conjunction with the Wakela's World Disclosure Statement, I received a product in order to enable my review. No other compensation has been received. My statements are an honest account of my experience with the brand. The opinions stated here are mine alone.
rclairel's review
2.0
What the Heart Sees (for me a first reads book) is a collection of three quite typical and rather enjoyable Amish romances. Having read an Amish romance or two in the past, I immediately recognized the familiar style and form: the emotional appeal of a romance without the debauchery that an entirely secular romance probably holds. Although the three stories were not exceptionally original, I thoroughly enjoyed the light read, which took me less than a day. I would definitely recommended this book to anyone looking for an easy, pleasant journey into the quaint and friendly Amish life.
One other note: The three stories contained within the book can be read totally separately; however, if you read them in order, you will get very, very brief glimpses of the characters from the first book in the second book and the characters from the second book in the third book- something like mini epilogues that tell you how everything turned out (even though it is quite obvious at the ends of the stories what will happen).
One other note: The three stories contained within the book can be read totally separately; however, if you read them in order, you will get very, very brief glimpses of the characters from the first book in the second book and the characters from the second book in the third book- something like mini epilogues that tell you how everything turned out (even though it is quite obvious at the ends of the stories what will happen).
pixieauthoress's review
4.0
Fans of Kathleen Fuller will be delighted to discover that three of her novellas have been repackaged into one volume. The stories, which previously appeared in An Amish Christmas, An Amish Gathering and An Amish Love respectively, are romantic tales of young Amish men and women discovering and rekindling love and healing past hurts.
In A Miracle for Miriam, Miriam must reconcile her memories of Seth, the boy who teased her as a teenager, with the young man he has become. Seth is in for a culture shock, returning to his Amish family after he was seriously injured in a car accident. But his near-death experience has made him to rethink his life, causing him see everything in a different light – including Miriam. In order to pursue a relationship with her reformed would-be-suitor, Miriam has to learn to forgive and let go of past grudges, or miss out on the chance of falling in love.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story, especially as it was the first time I’d read about an Amish woman who was insecure about her appearance. It made me rethink my expectation that all Amish are able to focus purely on inner beauty. After all, everyone strives not to be vain and to focus on what cannot be seen, but our human flaws cause us to be concerned with the physical. Miriam’s self-consciousness combined with the hurt she had experienced as an impressionable teen made her a very relatable heroine. Seth also had his own difficulties, regarding the injuries he suffered in a car accident, but he’s such a gentleman that it’s impossible not to fall for him. While I did struggle to believe that one isolated incident – Seth had only teased her about her looks on one occasion, so it wasn’t as if she experienced repeated bullying – would cause Miriam to be so self-conscious about her appearance, I did find it refreshing to read about an Amish woman who struggled with insecurity and low self-confidence. Those who think that the Amish are romanticised will be pleased to find such a realistic and character-driven story.
Amanda is surprised to discover that her childhood best friend, Josiah, has returned from Indiana to fix up his old family home in A Place of His Own. But she’s shocked that Josiah doesn’t want her company, and is keen to sell his old house and leave Paradise as soon as possible. Slowly, Amanda begins to draw Josiah out of his shell and make him face the long-buried wounds that are still causing him pain. Can this healing process rekindle their friendship, and maybe even spark embers of love?
While I found Amanda and Josiah’s story to be the weakest in the collection, I did end up enjoying it once it really got started. Unfortunately, I felt that the plot didn’t really begin until several chapters in, which can be annoying in such a short novella. Other reviewers have commented that they think A Place of His Own would be stronger as a full-length novel, and I’m inclined to agree with them. There was so much potential and a lot of unexplored areas in this novella, so I think Kathleen was just restricted by her word count. And while I warmed up to Josiah after a while, I really struggled with the character of Amanda, who no matter what she said or did, still seemed very two-dimensional and shallow. I hope that readers don’t judge Kathleen based on this story, as it’s still a good effort and is sandwiched by two other excellent stories.
The last novella also shares its name with the collection, What the Heart Sees. This story is my favourite out of the three, and tells the tale of a prodigal son who returns to the Amish for his sister’s wedding and ends up befriending a blind girl. I was fortunate enough to read this story earlier in the year, so please check out my review of An Amish Love to read my thoughts on it.
I’ve yet to read any of Kathleen Fuller’s full-length novels, but if her novellas are any clue, I’m sure they’re an excellent addition to the Amish genre. Although I enjoyed each of the stories in this collection, I think their weakness is that they share very common themes. Seth, Josiah and Chris are all returning from the English world, and all three of the women are late into their courting years and worried that they’ll never find love. I’m sure these novellas worked very well in their original collections, but bound together I felt that they were rather repetitive with their tortured heroes and insecure heroines. This is a storyline that Kathleen does very well, but after reading it three times I couldn’t help but wondering if I should have left a larger gap between reading each of the novellas. I do recommend this collection, especially if you’re a fan of Kathleen Fuller, but I’d suggest spacing your reading of these stories.
Review title sent courtesy of Thomas Nelson.
In A Miracle for Miriam, Miriam must reconcile her memories of Seth, the boy who teased her as a teenager, with the young man he has become. Seth is in for a culture shock, returning to his Amish family after he was seriously injured in a car accident. But his near-death experience has made him to rethink his life, causing him see everything in a different light – including Miriam. In order to pursue a relationship with her reformed would-be-suitor, Miriam has to learn to forgive and let go of past grudges, or miss out on the chance of falling in love.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story, especially as it was the first time I’d read about an Amish woman who was insecure about her appearance. It made me rethink my expectation that all Amish are able to focus purely on inner beauty. After all, everyone strives not to be vain and to focus on what cannot be seen, but our human flaws cause us to be concerned with the physical. Miriam’s self-consciousness combined with the hurt she had experienced as an impressionable teen made her a very relatable heroine. Seth also had his own difficulties, regarding the injuries he suffered in a car accident, but he’s such a gentleman that it’s impossible not to fall for him. While I did struggle to believe that one isolated incident – Seth had only teased her about her looks on one occasion, so it wasn’t as if she experienced repeated bullying – would cause Miriam to be so self-conscious about her appearance, I did find it refreshing to read about an Amish woman who struggled with insecurity and low self-confidence. Those who think that the Amish are romanticised will be pleased to find such a realistic and character-driven story.
Amanda is surprised to discover that her childhood best friend, Josiah, has returned from Indiana to fix up his old family home in A Place of His Own. But she’s shocked that Josiah doesn’t want her company, and is keen to sell his old house and leave Paradise as soon as possible. Slowly, Amanda begins to draw Josiah out of his shell and make him face the long-buried wounds that are still causing him pain. Can this healing process rekindle their friendship, and maybe even spark embers of love?
While I found Amanda and Josiah’s story to be the weakest in the collection, I did end up enjoying it once it really got started. Unfortunately, I felt that the plot didn’t really begin until several chapters in, which can be annoying in such a short novella. Other reviewers have commented that they think A Place of His Own would be stronger as a full-length novel, and I’m inclined to agree with them. There was so much potential and a lot of unexplored areas in this novella, so I think Kathleen was just restricted by her word count. And while I warmed up to Josiah after a while, I really struggled with the character of Amanda, who no matter what she said or did, still seemed very two-dimensional and shallow. I hope that readers don’t judge Kathleen based on this story, as it’s still a good effort and is sandwiched by two other excellent stories.
The last novella also shares its name with the collection, What the Heart Sees. This story is my favourite out of the three, and tells the tale of a prodigal son who returns to the Amish for his sister’s wedding and ends up befriending a blind girl. I was fortunate enough to read this story earlier in the year, so please check out my review of An Amish Love to read my thoughts on it.
I’ve yet to read any of Kathleen Fuller’s full-length novels, but if her novellas are any clue, I’m sure they’re an excellent addition to the Amish genre. Although I enjoyed each of the stories in this collection, I think their weakness is that they share very common themes. Seth, Josiah and Chris are all returning from the English world, and all three of the women are late into their courting years and worried that they’ll never find love. I’m sure these novellas worked very well in their original collections, but bound together I felt that they were rather repetitive with their tortured heroes and insecure heroines. This is a storyline that Kathleen does very well, but after reading it three times I couldn’t help but wondering if I should have left a larger gap between reading each of the novellas. I do recommend this collection, especially if you’re a fan of Kathleen Fuller, but I’d suggest spacing your reading of these stories.
Review title sent courtesy of Thomas Nelson.