Review: The Struggle by Wanda Brunstetter

The Struggle is the third installment in the Kentucky Brothers series by Wanda Brunstetter, and follows the story of Timothy Fisher and his wife, Hannah, as they pack up and leave their home in Paradise, Pennyslvania, and move to Christian County, Kentucky.

From the start, Hannah is against the move and fights Timothy all the way – verbally, as well as emotionally.   As we witnessed in Book 2 of this series, Hannah is very close to her mother, to the point of spending all her time at her home, instead of in her own home, leaving Timothy to feel that he has no choice to save his struggling marriage, but to pick up and move away, separating his wife and mother in law.

There are several “mini” struggles occurring in the storyline, but by far, the major struggles in this book revolve around Hannah, first as she tries to adjust to her new home; later as she struggles to find forgiveness in the face of tragedy – forgiveness for her husband, and ultimately, for herself.  

All in all, a very engaging read.

*This book was provided to me by the publisher via Netgalley for an honest review.  I was not required to provide a positive review.

Review: The Half-Stitched Amish Quilting Club by Wanda Brunstetter

Maybe I'm getting spoiled, but I've come to expect that warm-fuzzy-in-the-region-of-my-heart feeling whenever I pick up one of Wanda Brunstetter's Amish-based fiction offerings. The Half-Stitched Amish Quilting Club was no exception.

I must admit, though, to feeling a bit apprehensive as I picked it up and feasted my eyes on the cover: a mismatched group of would-be quilters surround a serene looking Amish woman -- and if it was any other author but Wanda Brunstetter, I might have put it back down without even reading a page. But in due course, not only did I grow to know, but actually like each of these characters: Star, the tattooed young woman, yearning to be loved and appreciated by her family; burly biker-dude, Jan Sweet (who, but Wanda Brunstetter could come up with a moniker like that for a hard-living, gruff biker (who is really a soft, squish, teddybear in disguise!); tired, disappointed and discouraged marrieds, Pam and Stuart; young, grieving dad, Paul Rodriguez; and disillusioned minister's wife, Ruby Lee; and finally, Emma Yoder, who takes them all under her wing, like a mother bird. Is there anyone Emma doesn't like??? Well, there was Lamar, a nice Amish widower who seems to always find a way under Emma's skin, but even that works out!

Each individual "dilemma" faced by the characters in this book is well thought-out and written. What amazed me, time and time again, is how the author was able to switch gears and effectively write with each character in mind, from their dialogue to their thought processes.

Ms. Brunstetter weaves compassion, understanding and humor into this story, and in the end, you can't help but feel like you've just met a new group of friends. A new group of friends that this reader was sorry to see go. But that's the mark of a good story, ain't so?