"A Promise for Miriam" by Vannetta Chapman

ISBN: 978-0-7369-4612-4
Harvest House Publishers
$13.99

In the summer of 2012 I received a beautiful signed copy of A Promise for Miriam by Vannetta Chapman as a courtesy from the author.  I sorely regret that it has taken me so many months to sit down and read this delightful story of the Amish of Pebble Creek.  What a joy I missed by not reading it early after receiving it.  Well, here is what I thought.....

Ms. Chapman has woven a beautiful tale of the Amish in their gentle ways.  In developing Miriam King, she shows that even though the Amish usually marry young and raise large families and their lives are centered on family, Miriam has waited to marry and is the "spinster" school teacher in the Amish school house.

Into the Pebble Creek community there is a new arrival, Gabriel Miller and his young daughter, who moves to this settlement of Amish from another in a different State.  Both are old order Amish with similar guidelines and rules for their people.  Gabriel is a widower having lost his wife three years prior.  His young daughter is smart, artistic, and mute.  Her ability to speak has not always been lacking, though. Just since losing her mother.

Miriam has a definite talent for working with children.  And Gabriel has a definite desire to devoid himself and his daughter of interaction with the others in the community as much as is possible.  However, the bucolic scene of country life and the Amish is not always a constant.  Sorrow, danger, and a spirit of community mingle to break the shell of the hardest nut.

I heartily recommend this as an I-must-read book for those who especially love stories of the Amish, and an I-think-I-should-read this book for others who simply want a really good read.

DISCLOSURE:  I was provided a complimentary copy of A Promise for Miriam by the author in exchange for my honest review with no obligation for a positive review. Opinions expressed are solely mine.