The Christmas Gathering – Three novellas by Shelley Shepard Gray, Rachel J. Good and Lenora Worth

 

This set of three novellas is a great way to put yourself in the Christmas mood. They are sweet encouraging stories. Faith is a strong theme throughout demonstrating the strength of Amish families.

A Christmas Reunion, written by Shelley Shepard Gray is about an Amish family, the Troyers. They are unique in that they associate closely with non Amish friends, or Englishers.  Mark Troyer invites his friend,  an Englisher, Brandt, to spend Christmas with them. I had to forget what I know of the Amish that live in my area. My limited knowledge of the Amish is that they like to keep separate from the Englishers. The Troyers also have relatives who are Englishers. Brandt has discovered a new faith in God and his family has distanced themselves from him because of it. The closeness of Mark’s family and their acceptance of him brings him peace.  Mark’s cousin, Tricia and Brandt develop a close friendship as they celebrate the season together. Will her family approve of their newfound relationship and will they be accepted?

The second novella is We Gather Together, by Lenora Worth.  This story is about  a large Amish family reunion held at an Inn owned by an Amish family.  Lucas and his family are there for their family reunion while Kayla and her family are there for her sister’s wedding. Problems arise because of an old family feud between the two families. The two grandfathers courted the same girl. When she made her choice, the feud began between the one time friends.  Kayla and Lucas try to bring the families together and their friendship grows.  They both depend strongly on their faith in God.  Can they overcome and resist being drawn into the feud?

Hitting all the Right Notes by Rachel J Good, is the third and last story of this collection.  Mark, a young Amish boy, loves to listen to his English neighbors, the Musselmans, when they play their instruments and sing. As he grows older he helps Mrs. Musselman, now a widow, with various chores. Unknown to his parents, she gives him music lessons and he discovers he is very talented. Mark’s Amish friends are from the “wild” young men who don’t conform to all the rules.  Some drive cars and have cell phones.  They decide to form a band and call themselves, ”The Amish Rebels”

Joline is a young Amish woman who also is drawn to the English music. She comes from a large family and is responsible for looking after her siblings.  She has made friends with some Englisher girls and they take her to hear Mark’s band.  Mark’s parents find out about his activities and are shocked and disappointed. When he refuses to stop, they kick him out.  He ends up staying at the center where Joline works.  One by one, Mark’s friends decide to join the Amish church and drop out of the band.  Joline fills in as a band member and their friendship grows. When it becomes clear that she will not give up singing, her family sends her to live with a relative.  Will they find their way back to each other?

This is an easy  and lighthearted collection.

Go HERE to learn more about this book.

I received a complimentary ARC* of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed  are my own.

 

 

*   Advanced Reading Copies (ARCs) are a preview copy and are not a finished product. They may differ from the final published work and may include additional editing.