The Sound of Sleigh Bells, by Cindy Woodsmall, & A Giveaway

Note: There is a giveaway of this book, The Sound of Sleigh Bells at the end of the blog post.

Summary:

Beth Hertzler works alongside her beloved Aunt Lizzy in their dry goods store, and serving as contact of sorts between Amish craftsmen and Englischers who want to sell the Plain people’s wares. But remorse and loneliness still echo in her heart everyday as she still wears the dark garb, indicating mourning of her fiancé. When she discovers a large, intricately carved scene of Amish children playing in the snow, something deep inside Beth’s soul responds and she wants to help the unknown artist find homes for his work–including Lizzy’s dry goods store. But she doesn’t know if her bishop will approve of the gorgeous carving or deem it idolatry.


Lizzy sees the changes in her niece when Beth shows her the woodworking, and after Lizzy hunts down Jonah, the artist, she is all the more determined that Beth meets this man with the hands that create healing art. But it’s not that simple–will Lizzy’s elaborate plan to reintroduce her niece to love work? Will Jonah be able to offer Beth the sleigh ride she’s always dreamed of and a second chance at real love–or just more heartbreak.

My review:

Maybe it is because I am a guy, but I have never been much into the Amish books that are so popular among fiction readers. I also tend to avoid romance books, unless they are suspense or something along that line, but I love a good Christmas book, so I bit on this one, and am glad I did.


The book features a very attractive cover - they say you can't judge a book by its cover, but we do, and this cover does tell the truth about the book: that it is a great story.

More than just a good and nice story, the book also shows the reality of emotional scars and guilt, that can be just as harmful and crippling as physical deformities and scars.

I feel the author portrayed the Amish as they truly live, and I loved her characters. Lizzy, the old maid aunt, determined that her niece will not end up like her, even if it means match-making & meddling, Beth, the grieving young girl who carries her guilty secret, and Jonah, a young man scarred and disabled on the outside, but a shining example of God's love and forgiveness.

I have never read anything by Cindy Woodsmall, but I highly recommend this book, and would guess that her other books are equally as good of a read.


The giveaway:

I am giving away one copy of The Sound of Sleigh Bells, an attractive hardcover book with dust jacket, courtesy of Waterbrook/Multnomah Publishers.

Anyone in the US may enter by leaving a comment. If you cannot be contacted through your blog, leave a way to contact you here, or email me: marcus802001@yahoo.com. And also, if you want to enter, but have no blogger account, email me, and I will make an entry for you.


The drawing will be two weeks from today on October 26.


The Sound of Sleigh Bells is available at randomhouse.com