The First Love
Paperback, 304 pages
Published September 4th 2018 by Bethany House Publishers
Genre: Historical Fiction,Amish fiction,Christian fiction
Book Summary
It's the summer of 1951, and Maggie Esh is in need of some hope. Sweet-spirited and uncommonly pretty despite struggling with chronic illness, she is used to being treated kindly by the young men of her Old Order Amish church district. Yet Maggie wishes she were more like other courting-age girls so she could live a normal, healthy life. To make matters more complicated, Dat has recently remarried, less than a year after her mother died. And while her stepmother is kind, Rachel is much younger than Mamm, and she simply doesn't understand Maggie or her illness the way Mamm did. When tent revival meetings come to the area, Maggie is curious, and the words of the Mennonite preacher challenge her to reconsider what she knows about faith. Can she learn to trust God even when hope seems a distant dream?
My Review
Beverly Lewis was the first Amish writing author I read so many years ago when she first started publishing and all these years later I'm still happily reading her books. I have really learned a lot about the Amish culture through her books and have come away with a stronger faith base as well. Her books have just gotten better and better over the years. There are very few books I've not read of hers including her nonfiction ones. This book starts out with Maggie reminiscing about her younger years. There is for sure a lot going on in this book. Maggie has juvenile meteoroid arthritis and it affects her strength and how much she is able to do to help the family. She is about to join the church and longs for marriage and a family of her own but surely no one will want her with her limited mobility. Maggie's father remarries shortly after his wife's death and the his new wife puts all her hopes and dreams aside to please her new ready-made family as she keeps the memory alive of his past wife. It was fun to read about the big tent revivals that Maggie and some of her cousins go to. These revivals become very important to her despite her father not approving of her going. Will this cause her to become part of the Englisher world? Very sweet and enjoyable book with a strong faith filled message. It was a delight to see how much stronger Maggie's faith became during the book as she thirsted for spiritual food. Pub Date: 04 Sep 2018 I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House publishers through NetGalley. Thank you. All opinions expressed are my own.