Published by WaterBrook Press on February 21st 2012
Genres: Amish & Mennonite
Pages: 208
Annie Martin loves the Plain ways of her Old Order Mennonite people, like those revered by her beloved grandfather. Retreating from a contentious relationship with her mother, Annie goes to live with her Daadi Moses in Apple Ridge. But as spring moves into Pennsylvania and Annie spends time amongst the cherry trees with the handsome Aden Zook, she wishes she could forget how deeply the lines between the Old Order Amish and Old Order Mennonite are drawn. Can Annie and Aden find a place for their love to bloom in the midst of the brewing storm?
‘The Scent of Cherry Blossoms’ by Cindy Woodsmall was a fantastic read! The story revisits a couple of characters from previous Woodsmall books, Roman and Aden Zook, as well as introduces us to Annie Martin, a ‘horse and buggy’ Mennonite. One thing I simply love about Woodsmall is that while her books are a series they can also be
read as standalone novels. If you’re an avid reader, you start to get a feel for the characters in her community and it’s really nice to revisit them when new novels hit the shelves.
I truly enjoyed the characters in this book. My own daughter suffered from a speech impediment, luckily, therapy has worked for her. Because of the extensive therapy we’ve been through with her, I felt a closeness to Aden and was pleased with how his character was written. So many times people look at someone with a speech difficulty as “slow” and Woodsmall respectfully showed that many times that is not
the case. I was glad he was able to find someone who could love him for who he was, regardless of his speech problem!
I anticipate seeing a future installment that explores more of Roman’s story. I felt his part of the story was tied up a little too soon, but hope that in doing so it will mean a new story to read in the future!
A fantastic book, and a lovely little romance!
Special thanks goes out to Waterbrook Multnomah from whom I received this book as a gift for reviewing “The Christmas Singing”
About Cindy Woodsmall
Cindy Woodsmall is a New York Times and CBA best-selling author who has written nineteen (and counting!) works of fiction and one of nonfiction. She and her dearest Old Order Amish friend, Miriam Flaud, coauthored the nonfiction, Plain Wisdom: An Invitation into an Amish Home and the Hearts of Two Women. Cindy’s been featured on ABC Nightline and the front page of the Wall Street Journal, and has worked with National Geographic on a documentary concerning Amish life. In June of 2013, the Wall Street Journal listed Cindy as one of the top three Amish fiction writers. – Learn more about Cindy at: http://www.cindywoodsmall.com
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