Series: Daughters of Lancaster County #1
Published by Barbour Pub. on 2005
Genres: Contemporary, Fiction, Romance
Pages: 318
Time seems to stand still in Naomi Fisher's tranquil community, but it cannot hold back tragedy. Helping her widowed father run a store, manage a household, and raise seven children is a daunting task. There is no time to think about courtship or having her own family, though her heart yearns for the attention of Caleb Hoffmeir. But her days are plotted for her-until the afternoon her baby brother disappears from the yard. How can Naomi expect anyone to love and trust her if she can't take care of one small boy? Should she leave all that is familiar and seek a new avenue of life?
Note: Kristin reads and reviews both Christian and secular fiction on A Simply Enchanted Life. Out of respect for my readers, I am including a content review. This content review will help you decide whether this book is suitable for you.
Content Review:
Christian or Secular: Christian.
Profanity: None
Sex&Violence: None
Trigger Warnings: None
Disclosure: A mother is hit by a car. A baby is kidnapped-non-violent. These two events are non-graphic and do not warrant a trigger warning.
You know, I was kind of taken aback by some of the negative reviews for this book. Yes, I’m one of those readers that like to see what other people thought sometimes before I write my review. Now, I’m totally not putting anyone down for their ratings or diminishing what they think. But, I’m just surprised. Because I really liked this book!
The Storekeeper’s Daughter is the first book in the Daughters of Lancaster County series by Wanda E. Brunstetter. I just clicked with these characters. I thought that Naomi’s dad was frustratingly a jerk-wad. This review started out fairly unconventional so I might as well just go with it and call it like I see it. But, I still couldn’t look away. I wanted to know if he would stay a jerk or wake up and realize it!
Naomi was understandably heartbroken by the death of her mother and having to take on the role as a caregiver to her siblings. It was a realistic hurt. Can you imagine suddenly having to mother seven or eight children when you really just want to date and be normal? Sure, it sounds kind of selfish but it’s realistic.
The story was a bit predictable. I’ll give people that. But, I couldn’t put the book down. Despite that predictability of knowing how the story was going, I was invested in the lives of the Fishers and the Scott family. I knew what was coming but I could not look away.
This is a series and a full conclusion to the story doesn’t happen in this book. I want to read the next one and for that reason, I have to go against the grain and give a five-cup review. For me, Wanda is a wonderful storyteller. She captures the heart of the person and brings them to life for me. I understand this book won’t be for everyone but it really resonated with me.
If you absolutely hate predictability then this book may not be for you. If you do enjoy watching characters go through the proverbial wringer and coming out clean with the wash—this book may be for you. These characters are simplistic but they felt like real people who I could learn from. I can’t wait to pick up book number two.
About Wanda E. Brunstetter
A nationally recognized authority on the Amish community, Wanda E. Brunstetter has sold more than seven million copies of her fiction and nonfiction books. Wanda enjoys an uncommon kinship with the Amish and continues to visit their communities throughout the country. Her books have won numerous awards and topped several bestselling charts.
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