Christy J. (southernsassygirl) reviewed A Beautiful Arrangement (Amish Journey, Bk 3) on + 180 more book reviews
Samuel and Lydia's story has been in the background for the entire Amish Journeys series, and A Beautiful Arrangement finally gave me the opportunity to explore it further. Getting pregnant before marriage, much less before baptism in the Amish faith is unheard of, and Samuel and Lydia's parents all force them to marry before their baby is born and before they really know each other as well as they should.
Also included is the story of their friends Beverly and Joseph, how their courtship begins, and their joke with each other about someday wanting to have a family of ten children. (More power to them, I say!) What is not expected is that Beverly has a secret that she has been keeping from Joseph, and she is afraid that if she reveals it, he will end their relationship.
And yet, one more story is present â that of crazy Margaret Keim, an old lady who lives in a ragged blue truck. While it is not the Amish way to openly minister to outsiders, Lydia believes she is being called by God to reach out to this women who so clearly needs help.
Multiple storylines, but all of them were tied together in a beautiful way. Each one revealed that honesty is so important in the foundations of a new relationship, and that even lying by omission can damage trust that is slowly being restored. When you're as young as Samuel and Lydia, it's hard to learn these lessons while also navigating a brand new marriage that neither of them were fully prepared for. They never had the chance to experience falling in love like their friends were doing, but they both have a fierce love for the daughter they share. Among all the bumps and bruises, they slowly find their way to show each other the love they've been holding inside.
Beth Wiseman will always be one of my favorite authors for the Amish fiction genre as her stories are multi-faceted and her characters endearing. I'm sad to see this series come to an end, but love the journey it took me on.
Also included is the story of their friends Beverly and Joseph, how their courtship begins, and their joke with each other about someday wanting to have a family of ten children. (More power to them, I say!) What is not expected is that Beverly has a secret that she has been keeping from Joseph, and she is afraid that if she reveals it, he will end their relationship.
And yet, one more story is present â that of crazy Margaret Keim, an old lady who lives in a ragged blue truck. While it is not the Amish way to openly minister to outsiders, Lydia believes she is being called by God to reach out to this women who so clearly needs help.
Multiple storylines, but all of them were tied together in a beautiful way. Each one revealed that honesty is so important in the foundations of a new relationship, and that even lying by omission can damage trust that is slowly being restored. When you're as young as Samuel and Lydia, it's hard to learn these lessons while also navigating a brand new marriage that neither of them were fully prepared for. They never had the chance to experience falling in love like their friends were doing, but they both have a fierce love for the daughter they share. Among all the bumps and bruises, they slowly find their way to show each other the love they've been holding inside.
Beth Wiseman will always be one of my favorite authors for the Amish fiction genre as her stories are multi-faceted and her characters endearing. I'm sad to see this series come to an end, but love the journey it took me on.
A Beautiful Arrangement by Beth Wiseman is the third An Amish Journey Novel. Lydia Bontrager is seventeen years old and married to Samuel with a six-month-old daughter. Lydia and Samuel were forced to marry by their parents after she became pregnant. They went from lust to marriage skipping the courtship stage of the relationship. Lydia wants romance and a chance to fall in love with the husband she hardly knows. Samuel and Lydia are asked to introduce Joe, a co-worker of Samuel's to Beverly, a friend of Lydia's. The foursome have a lively dinner together and then a picnic. Lydia and Samuel like watching their friends fall in love. It gives Samuel the idea to court Lydia. Just when they are getting to know each other, Lydia and Beverly begin looking into the local homeless woman with a mysterious past. Samuel wants Lydia to avoid the woman, but Lydia wants to help her. Will Lydia and Samuel get the chance to have a traditional marriage? While A Beautiful Arrangement is the third book in An Amish Journey series, it can be read as a standalone. I have enjoyed all three novels and I recommend reading Hearts in Harmony and Listening to Love. I thought A Beautiful Arrangement was well-written with realistic characters. Lydia is a seventeen-year-old who is unready for marriage especially to a man she hardly knows. Her six-month-old daughter, Maddie has been crying each day and Lydia does not why. She feels like a bad mother (I know that feeling). Lydia and Samuel want to improve their marriage, but they do not share these thoughts we each other. They both have fears, regrets, and hopes. When they introduce Beverly and Joe to each other, they get to join them on a couple of dates. It gives Samuel and Lydia a chance to get to know each other. They are each afraid to make the first move, though, for fear of rejection. Samuel is also worried about his elderly parents. His father has heart problems and his mother is unable to care for him like she used to. Beverly and Joe were delightful additions to the story. Joe is a lively man with a humorous side. I liked the addition of the mystery involving the homeless Amish woman. It added more depth and interest to this engaging Amish novel. I quickly found myself engrossed in this appealing story. A Beautiful Arrangement is a poignant tale with regrets, friendship, faith, family, fear, hopefulness, and romance.
