"Treasuring Emma" Review

Treasuring Emma by Kathleen Fuller was sent to me as a review copy by Thomas Nelson Publishers through their blogging program, BookSneeze. It is a “Middlefield Family Novel,” and I believe it is the first one.

Emma is a young Amish girl living in Ohio who recently lost her mother to cancer and now has the responsibility of caring for her grandmother. Emma’s sister, Clara, and her family live close by, but Clara is currently dealing with her own financial and marital issues, and she isn’t much help. Add to this the fact that Emma is still heartbroken over her first love, Adam, who has left the Amish life for the English world. When a new young man comes to this Amish town and shows interest, Emma is reluctant to trust her feelings. Especially when Adam suddenly comes back into her life.

I thought Treasuring Emma was a very nice read. It was interesting enough to keep me involved in the story but not so complicated that I got lost. I found that I cared for Emma and that I cared what happened to her. The story, especially the romantic storyline, was not slow, but it did not feel rushed, either. The author was able to show this particular Amish community as simple and as a good way to live without making me feel as if I am doing something wrong by not living that way. I appreciated that the author had the characters in the novel, when necessary, come back to God, not just come back to the Amish Church. There was more of an emphasis on personal faith in this Amish novel compared to others I have read.

The only thing that I stumbled with was learning all of the Dutch or German words that are used in the Amish vocabulary in this book. There is a glossary at the front of the book, and that did help.

When I got to the end of the book, it seemed as if parts of the story might be continued in later books. I am assuming that there are more books to come, and I would be interested to read them.

Overall, this was a very pleasant novel that was an easy read. I have not read too many Amish fiction novels, but this one was the most enjoyable I have read.

I will give Treasuring Emma … 3 ½ BookWorms

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers through their BookSneeze book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this is accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255:  “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”