After receiving a desperate and confusing call from her sister, Hannah Lapp reluctantly returns to the Old Order Amish community of her Pennsylvania childhood.
Having fled in disgrace more than two years earlier, she finally has settled into a satisfying role in the Englischer world. She also has found love and a new family with the wealthy Martin Palmer and the children she is helping him raise. But almost immediately after her arrival in Owl’s Perch, the disapproval of those who ostracized her, including her headstrong father, reopens old wounds.
As Hannah is thrown together with former fiancé Paul Waddell to work for her sister Sarah’s mental health, hidden truths surface about events during Hannah’s absence, and she faces an agonizing decision. Will she choose the Englischer world and the man who restored her hope, or will she heed the call to return to the Plain Life–and perhaps to her first love?
When the Soul Mends is the third and final book in the Sisters of the Quilt series.
If you have been reading this blog for awhile than you know that I am into Amish fiction novels and When The Soul Mends did not disappoint. As this is the 3rd novel in the Sisters of the Quilt series and Cindy Woodsmall has done an amazing job filling in the backstory. I had not read the first two in the series and as always there is a concern of keeping up. This is not my first book from Cindy and she truly understands that sometimes readers don’t always start from the beginning.
Cindy truly does her research when writing a novel and this is easily portrayed into her work. I have never felt lost with any of her books and am always able to put myself into “their” world. In the 3rd and final novel we see how so many lives were torn apart by things in the past and how everybody can move on or keep it in the past. This a powerful story about forgiveness and and not holding onto the past.
Cindy Woodsmall is a veteran homeschool mom who no longer holds that position. As her children progressed in age, her desire to write grew stronger. After working through reservations whether this desire was something she should pursue, she began her writing journey. Her husband was her staunchest supporter as she aimed for what seemed impossible.
Her first novel released in 2006 to much acclaim and became a best seller. Cindy was a 2007 ECPA award finalist, along with Karen Kingsbury, Angela Hunt, and Charles Martin.
Her second book, When the Morning Comes, hit numerous best-sellers lists across the US, including edging into the extended list of the New York Times, coming in at number thirty-four.
Her third book, When the Soul Mends, hit the New York Times best-sellers list, coming in at number thirteen, as well as making the USA Today’s best-sellers list. Her real-life connections with Amish Mennonite and Old Order Amish families enrich her novels with authenticity.
