A gifted young quilter… a successful artist… the life-changing revelation that threatens to tear them apart… Linda Mueller lives an orderly, uneventful existence, content to divide her time between creating the beautiful quilts for which she is known and working at an Englisch fabric shop. Idealistic to a fault, Linda has never found a man worth marrying–until she meets Isaac Mast, a … marrying–until she meets Isaac Mast, a newcomer to Lancaster County and a talented painter. As they bond over their respective crafts, Linda is drawn to Isaac’s kind ways, humble spirit, and intriguing personality, and soon the seams of her carefully-constructed world begin to loosen.
With Isaac’s help, she explores the story of her late grandmother, also a gifted artist. But when an astonishing truth comes to light, Linda faces a grave decision, one that could destroy any hope of a future with Isaac. Will their dreams of a life together completely unravel? Or can she find some way to stitch them back together again?
more
The Amish Quilter wraps up Mindy Starns Clark and Leslie Goulds Women of Lancaster County series. There are five books to this series. One nice thing about long series is that readers can really get the opportunity to know the characters well. I always like when fictional characters become more like friends.
In The Amish Quilter the main character is Linda Mueller. She comes from a large family of siblings and she is the youngest girl in the family. Linda has always felt inferior to her older sisters. She hates the name her older siblings have labeled her with. Little Sister. Even now when she is in her twenties she still is referred to as Little Sister! Everyone has always made decisions for her as if she wouldn’t be capable of making her own choices. Linda has always felt that she paled in comparison to her older sisters. She decided she would probably never marry because after all what could she possibly offer a man. One thing Linda was very gifted in was making beautiful quilts. Still she didn’t see any man wanting to court her because of her ability to make quilts. That is until Isaac Mast moved to the community.
Isaac Mast had spent some time in the English world. He had furthered his education and attended college in Pittsburgh studying art. He was very gifted as an artist and successful in that field. But even with being successful he decided to return to his Amish faith. He moved in with his grandmother,Ruth Mast, so that she could remain in her home. When Sadie, Linda’s oldest sister’s husband died, Isaac helped her keep the dairy farm going. Linda also helped milk the cows and became good friends with Isaac. He thought of her as an artist because of her beautiful quilts she made. They had a lot in common and shared the same interest. They worked together trying to find and locate members of Linda’s father’s family. Isaac and Linda became attracted to one another. But Linda wasn’t sure about courting Isaac. Would she walk away from a chance of love and happiness because he didn’t fit her high expectations of what a man should be?
I enjoyed this warm hearted romance. Their search to locate Eli Mueller’s long lost family pulled me into the story. I loved to read about Linda and Isaac’s talents and gifts. These same gifts seemed to be a part of Eli Muellers missing family.
All readers of Amish fiction and Christian Fiction will enjoy this book. You would want to read the other books of the series before reading this last book because each book builds off the book before it. The first book of this series is The Amish Midwife.
I borrowed a Kindle ebook copy of The Amish Quilter from The Ohio Digital Library. A review was not requested. All opinions expressed here are my own.
A beautiful read filled with the everyday life of an Amish girl who believes she will always be the same until an artist moves into Lancaster County & turns her world upside down. I highly recommend this beautiful book to everyone who still believes that life can be hopeful & beautiful.
Love it. Connie Smotherman
Part of the women of Lancaster County series. Enjoyed these characters with interaction and story line.
Ebook from net galley and publishers with thanks. Opinions are entirely my own.
The Amish Quilter by Mindy Starns Clark and Leslie Gould is the fifth novel in The Women of Lancaster County series. Linda Mueller works at Arts & Crafts House as well as making quilts to sell in the shop. The quilts she makes for the shop are more artistic than those she makes for use at home. Linda started quilting when she was eight with her mother and is known as a perfectionist. Isaac Mast has moved to town to start house painting business and is living with his grandmother, Ruth Mast. In his spare time, Isaac does artistic paintings that he sells online. When Linda sees his work in progress of Robert’s barn, it gives her inspiration for a quilt. Linda learns that her artistic abilities come from her Mammi Nettie. One day she discovers a book along with a painting that belonged to Mammi. They lead her on a journey into the past, and she uncovers an astonishing secret. As Isaac and Linda spend time together, they get to know each other. But something from Isaac’s past could derail their romance. Will Linda let her idealism stand in the way? Find out what happens in The Amish Quilter.
The Amish Quilter is well-written story with an interesting plot. It is much more than an Amish romance. The Amish Quilter is a multifaceted story. We get to know Linda Mueller and her family. As the youngest, Linda’s siblings tend to make decisions on her behalf and tell her what to do (made me happy I was the oldest child). We get to see the inner dynamics of a large Amish family. Linda is struggling with her place in the community and her desire to create art. Her perfectionism and ideals are holding her back. Other issues addressed in the story are depression and autism. The authors handle these difficult topics deftly. I liked Linda’s artistic abilities, but her attitude made her hard to like as a person. She did not like being the odd man out in the family. Others would know something that Linda did not which made her whiny and sound like a six-year-old. I was happy to see Linda’s character develop (grow and mature) as the story progressed. The Amish Quilter is part of a series, but it is a standalone (like all the books in the series). The pace was a little slow and it took me some time to get into the book. Once I got into the book, though, I was intrigued. Linda’s quest for information led to some interesting discoveries about her family. The Amish Quilter is a realistic and emotional story. I am giving The Amish Quilter 4 out of 5 stars.
The Amish Quilter is written by the dynamic team of Mindy Starns Clark and Leslie Gould. I have read their Cousins of the Dove series and had high expectations for this stand-alone novel. I was not disappointed. The synergy is wonderful and a beautiful story is the result. Linda, idealistic, perfectionist, and sometimes just out of the loop with what is going on around her, is sure that she will never find have a husband and family. Isaac, a young man who spent several years living in the Englisch world, now has caught her attention. Can they work out their differences to find a life together? I enjoyed the ebb and flow of this relationship as Linda and Isaac spend time together working on a project. The characters have depth and reality and their emotions, strengths, and foibles resonate well with readers. The authors did a great job of bringing growth and maturity to their characters and remind readers that sometimes you just have to take a risk and that there is a safe and acceptable place between grace and legalism. Sometimes what we want and what God wants for us are different and we have to make a prayerful choice. An Amish Quilter is a complex and multifaceted story that portrays the impact of past choices on life in the present. The main characters have depth and reality and their emotions, strengths, and foibles resonate well with readers. Presented in the story are a number of aspects of Amish life that are not usually touched on by authors who write in the Amish genre. Subjects such as twins, autism, depression, and artistic talents–all added fascinating interest to the story. I highly recommend this poignant, engrossing story about the toll of secrets and finding family loyalty and love amidst the all too real struggles of life.
I received a complimentary copy of the book and was not required to write a review. The opinions are my own.
This book touched me in a very personal way. Except for the being Amish part, I found my younger self relating to Linda and her idealized ideas of how her life should be. Linda was certain she was doing what she thought God wanted for her life but she really wasn’t playing close attention to him. Lives aren’t perfect, life can get very messy and nothing is ever ideal. God works with our idealistic ideas and uses others to help us really see what is what.
I enjoyed the creative aspect of the story too. Linda was a quilter and Isaac, a newcomer to Lancaster County was a very talented painter. They connected on a deeper level because of their creativeness. But Linda learned things about her family and things about Isaac that skewed her thinking. She fought her feelings and resented being called the “Little Sister” and immature.
This was a very thought provoking novel that gave me deeper insights into God’s amazing plans that many times we mess up and He has to step in through His Word or Family or Friends to get us back on the right path.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author/publisher but was not required to write a review.
I enjoyed this story, and it is actually a few stories in one, and then it circles to include each one.
What does quilting and artistic painting have to do with one another, well that is what the author is about to show us as this story unfolds. There is a bit of sadness, a little romance, and an unfolding family mystery, that comes to light. Our main character Linda, seems to oblivious to a lot that goes on around her, especially concerning her family and community, and secrets that others have shared.
Once a hand painted picture is found, we are in for a treat as unknown family members are found.
A page-turner for sure!
I received this book through Net Galley and Harvest House Publishers, and was not required to give a positive review.