When the Soul Mends Book review

Forgiving the past to have a future

When the Soul Mends by Cindy Woodsmall is the third and finally book in the Sister of the Quilt series.  When Soul Mends is about a former Old Order Amish twenty year old names Hannah Lapp.  Hanna left her Old Order Amish home of Pennsylvania in disgrace and has made a new home for herself in Winding Creek, Ohio. Hanna has finally found love again with Martin Palmer, an Englisher, as they raise his niece and nephew. 

Hanna’s sister calls her with the news, her friend Matthew was in a fire and is now in the hospital, Hanna decides she must see him and returns to the Amish community that shunned.

After she arrives, she quickly learns her sister, Sarah is dealing with mental issues and she must stay longer to help her sister.  The only person Hanna can ask to help her sister is her former finace, Paul Walddell.  Hanna still hold on to the anger and resentment about what happen to her long ago and how she was shunned by Paul, her father, and her Amish community, but Hanna soon realizes her perception may not be reality.  Hanna and Paul are forced to revisit their past, and soon learn thing were not as they seemed.   Hanna  must break through the pain of the past and decide if she will choose the Englisher world, and the man who brought her through the pain of her past, or return to her Plain Life and her first love.

I did not read the first two books of this series, but was able to follow the story line completely due to a character list which includes the actions of each character from the first two books of the series. 

I really enjoyed reading this book and spent many night reading it to the wee hours of the morning.  I have never read a book about Amish people and it really open my eyes to their world.  Sometimes I wish my life was a little more “plain”. 

The romantic elements of this book were done very tastefully.  My heart ached for Hanna, I wanted her to end up with Paul, but I was torn to her relationship with Martin and her niece and nephew.  This book is what I think a true Christian romantic fiction book should be.


Click Here for the author, Cindy Woodsmall website.


For a excerpt from When the Soul Mends by Cindy Woodsmall click here