The Bundling Year, by Anne Schroeder, is a beautifully written novel about unexpected love. Amanda Miller, no stranger to grief, receives a letter that her Aunt Lydia has died. Aunt Lydia helped raise Amanda after a tragic accident paralyzed Amanda’s mother. The letter states that Aunt Lydia willed her house in Ohio to Amanda. There is one stipulation: Amanda must live in the house for a year before deciding to sell it. Ready to start a life of her own and full of guilt for leaving her father alone in Oregon to take care of her mother, Amanda takes the challenge and moves to Ohio. Living next door to the Ruths’ Amish farm, Amanda hires Jacob Ruth, a young Amish man, to make repairs on the house. In the process, Amanda learns about the ways of her Amish neighbors and develops a healthy respect for Jacob. As her heart opens to him, she finds herself facing a dilemma that leaves her feeling tangled and confused. Amish men are expected to marry Amish women. Amanda is not Amish. Schroeder writes with a deep respect and understanding of the ways of the heart, humanity, and the Amish community. She shows us that love and society don’t always agree. I found myself feeling great compassion for these two young people and the difficult choices they faced. The characters stayed with me after I finished this powerful and moving novel. It’s a novel I’ll read again, and I highly recommend it.
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