"a christmas gift for rose" by tricia goyer

About the book (from Goodreads): Born in the midst of the hardships of The Great Depression, Rose grew up in Berlin, Ohio, in the arms of a loving Amish family. But as she prepares to marry, she's thrown into confusion when she learns the truth of her birth. She was born Englisch and abandoned when the family moved on in search of work.

Was she meant to be Amish or would she have been better off growing up with her own kind—Englischers? And was her intended's gift of discovering her birth family given out of love or fear?

My take: A Christmas Gift for Rose is a sweet novella that can be read in one evening. Set at the end of World War II, it tells the story of two people trying to find their way: Rose, an Amish woman who learns she was born Englisch, and Jonathan, the man Rose loves ... a man who broke Amish tradition by becoming a medic during the war. Rose struggles greatly with the newfound knowledge of her past; if she wasn't born Amish, can she really be Amish?

While Rose's anguish over her past and how that would inform her future got to me at times (and if she were a real friend of mine, we would have had a few heart-to-hearts about what makes a family), I thought her struggle seemed realistic. I can't imagine the tailspin you'd be thrown into if you learned as an adult that you had been adopted.

Jonathan is a man of great character—someone who listened to God at the risk of offending man and who was willing to sacrifice his happiness in order to help Rose find out who she was. His pursuit of Rose's heart is quite moving.

A beautiful hardback book, A Christmas Gift for Rose would be a great stocking stuffer for the fiction lover in your life. I also hope that someday it will be made into a film—wouldn't it fit perfectly into Hallmark's Christmas lineup?

My rating: 4 stars

See what others are saying.
Buy the book.
Read my reviews of Goyer's The Memory Jar and The Promise Box (Seven Brides for Seven Bachelors), Remembering You, Love Finds You in Glacier Bay, Alaska (co-written with Ocieanna Fleiss), Chasing Mona Lisa (co-written with Mike Yorkey), Beside Still Waters and Along Wooded Paths (Big Sky), and By the Light of the Silvery Moon.

About the author: Tricia Goyer is a busy mom of six, grandmother of one, and wife to John. Somewhere around the hustle and bustle of family life, she manages to find the time to write fictional tales delighting and entertaining readers and non-fiction titles offering encouragement and hope.

A bestselling author, Tricia has published thirty-three books to date and has written more than 500 articles. She is a two-time Carol Award winner, as well as a Christy and ECPA Award Nominee. In 2010, she was selected as one of the Top 20 Moms to Follow on Twitter by SheKnows.com. Tricia is also on the blogging team at MomLifeToday.com, TheBetterMom.com and other homeschooling and Christian sites.

In addition to her roles as mom, wife and author, Tricia volunteers around her community and mentors teen moms. She is the founder of Hope Pregnancy Ministries in Northwestern Montana, and she currently leads a Teen MOPS Group in Little Rock, AR. Tricia, along with a group of friends, recently launched NotQuiteAmishLiving.com, sharing ideas about simplifying life. She also hosts the weekly radio podcast, Living Inspired. Learn more about Tricia at www.triciagoyer.com.