An Amish Harvest

An Amish Harvest: Four Novellas 

Paperback, hardcover, ebook

August 16, 2016

by Beth Wiseman, Kathleen Fuller,

Amy Clipston, Vannetta Chapman

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson 
• ISBN-13: 978-0529118530

Faith, hope, and love remain forever in season in this collection of four richly absorbing novellas set amidst the wonder of an Amish autumn.

Under the Harvest Moon, by Beth Wiseman

When Naomi Dienner is suddenly widowed, she never expects to find love again . . . until she meets Brock Mulligan, an English family friend hired at harvest time. As a sinister presence begins to threaten Naomi, Brock seeks to prove himself trustworthy while struggling with growing feelings for Naomi and her children. Will God open Naomi’s heart—and give Brock his own second chance at love?

Love and Buggy Rides, by Amy Clipston

Janie Lantz is a cashier at Lancaster Souvenirs and Buggy Rides, where Jonathan Stoltfuz is a buggy driver. A frightening accident brings Janie and Jonathan together in a blossoming friendship, yet daunting obstacles stand between them and something deeper. Can love kindle into flames that burn away fear and regret—and lead them to a life together?

Mischief in the Autumn Air, by Vannetta Chapman When items start going above market value at his auction house, Eli Wittmer is first thrilled, and then puzzled. But when the house is broken into, Eli and his new bookkeeper, Martha Beiler track down a trail of clues. Will they solve the mystery before the fall festival ends—and discover an unexpected new love?

A Quiet Love, by Kathleen Fuller Dinah Hochstetler, quiet and bookish, longs for marriage but hides in her shyness. Amos Mullett, a simple farmer, knows he’s different but aches for a loving wife. As Dinah and Amos navigate a budding romance, will the power of love—and the blessing of God—be enough to overcome their doubters?

My thoughts: I love reading contemporary Amish stories, both full-length novels and Amish novella collections. I’m so glad that Thomas Nelson has started putting these collections together so fans of one Amish author can get to know others as well.

An Amish Harvest set in autumn, around the time of harvest. They all involve Amish characters and locales, but the individual stories are very different. They bring in the flavor of their settings as well as the different ‘voices’ of the authors.

Beth Wiseman and Kathleen Fuller have become known for dealing with difficult topics. In this case, it is domestic abuse and special needs. Likewise, Vannetta Chapman includes a mystery (and she is my favorite author in this collection) as well as some historical highlights. Amy Clipston’s was probably the lightest of the bunch, with conflict between Amish and English the main focus. This is also connected to her Heritage series (which I have not read so I don’t know how it was connected).  

Several yummy sounding recipes are included.

Fans of Amish fiction should enjoy this collection of novellas.