Cindy Woodsmall

Some reviews seem to write themselves — a quick summary of likes and dislikes, with a nod to setting and characters and faith elements. Others, not so much. This is one of those times when the words I pen just don’t seem to do the book justice. As The Tide Comes In is the second collaborative novel from best-selling author Cindy Woodsmall and her daughter-in-law, Erin Woodsmall. Cindy Woodsmall is known for her unique take on the Amish. She is a big favorite of my book club and the only show more author of Amish fiction we read as a group. But this novel is a big departure from her writing roots. I don’t know how the partnership between these two authors is set up since the writing is seamless, but it sure does work! This book is part Southern women’s lit, part romance, part mystery, but definitely wholly great! I highly recommend As The Tide Comes In.

Tara Abbott has faced a lot of struggles in her life. From abandonment as a very young child, to a life spent in the foster care system, to being the sole caretaker of younger half-brothers, Tara has had to dig deep within herself to carry on. In the blink of an eye everything changes, and Tara is left lost and confused and far away from all she knows about herself and God. I am amazed at how well the authors portrayed Tara’s character. They got everything right. Emotional, spiritual, and physical responses are masterfully depicted. Other characters could have become stereotypes, but were also well-drawn and given a convincing complexity. The setting of the novel is St. Simon’s Island, a place I have visited a few times. As The Tide Comes In brought back vivid memories of this wonderful place in the Golden Isles. There are a lot of hard things in this book. So hard, I wasn’t sure I would be able to get through it. But even in the blackest of events the authors shared glimmers of hope and joy. There are also a lot of things to talk about, but perhaps the thing that touched me the most was the idea of living a life as a vessel of love. What a wonderful way to describe the relationship between God and His people and our joint roles in reaching a hurting world.

Should you read As The Time Comes In? Oh YES!! I also think you should read it with a friend or group of friends. Trust me. You are going to want to discuss this book.

Highly Recommended.

Audience: adults.

(Thanks to Waterbrook/Multnomah for a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are mine alone.) show less

First sentence: Sweat rolled down Eliza Bontrager's neck as she carried her youngest sibling on one hip and a plate of sliced bread in her hand. Stale bread, and the last of it. The mountain air hung thick with the familiar July aromas.

Premise/plot: TIME TRAVEL. AMISH ROMANCE. Who knew these two could blend so well?!?!?!

Eliza Bontrager loves, loves, loves Jesse Ebersol despite the opposition of their families and the community. There have been marriages between the Ebersols and the show more Bontragers in the past that were less than ideal. There's even rumors of a 'curse' if these two families marry into one another. Jesse and Eliza do not believe in 'the curse.' Love conquers all. On their wedding day, Eliza is given a quilt--passed down through the generations--and told a family story. The story is almost too incredible to believe. If she takes the quilt to an old cabin in the woods--place names escape me--and she undoes a single stitch in the quilt and restitches it, she can travel back in time to one particular moment in her past. Supposedly, once done it is DONE. No going back to the way things used to be. And no do-overs. Five or six years later, Eliza faces strong temptation after burying her third child. She is convinced that life would be better for everyone if she'd never married Jesse. But is that true?

My thoughts: This one has IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE vibes and time travel. It also has quite a lot to say about grief, love, loss, and healing. I really LOVED this one. I loved getting to know Eliza, Jesse, Ruth, and Andrew. I loved seeing both realities. I highly recommend this one. show less

This was very good, and well written, and I found myself staying up way to late because I just had to finish the story; but I must say I didn't like how it ended (although there is still time for things to reconcile with book 3 in this series). If you want to be thoroughly frustrated and angry at people at times, then you will definitely like this story! I am starting book 3, "When the Soul Mends", right away, because I can't believe this is the end of a relationship that I have been pulling show more for all along.

Hannah Lapp has fled her Old Order Amish community and finds a new home in Ohio with her shunned aunt Zabeth who she has never met before. Things aren't easy for Hannah at the beginning, but she is not a quitter and has more strength and determination than most people would realize. Her heart is breaking over losing the love of her life Paul, her health is in danger from her miscarriage, and she has no one but her Aunt to turn to. (I highly recommend you read these stories in order because it is like reading one whole book, just printed with 3 different covers and titles).

Hannah will eventually find a good job, start schooling for a nursing career and find love and acceptance from her Aunt and from others. One of those "others" is a good friend and almost a family member of Aunt Zabeth, Martin Palmer. But back home in Pennsylvania, Paul never stops thinking of and hoping that Hannah will come home. There is much going on in that part of this story also, and some of it made me so angry I wanted to stop reading, but couldn't put the story down until I read how things would work out for everyone involved. And although I love this Martin character and appreciate what Hannah and him have together, I never stopped believing in Paul's love for Hannah and hoping they would come together again. I really hope the final story in this series ends well, because so far I am on pins and needles waiting to see what the future holds for everyone. show less

The Englisch Daughter may be an Amish novel, but I was amazed at how much wisdom a married or single person could glean from it. Cindy Woodsmall and Erin Woodsmall have teamed up to write a volume of prose that explores the attitude pits, so easy to fall into, but so hard to escape.
Between the two relationships the Woodsmalls examine, one the marriage of Jemima and Roy, the other the blossoming attraction between Abigail and Chris, we see lies, deceit, cover-ups, and barriers. What will it show more take for each couple to come to honesty and forgiveness? Can the relationships continue, or will the wrongs done be too great to overcome?
”When the honeymoon was over...marriage seemed to be a constant war between gratefulness and resentment, between contentment and restlessness, between what was too real and what wasn’t real enough.” Surely this is a truth that a lot of marriages run up against. They will either continue the dance between the two attitudes or choose to let the less needful attitude go.
I also loved another quote that any person who has been married for many years will tell you, in some form.
“...In every long-standing relationship, when life turned emotions on their heads and the only thing one felt was the opposite of what he or she used to feel, love became a decision and it stood the test of time.”
One person I know says, “Every morning I get up and I choose to stay married today.”
Surprisingly, it isn’t just Chris and Roy who need to make changes. Jemima and Abigail discover they also harbor attitudes that need to be forgiven, barriers that need to be lowered, and they both need to be vulnerable.
In case this sounds like a book full of only ruminations, don’t be fooled for a minute. There are boxing fights, fights with baseball bats, a horse farm disease, a tiny baby whose existence is threatened, then a lot of suspense about the baby’s living arrangements. No time for boring here. Plus you will relate to the tenseness of several situations the characters find themselves in, and you may just sigh with relief when life seems to right itself again. There are study questions (that would make this an excellent book club pick)and also a glossary in the back of the book.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Waterbrook-Multnomah. This in no way affects my opinions, for which I am solely responsible. show less