Cynthia Keller

Digital audiobook narrated by Cassandra Campbell
2.5** rounded up

A family living the American dream in North Carolina discovers they’ve lost everything. With little more than the clothes on their backs, they head for a family’s home in Maine, only to crash their car in the midst of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

Meg, the mom in this middle-class family, is a well-organized, suburban housewife, who loves to entertain, and is completely caught off guard when her husband, James, reveals he’s been out of work for four months. She’s upset by the family’s financial circumstances, of course, but more, she’s afraid she will never trust her husband again. And she is suddenly aware of how spoiled and bratty her kids are.

But the family’s enforced stay with an Amish family while their car is being repaired opens everyone’s eyes to what is really important in life: stability, family, teamwork, good neighbors, faith, kindness, good manners, and love.

It’s a sweet, and somewhat sappy, holiday story.

Cassandra Campbell is one of my favorite narrators. She does a fine job of voicing the large cast of characters.… (more)

Stressed and dysfunctional English family meets friendly and functional Amish family. Object: changed behaviors that results better familial relationships. In the first part of the book, the reader is introduced to the Davis family, Shep and Jeannie and their two teenaged kids, Willa and Tim. They have inherited a rundown house and bicycle shop in an Amish community. It’s their last chance to make a living, but they have no savings to fall back on, and little ability to make a go of things. Shep has not been able to earn a living, despite having several jobs. The kids snipe at everyone, and no one is happy. Enter the Fisher family, Mattie and Abraham and their eight kids. The interaction between the two families, and the growth of the characters really make this tale interesting. Bad things have happened to both families, but their outlook and coping mechanisms are different, at least until the families start to alter the way they look at things and react to them. It’s a heartwarming story, and nice for any time of the year.… (more)