These four novellas will definitely give you a warm fuzzy Christmas feeling. Though there is some strife in the lives of these Amish women, it’s a pretty safe bet it will all work out in the end. The stories are somewhat connected, written by different authors, and contain some of the same characters but having a different focus. The stories are sweet, almost to the point of being trite, and message that one must trust in God is foremost. The audio narrator was a bit over the top, but if you like a narrator is really performing the parts, this is the book for you. ( )

I picked this book up from the library. I read the back on the cover and one of the story caught my attention or interest. So I picked it up and checked it out to read. It one I read from start to finish. It was hard to put down. I love Christmas stories anytime of year but the season is one of my favorites. In this case, these four novellas tell the story of one December in Lancaster County. These four some way connect to each other but not in a series kind of way.

In A Miracle For Miriam, you learn about the deep hurt that causes Miriam to disappear into herself. Seth caused the hurt when they were both fourteen years old. Most of us remember our hurts and some of us have allowed those hurts to influence us as adults. It’s a beautiful love story in which other characters from the other three novellas are introduced.

A Choice to Forgive opens with Lydia answering a knock at her door and discovering her first love, Daniel Smucker, standing confidently on her doorstep. He promised to marry her when they were young and mysteriously disappeared on Christmas. Lydia marries his brother, Elam, who happens to comfort her during her difficult heart break. She becomes a widow when he dies of a heart attack. Those feelings of love for Daniel rise again and she struggles to forgive him for running away. He tries to explain the difficult and complicated situation that sent him away, and the secret that he and his brother kept from her causes an enormous emotional struggle.

One Child by Barbara Cameron addresses Sarah and David’s struggle over their miscarriage. Sarah prays to Derr Herr for a child. It’s the only gift she wants on Christmas. Mysterious visitors bring unexpected joy during a particularly bad blizzard. It’s a story of healing, love, and friendship.

Christmas Cradles tells the story of Anna Stolis and Asa Mast. Anna has never been married. She has become a midwife. Asa Mast also never married. A tragedy occurred during his rumschpringe years that brought him to this point. His father is very ill, refusing to go to the hospital on Christmas. Anna has three deliveries during the night. Normally, his father, Samuel, accompanies Anna’s Aunt Ruth (also a midwife), but with Aunt Ruth taking the evening off and Samuel sick, Asa joins Anna in her delivery runs. It is a love story of two insecure people who never thought they could fall in love. ( )

This was a set of three stories written by three different authors, but all take place in Paradise, PA and are centered around a specific Amish family. I really enjoyed all 3 stories, but "A Miracle for Miriam" by Kathleen Fuller was my favorite.

This is the first story in this Christmas Novella and what a good story it was. I was cheering for Miriam all the way through and so appreciated the change in Seth. I appreciated the fact that true beauty comes from within. Seth is no longer the arrogant young boy he once was when he made fun of Miriam and broke her heart at the age of 14. Now they have both grown up and after surviving an almost fatal car accident Seth is seeing life a little bit differently. I loved this section of the story when Seth is realizing the true beauty of Miriam, “Granted, there were women out there with curvier figures and prettier faces, but now that didn’t matter to him. At one time it had; he couldn't deny that. There was only one woman he was interested in, one woman who could drive him crazy one minute then sneak into his heart the next. Miriam Herschberger.” Seth must find a way to show Miriam he truly cares about her, and Miriam must come to learn to trust in Seth and in the fact that her beauty within can truly make someone like Seth see her as beautiful all over. Yeah for the way this author championed those young ladies who don’t think they are pretty. This was a good love story, very believable, and left me very well satisfied.

Story number two was about Miriam's sister, Lydia who has lost her husband and must now learn to forgive and trust her deceased husband's brother, Daniel when he shows up 18 years later on Miriam's doorstep after leaving long ago on Christmas Eve. He was Lydia's first love and she never understood why he left so suddenly. When the truth is revealed, Lydia must learn to forgive not only Daniel, but her husband as well.

I really enjoyed the way the last story was written. "One Child" was centered around David and Sarah, an Amish couple who lost their baby during the pregnancy last Christmas. Now they struggle through this one. But when a blizzard hits they find themselves taking in an "Englisch" couple, who are about to have a baby. I loved the way these two couples came to know one another, understand the different lifestyles and appreciate the simplistic way of the Amish. It was a heartfelt story as Sarah and David give of themselves when their own hearts are hurting and how the birth of a child can make a difference in each of their lives.

This was a novella I thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend. ( )

I picked this book up from the library. I read the back on the cover and one of the story caught my attention or interest. So I picked it up and checked it out to read. It one I read from start to finish. It was hard to put down. I love Christmas stories anytime of year but the season is one of my favorites. In this case, these four novellas tell the story of one December in Lancaster County. These four some way connect to each other but not in a series kind of way.

In A Miracle For Miriam, you learn about the deep hurt that causes Miriam to disappear into herself. Seth caused the hurt when they were both fourteen years old. Most of us remember our hurts and some of us have allowed those hurts to influence us as adults. It’s a beautiful love story in which other characters from the other three novellas are introduced.

A Choice to Forgive opens with Lydia answering a knock at her door and discovering her first love, Daniel Smucker, standing confidently on her doorstep. He promised to marry her when they were young and mysteriously disappeared on Christmas. Lydia marries his brother, Elam, who happens to comfort her during her difficult heart break. She becomes a widow when he dies of a heart attack. Those feelings of love for Daniel rise again and she struggles to forgive him for running away. He tries to explain the difficult and complicated situation that sent him away, and the secret that he and his brother kept from her causes an enormous emotional struggle.

One Child by Barbara Cameron addresses Sarah and David’s struggle over their miscarriage. Sarah prays to Derr Herr for a child. It’s the only gift she wants on Christmas. Mysterious visitors bring unexpected joy during a particularly bad blizzard. It’s a story of healing, love, and friendship.

Christmas Cradles tells the story of Anna Stolis and Asa Mast. Anna has never been married. She has become a midwife. Asa Mast also never married. A tragedy occurred during his rumschpringe years that brought him to this point. His father is very ill, refusing to go to the hospital on Christmas. Anna has three deliveries during the night. Normally, his father, Samuel, accompanies Anna’s Aunt Ruth (also a midwife), but with Aunt Ruth taking the evening off and Samuel sick, Asa joins Anna in her delivery runs. It is a love story of two insecure people who never thought they could fall in love. ( )

Not my kind of book, normally, but at Christmastime, yes. Sweet and comforting and seasonal while giving me a taste of the Amish faith and life. ( )