A Home for Hannah: Amish of Pontotoc

Happy March!  The Candle Factory Girl by Tania Crosse is out today.  It is a new historical novel that takes readers back to 1932 in Battersea, England where Hillie Hardwick works at Price's Soap and Candle Factory.  I will be sharing my review on March 3.

A Home for Hannah by Amy Lillard is the first story in Amish of Pontotoc series.  Hannah McLean is returning home to Pontotoc, Mississippi with her son, Brandon after the death of her husband.  Hannah needs a place for them to stay until the estate is settled (her husband left her with a mess).  She had left the community fifteen years prior to explore the Englisch world.  Pontotoc is a conservative Amish settlement that does not have indoor plumbing (that is so wrong).  It will be a big adjustment for her son, Brandon.  When Hannah left she broke Aaron Zook’s heart.  Aaron is now a widow with three children to care for as well as his farm.  He prefers training horses, but there is little opportunity for that in his area.  Aaron just received an offer for a job in Ohio working with horses which he is thinking about accepting until Hannah returns.  His feelings for Hannah have not changed, but they can only be together if Hannah joins the Amish faith.  But can they overcome the past to have a future?  Can Hannah return to a simpler way of life? 

A Home for Hannah is a sweet Amish romance.  It does contain some nice writing, but I found the pace slow (which made the book feel long and drawn out).  In some places the story stalled out (failed to move forward).  The POV moves between Hannah, Aaron and Brandon.  I enjoyed Brandon’s story more than Hannah and Aaron’s.  He is taken away from everything that is familiar and thrust into a world with no computer, gaming devices or a phone (or indoor toilet).  Brandon’s cousin, Joshua Gingerich befriends Brandon and shows how to enjoy life without modern technology (fishing for example).  I failed to connect with Hannah.  Her indecision, blaming others and her life choices were frustrating (after 15 years you cannot use lack of education and naivete as an excuse).  There was too much redundancy in A Home for Hannah.  The same questions or thoughts are repeated in each chapter (mostly in the first half of the book).  A Home for Hannah just seemed off.  I found it lacking (like the author was holding back and not letting the story flow naturally).  I wanted more depth added to the story and less predictability.  A Home for Hannah could have used a rewrite and I give it 3 out of 5 stars.  The next book in Amish of Pontotoc is Love for Leah which will be out on July 31. While I was not drawn to A Home for Hannah, Amy Lillard has many wonderful books that I recommend such as O Little Town of Sugarcreek, More Than a Marriage, Pattern of Betrayal, and The Gingerbread Bride.

I appreciate you visiting and reading my latest review.  Tomorrow I will be reviewing It Takes a Coven by Carol J. Perry.  I hope that you have a happy day.  Take care and Happy Reading!

Kris
The Avid Reader