Anne Kemerer Jones
An Amish Schoolroom: Three Stories
Amy Clipston, Kathleen Fuller, Shelley Shepard Gray. $15.99 (336p) ISBN 978-0-3103-6582-2
This collection of sweet romances will charm old and new fans of Amish fiction. In the first story, “A Class for Laurel,” young and adventurous Laurel Weaver travels across the country leaving her beloved family behind in Pennsylvania to accept a position as a schoolteacher in a small community in Colorado [p. 8, 11, ff]. She rents a small cottage on the Troyer property [p. 7-9] and meets the owners’ handsome son, Glen [p. 18]. As the two develop an easy friendship their mutual attraction grows, much to the consternation of Glen’s mother and sister [p. 77, 78 eg] who fear he will leave their hometown. They realize, however, that his happiness is most important no matter where he is [p. 114, 116. 119]. The second story, “A Lesson on Love,” by Fuller, is a much more mature one that will pull at heartstrings as 35-year-old Priscilla returns to her Amish roots to become a teacher following a failed attempt at fame and fortune as a country music singer in Nashville [p. 128, 175-179]. She meets Micah, a man ten years her junior [p. 167], with an old soul who craves an authentic life [p. 201, 216 e.g.]. They confront their own feelings about their age difference as well as the opinions of community members as they find their way together [p. 218-220]. The third story, “Wendy’s Twenty Reasons,” will leave readers with a smile as young perfectionist Wendy tries her best to manage a schoolroom of rowdy children and sarcastic pre-teens as she struggles with living up to her predecessor’s reputation [p. 230, 231 ff]. She falls with love with Lewis, the son of the family with whom she is renting a room [p. 285]. Lewis must learn to stand up for himself, which he does as he and Wendy learn to trust themselves and each other. [p. 306 ff].