7:42 pm
The Winnowing Season by Cindy Woodsmall, is book number two in
the author’s most recent series, Amish
Vines and Orchards. The third book, For
Every Season, will be released in September. The Winnowing Season picks up where we left off in A Season for Tending (book number one).
Rhoda Byler has joined ranks with the King brothers, Samuel
and Jacob, in a business venture following the destruction of Rhoda’s beloved
garden. Having already made a name for herself with her herbal teas, and
homemade jams and preserves, Rhoda agrees to merge her business with King’s
Orchard. The King family will continue to grow and harvest apples, and Rhoda
will can apple jellies, apple butter, and the like with the names of both
businesses on the labels. At the end of the first book, a devastating tornado
has swept through, decimating King’s orchard, ultimately leading to the
decision by one and all to move the enterprise to an abandoned apple orchard in
Maine, where they will not only begin again, but will start a new Amish
settlement. Rhoda and Jacob have begun courting, but unbeknownst to either one,
Samuel realizes he has growing romantic feelings for Rhoda.
In The Winnowing
Season we find all members of the household - Rhoda, her brother and his wife and
their children, Samuel, Jacob, and their sister, Leah – along with Rhoda’s
friend and employee, Landon, who lives with his grandmother nearby, working
tirelessly to prepare the orchard as best they can for the oncoming winter, and
more importantly, for the growing season to follow. Naturally, tensions run
high from overwork and far too little sleep. During this critical time, Jacob’s
secret past comes back to haunt him, demanding his time and attention, leaving
his workload to be carried by the others. Rhoda feels Jacob’s absence keenly in
both the additional chores and in the lack of emotional support. What arises
are a number of issues, any one of which could ruin the small settlement’s
chances for success.
Will Jacob be able to escape the secrets that keep him tied to his
past? Will Leah break free from the Amish life, or decide there is much to gain
by following the old ways? Will Samuel conquer the impossible love he feels for
Rhoda, or will he find a way to win her without losing the brother he loves in
the process? Will the fledgling settlement survive?
Cindy Woodsmall has become the Queen
of the Cliffhangers! She takes us along on her
characters’ journeys, and we
grow to genuinely like them and feel their angst and their joy. She brings us
to moments that could change everything, then steps away and forces us to wait
to learn the rest of the story with the release of the next installment.
Woodsmall paints a lavish canvas with her words, and weaves a lovely tapestry
of emotion. In reviewing the previous book in this series, I stated “my
hands are begging to turn the pages of the next book in Cindy’s newest series, Amish Vines and Orchards.” I feel the
same way after reading the second in the series. And while as a teacher, I
would never wish away my summer, at
least I have a wonderful new book to look forward to reading in September.
 |
| Due to release September 17, 2013 |
Another beautiful read, Cindy Woodsmall! Thank you so much!
I
received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this
review.
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