Living in Harmony

By Mary Ellis

Description:

A Tragedy…a Refusal…a Shunning
Will Their Young Love Survive?

Amy King—young, engaged, and Amish—faces life-altering challenges when she suddenly loses both of her parents in a house fire. Her fiancé, John Detweiler, persuades her to leave Lancaster County and make a new beginning with him in Harmony, Maine, where he has relatives who can help them.

John’s brother Thomas and sister-in-law, Sally, readily open their home to the newcomers. Wise beyond his years, Thomas, a minister in the district, refuses to marry Amy and John upon their arrival, suggesting instead a period of adjustment. While trying to assimilate in the ultraconservative district, Amy discovers an aunt who was shunned. Amy wants to reconnect with her, but John worries that the woman’s tarnished reputation will reflect badly on his beloved bride-to-be.

Can John and Amy find a way to overcome problems in their relationship and live happily in Harmony before making a lifetime commitment to each other?

Book Takeaway:

I hope readers will realize the Amish aren't very different than other Christians as they struggle with life's difficult transitions.

Why the author wrote this book:

I was intrigued by the high number of Old Order Amish moving away from Lancaster County, PA, due to the soaring price of farmland. Young people especially are eager to move to new Amish settlements where they can afford to buy land and stay in farming. Rules differ between one community and the next, causing many adjustments for the new residents. I love stories about people who depend on their faith to carry them through.