The Christmas Singing
After Gideon coldly broke her heart, can the warmth of the season revive Mattie’s hopes?
Mattie thought her childhood sweetheart adored her until he abruptly ended their engagement on Christmas Eve.
Three
years later, will learning the truth behind his rejection restore her
Christmas joy – or open the door to even deeper heartbreak?
Spend Christmas with the Amish in this story of love, romance, heartache, and restoration.
Experience
the holidays with the Plain folk and discover the power of second
chances in this touching story from the author of the New York Times bestseller, The Bridge of Peace.
Gideon
Beiler has loved Mattie Eash since they were children. But when faced
with unexpected circumstances, he makes up an excuse to end their
engagement. He doesn’t want to lie to her, but he believes that telling
Mattie the truth will be more hurtful.
Brokenhearted, Mattie
moves from Apple Ridge, Pennsylvania to Ohio, where she pursues her
longtime dream of becoming a cake decorator. She finds a new beau—a man
offering the secure relationship Gideon has denied her.
When
Mattie is forced to return to Apple Ridge, she and Gideon must confront
the suffering created by his dishonesty – and address the powerful
emotions that continue to bind the two childhood friends.
MY REVIEW: Author Cindy Woodsmall creates wonderfully vivid characters, not so much by the
description of their looks, but by the immediate sense of who they are
as people. She infuses each character with human flaws and
imperfections, yet they are immensely appealing. In "The Christmas
Singing", Mattie Eash is a talented and artistic cake baker who is at
times somewhat absent-minded. When her heart was broken by her childhood
sweetheart, Gideon Beiler, Mattie left her home in Pennsylvania and
moved to Ohio. She made a new life, and found someone safe and
predictable, Sol Bender, with whom to keep company. While she enjoys the
security and steadfastness of her relationship with Sol, she cannot
forget her first love, Gideon. His apparent interest in a life outside
their Amish world, and his attraction to "Englisch" women leaves Mattie
deeply hurt and unsure of herself. However, Gideon has secrets of his
own, and he let Mattie go because he thought she would be better off
without him and his troubles. When an accident brings them back in each
other's world, old feelings and hurts come to the surface. Will Gideon
finally reveal the secrets he has held from Mattie? If so, can Mattie
forgive him and accept him as he is? Emotions run high during the
holidays, and love stories are especially poignant during this time of
year. "The Christmas Singing" will touch your heart and leave you filled
with the spirit of the season. Some of the recipes for the wonderful
cakes described in the book are included as an extra treat!
Book Copy Gratis Library Thing
The Sound of Sleigh Bells
The Dawn of Christmas: A Romance from the Heart of Amish Country
The Scent of Cherry Blossoms
Cindy Woodsmall
Cindy Woodsmall is a New York
Times and CBA best-selling author who has written nineteen (and
counting!) works of fiction and one of nonfiction. She and her dearest
Old Order Amish friend, Miriam Flaud, coauthored the nonfiction, Plain
Wisdom: An Invitation into an Amish Home and the Hearts of Two Women.
Cindy's been featured on ABC Nightline and the front page of the Wall
Street Journal, and has worked with National Geographic on a documentary
concerning Amish life. In June of 2013, the Wall Street Journal listed
Cindy as one of the top three Amish fiction writers.
She is also a
veteran homeschool mom who no longer holds that position. As her
children progressed in age, her desire to write grew stronger. After
working through reservations whether this desire was something she
should pursue, she began her writing journey. Her husband was her
staunchest supporter as she aimed for what seemed impossible.
She’s
won Fiction Book of the Year, Reviewer’s Choice Awards, Inspirational
Reader’s Choice Contest, as well as one of Crossings' Best Books of the
Year. She’s been a finalist for the prestigious Christy, Rita, and Carol
Awards, Christian Book of the Year, and Christian Retailers Choice
Awards.
Her real-life connections with Amish Mennonite and Old
Order Amish families enrich her novels with authenticity. Though she
didn’t realize it at the time, seeds were sown years ago that began
preparing Cindy to write these books. At the age of ten, while living in
the dairy country of Maryland, she became best friends with Luann, a
Plain Mennonite girl. Luann, like all the females in her family, wore
the prayer Kapp and cape dresses. Her parents didn’t allow television or
radios, and many other modern conveniences were frowned upon. During
the numerous times Luann came to Cindy’s house to spend the night, her
rules came with her and the two were careful to obey them—afraid that if
they didn’t, the adults would end their friendship. Although the rules
were much easier to keep when they spent the night at Luann’s because
her family didn’t own any of the forbidden items, both sets of parents
were uncomfortable with the relationship and a small infraction of any
kind would have been enough reason for the parents to end the
relationship. While navigating around the adults’ disapproval and the
obstacles in each other’s lifestyle, the two girls bonded in true
friendship that lasted into their teen years, until Cindy’s family moved
to another region of the US.
As an adult, Cindy became friends
with a wonderful Old Order Amish family who opened their home to her.
Although the two women, Miriam and Cindy, live seven hundred miles apart
geographically, and a century apart by customs, when they come together
they never lack for commonality, laughter, and dreams of what only God
can accomplish through His children. Over the years Cindy has continued
to make wonderful friendships with those inside the Amish and Mennonite
communities—from the most conservative ones to the most liberal.
Cindy and her husband reside near the foothills of the North Georgia Mountains in their now empty nest.
http://www.cindywoodsmall.com
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