I've previously read several of Cindy Woodsmall's books and have really enjoyed them.
Her full length novels are a bit more "meaty" and cover more in depth issues, while she also writes shorter length stories as well.
The Scent of Cherry Blossoms is more of a novella, which doesn't allow quite as much time for story arcs, character development, etc.
Here's the plot:
Annie Martin loves the Plain ways of her Old Order Mennonite people, like those revered by her beloved grandfather. Retreating from a contentious relationship with her mother, Annie goes to live with her Daadi Moses in Apple Ridge.
But as spring moves into Pennsylvania and Annie spends time amongst the cherry trees with the handsome Aden Zook, she wishes she could forget how deeply the lines between the Old Order Amish and Old Order Mennonite are drawn.
Can Annie and Aden find a place for their love to bloom in the midst of the brewing storm?
While the main storyline revolves around Annie and Aden's romance, I actually found myself more drawn to and interested in Aden's older brother, Roman. I thought Cindy did a great job with his character, making him very three dimensional and likable, despite the frustrations he faces. I wanted to read more about him and find out what would happen to him in the future. Possible sequel? :)
For some reason, I just had a hard time truly investing in Annie and Aden's relationship and really believing they shared a deep connection. I guess I felt more like it was stated they were in love, rather than my actually feeling it. I didn't get the "spark" of attraction they supposedly had for each other, even though I wanted to. I will commend Cindy for being willing to give both Aden and Roman physical, as well as mental, limitations to overcome on their individual road to happiness. That added a sense of realism to the story.
In short, I did find The Scent of Cherry Blossoms to be a sweet, thoughtful, book though it's not my favorite by this author.
(And I would definitely read a continuation of Roman's story!)
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Waterbrook/Multnomah Publishers in exchange for my honest opinion.
2 comments:
Thank you for your honest and thoughtful review. I haven't read any of Cindy's books yet, but I'd like to.
Hope you're having a good week! : )
If you enjoy Amish fiction in general, I think you'd really like Cindy's style. I probably wouldn't start with The Scent of Cherry Blossoms as a first read of hers, but would highly recommend her Sisters of the Quilt trilogy. I thought those were excellent, especially if you're into stories that touch on deeper topics. They were really well written-and you can even get the trilogy all in one volume too!
I am having a good week, thanks for asking. :) Hope you are too!
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