Adoring Addie was an Awesome Read

Bethany House Publishing gave me a free copy of Adoring Addie by Leslie Gould to review.

As devoted reader of Amish fiction, Adoring Addie was the first book I’ve read by Leslie Gould. While Gould’s approach to Amish fiction does not carry the personal acquaintance with the Amish that Beverly Lewis has because of her mother’s background, her approach into a fictional Amish community in Lancaster County Pennsylvania was believable and obviously well researched. 

Through her narrative, Addie effectively introduces us to her Amish family and relatives and her relationships and struggles with the people she is close to. Addie’s story is about loyalty, heartache, and resilient hope in family, even when they deeply disappoint. 

As the dutiful daughter, Addie works hard to keep her dysfunctional Amish family in favor with neighbors and relatives.  Along the way, Addie falls for Jonathan Mosier, a young Amish man new to her community, but not new to hardened grievances between Addie’s family and neighbors.

As Addie works through her family relationships and setbacks, we see a glimpse into an Amish community that struggles with the same private problems as other people: intolerance, drinking, rebellion, and depression. I did think that Gould’s use of drinking with the character Timothy a bit excessive. While Addie was definitely not a Pollyanna character, I like how Addie so willingly gave everyone the benefit of the doubt. Even Phillip, the self-proclaimed narcissist, who contributed much to Addie’s problems, was not beyond Addie’s good will.  

Gould’s well written narrative invites us into Addie’s Amish world while working a plot of real life action and painful mysteries from seemingly routine and everyday events. I was interested in Addie’s story by chapter 3 and somewhere along the way I couldn’t stop reading the book until I learned the outcome for Addie and Jonathon.  I’ll be looking for a copy of Courting Cate, Book 1 in The Courtships of Lancaster County, to get current with Gould’s series. And I look forward to reading Gould's next Amish novel.