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Something Old was my first introduction into the Mennonite world through fiction.

The Mennonite culture is very similar to the Amish in the sense that they have very strong family connections, try to live a simple life, and have a deep devotion to God. However, since they have slightly more access to modern things than the Amish do (cell phones, cars, computers, electricity, etc.), it opens the door to more temptation from the world.

Katy and Jake’s relationship in this book was all over the place, mostly because Katy had such a rigid devotion to her Mennonite upbringing, and she let their rules get in the way of her relationship with God. She was constantly looking for and finding fault with people and circumstances around her, thinking that it would justify how well she tried to adhere to Mennonite rules.

The most surprising topic I found was the subject of their prayer coverings. Their congregation debated whether or not the women should continue to wear them, and if so, where they should be worn. I won’t spoil the outcome of this, but I was surprised that Katy’s friends disagreed with her. I understood their reasons, but still… Within my basic knowledge of Amish culture, their prayer caps are sacred and I suspected the same would be true of the Mennonites. Katy had the same opinion of hers, and I found it odd that a church pastor would hold a vote to potentially remove something so intrinsic to their faith.

All in all, this book wasn’t easy to finish, but I persevered. Katy’s judgmental attitude annoyed me, but Jake surprised me. At one point, he decided that he’d had enough, and I was actually glad! No doubt that there were sparks between these two, and they were flying every time they kissed – mega surprise there! I’m hoping that the next two books focus on Katy’s friends because I liked both of them immensely.
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blissbooksandjewels | 3 altre recensioni | Mar 20, 2021 |
The first 3 stories in this book were about the three Carson sisters, as they struggle with the loss of their parents. The last story takes place 30 years later and is centered on a descendant of one of these 3 sisters. It was an enjoyable time spent in Ohio during the first decade of the nineteenth century.

In "Proper Intentions" you have Kate, the oldest sister, trying to maintain the faith she was taught before her parents were killed by Indians. She is overjoyed to have a preacher come to Beaver Creek and one of his two handsome sons will steal her heart.

In "Lofty Ambitions" you get to know Annabelle, the sister who has big-city dreams and who will flippantly refuse Thaddeas Larson's proposal of marriage (which he has waited 4 long years to do until Annabelle grew up). When Thaddeas takes his broken heart and leaves town, Annabelle will realize how much she misses him. She will also learn some important lessons helping out an orphanage; but will her change of heart be too late?

In "Ample Portions" you will follow the last sister, Claire, as she helps Reverend Luke Wheeler flee town with his baby boy. Luke is accused of murder and is to be hung. Folks will help him escape and Claire will ride with him and help take care of his boy. Claire has always loved Luke, but he has only seen her as a 'sister' or 'friend'. As they run from the law, Luke's eyes will slowly be opened to the love Claire has for him. But can he forget about his deceased wife and give Claire the love she deserves?

In "Castor Oil and Lavender" you will enjoy the strange blend of personalities when Dr. David Wheeler and Josephine Cline meet. They clash over almost everything at first, but they also both have a heart for the German immigrants flocking to Cincinnati who need care and help. Watching these two interact with each other was enjoyable.
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judyg54 | Apr 30, 2019 |
I’m a strange and ambiguous creature sometimes. On the one hand, I tend to snap up any kind of Medieval Christian Fiction- but conversely I tend to set very high standards for it, and sadly, this collection did not always meet them. It must be stated, here at the beginning that in spite of what the subtitle says two of the stories (I could say three, if I was being pedantic) are not actually set in the Middle- Ages.

The first is set in the seventeenth century (1600s), which I suppose if forgivable, but the third, for some inexplicable reason is basically a short Regency- set in the early 1800s. Why it was included in the collection is anyone’s guess, but as another reviewer has stated, the fact that the characters live in a castle for the majority of the story does not really excuse the obviously non-Medieval setting- and the story itself- was just- average.
As regencies go, it’s no patch on Julie Klassen or Sarah Ladd. Kind of corny really, and a bit implausible. Perhaps if it were longer and there was more space for development it would be better, but some elements would need improvement.

The three stories that actually were set in the Medieval period (the thirteenth and fourteenth century respectively), which were the second, fourth and fifth in the collection, were fair at least. I have read the two Tracie Peterson ones ‘A Kingdom Divided’ and its sequel ‘Alas My Love’ in another collection a few years back, and yes, I did like them then- although they were whimsical and cheesy in parts. I think took a bit of a shine to the villain in the first story, and was glad to see his redemption in the sequel, even if there were a few questionable details. Seriously ‘Devon’ was not a first name in the thirteenth century. It was a title, but many seem to confuse the two.

The second story in the collection ‘A Legend of Mercy’ (coming before the Tracie Peterson ones- sorry about the confused order of review), was set in Ireland in the 1300s, and was okay- but not much more than okay. Yes, there was action, intrigue, fight scenes, and romance-albeit rather predictable romance. Perhaps there could have been more emphasis on the political background and the dynamics of the two families and ‘worlds’ that the male protagonist was caught between. Also, I would question, what on earth was ‘Anglo’ meant to mean in the story? I have never seen the word used as an Adjective on its own. Shouldn’t the correct term for the nobles who controlled the area known as the Pale of Settlement have been Anglo-Norman, or even Anglo-Irish? I’ve never heard of them referred to as ‘Anglo’ before anywhere.

The sixth and final story, ‘Child of Promise’ was one I found very frustrating. Yes, there was a solid Christian message, and yes it clearly presented the gospel (even though this was done in a very ‘preachy’ way), yes the characters were relatable and easy for the audience to connect with.

Yet it was hard to ignore the historical inaccuracies and occasional silliness that the whole story seemed to be riddled with. Some might accuse me of being pedantic, but at some points the whole thing just seemed like a roll call of myths about the Middle- Ages and Early Modern period.
Saying that people in the Elizabethan age seldom bathed because they thought it bad for the health was one thing (perhaps there was some basis for that), but making out that the vast majority of them had basically no concept of hygiene whatsoever is something else. It could almost be considered slightly amusing that the male protagonist, Harry, for all his supposedly ‘enlightened’ ideas about hygiene and cleanliness- then proceeded to do things like wiping his mouth on tablecloths - which was considered very bad etiquette.

Elsewhere, implying that most people of the period were superstitious twits who would attribute practically anything they did not understand to magic and sorcery is simply condescending- and a person being called a ‘witch’ for quoting from the Bible? Seriously?

Other details fared no better. Who drinks brandy from a jug- and I’m fairly sure that clerics after the Reformation were allowed to marry. Even the reference to the possibility of ‘Meala, the protagonist being sold as a ‘slave’ to the evil Bishop seemed incredible. I thought that trading Christian slaves had been banned like 400 years before- unless domestic servants of the Elizabethan Age were being counted as ‘slaves’- which they were not. Then there was the idea that seducing one of the Queen’s ladies in waiting was a treasonable offence for which the person in question would be executed if caught.
Really? I’ve never heard of that- and I’m fairly certain the Earl of Oxford did such a thing at one point, and he was not executed for it. Nor was marrying without parent’s consent a capital offense either, like the characters seemed to think at one point.

I even had some issue with the implication that anyone who did not hold to the early Puritan convictions of the characters was not saved. Okay, I get that they were saying that simple allegiance to the state church was not real faith- but some of the early Reformers preached that Salvation was to be obtained through faith in Christ alone. So I really think that not all early Anglicans were corrupt or false Christians.

Overall, this collection was a little disappointing. I think that maybe other stories could have been found that were genuinely Medieval- and anyone expecting new material should be warned that all the stories have previously been published elsewhere. The main reason for the higher rating was that some of the stories were ones I liked before, and others had their merits, in spite of the drawbacks. It was fairly light reading (even if the length seems daunting, none of the individual stories is more than 160 pages in length), and would be good for lovers of Romance. Those seeking something other than romance would be best advised to look elsewhere.

I received a PDF version of this title free from the publisher via Netgalley for the purposes of review. I was not required to write a positive one and all opinions expressed are my own.
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Medievalgirl | 1 altra recensione | Oct 4, 2016 |

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