Gathering the Threads ~ Review

Gathering the Threads
The Amish of Summer Grove #3
By Cindy Woodsmall

Ariana dreamed and longed to return home to the life and family she had always known. A life that was taken away from her by the parents she didn't know. But her time away has changed her - opening her eyes see her once beloved life differently. And even more unsettling Skylar the young woman with whom she was mixed-up is still living with the Brenneman family.

Skylar isn't ready to leave the Brennemans and return to her old life. She hasn't embraced the Amish lifestyle yet some aspects have helped her as she fought her addictions. But Ariana's return threatens the peace that Skylar is discovering.

As Ariana struggles to once again find her place she has to deal with the suspicions of others within her community. Her ties with her Englisch family are cause for concern as is her re-established friendship with Quill Schlabach. Can Ariana be true to who she really is and the truths that she discovered about God? Or will she allow the pressures of her old life to suppress and constrict her new thoughts?

Gathering the Threads is the concluding book in the Amish of Summer Grove trilogy. This book continues the look at family and what is more important in making a family - blood or love. It is also a study in how belief determines how we react to others and their beliefs. I find it interesting how Ariana's siblings treat her upon her return as compared to her parents, especially her Daed. 

I think one could most definitely describe this as an emotional book - not that it causes the reader to go through a range of emotions or even to get emotional. Rather this book expresses a range of emotions as the various characters work through their hopes and their fears. 

If you haven't read the first two books in the series you can get a quick synopsis at the beginning of the book and enjoy the story that is found within these covers. However, if you read the first two books you'll more fully appreciate what Skylar and Ariana are confronting when there are each presented with their new biological identities. I mean, who wouldn't have an issue or two to learn that you aren't quite whom you always thought yourself as being. 

The book and series conclude in a satisfying manner though I wouldn't have minded another book in the series (or another 100 pages or so in this book). If you're looking for a vacation read give this one a try. This book (and series) would be an excellent choice for a book club selection. 

I was provided a review ARC (advanced reviewer copy) of this book by the publisher with no expectations of a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.



About the Book:

Finally back in the Old Order Amish world she loves,

Will Ariana’s new perspectives draw her family closer together—

or completely rip them apart?

After months away in the Englisch world, Ariana Brenneman is overjoyed to be in the Old Order Amish home where she was raised. Yet her excitement is mixed with an unexpected apprehension as she reconciles all she’s learned from her biological parents with the uncompromising teachings of her Plain community. Although her childhood friend, ex-Amish Quill Schlabach, hopes to help her navigate her new role amongst her people, Ariana’s Daed doesn’t understand why his sweet daughter is suddenly questioning his authority. What will happen if she sows seeds of unrest and rebellion in the entire family?  
 
Meanwhile, Skylar Nash has finally found her place among the large Brenneman family, but Ariana’s arrival threatens to unravel Skylar’s new identity—and her sobriety. Both Ariana and Skylar must discover the true cords that bind a family and community together and grasp tight the One who holds their authentic identities close to His heart. 
 
Gathering the Threads is the third and final novel in The Amish of Summer Grove series.