A Dream of Miracles by Ruth Reid surprised me! This was the first Amish fiction novel and Ruth Reid novel that I have read. I have always avoided this genre, because I honestly don't care for the mushy stuff in books. I thought that this book would be filled with it. I only chose to read it, because I felt like I needed to switch things up a bit for my followers. Well, I was definitely surprised! It had the mushy stuff, but the main characters were so relatable and human, it was inevitably natural for those parts to be in the book.
The main character of A Dream of Miracles is a young Amish widow named Mattie. Her husband Andy passed away before their second child was born. Her first born is named Nathan and her second born is named Amanda. They are both under three years old. In this lovely story, Mattie is learning the ropes of being an Amish widow. She's having to adjust to being the mother and the father to her children. In the Amish community, the mother and the father have two very different roles in the lives of their children. While learning how to do both roles, she gains help from a local bachelor, Alvin. He helps take care of all of the outside things around Mattie's home. Mattie's best friend Grace thinks that there might be more to it than him just "being a good Christian" by helping Mattie.
Mattie's first born, Nathan, comes down with a mysterious illness. The sickness plunges Mattie into the realm of the Englischer world as the local doktah is out of town and the fill-in suspects something fishy about the child's sickness. She is sent to the hospital for further inspection of the child's sickness. Mattie is accused of something every parent would lose their wits over.
Being a mother and a parent of two boys, the emotions Mattie goes through became real to me.
While going through the accusations, Mattie meets a man named Bo Lambright. At first, he seems to be the main cause of all of the trouble that Mattie and her children are going through. Seeing as he is the Englischer that came into her life as a result of her child being sick. As the book digs deeper, there's more to it and the result is definitely risky!
With their faith in God, Mattie and Bo get through things individually and together that were only meant to tear them down. Ruth Reid writes in both points of view and lets us get a taste of each of their thought process. That's what I enjoyed most about the book, because it kept me hooked and satisfied.
I really enjoyed engulfing myself into this Amish world that Ruth Reid writes about. I've had a few experiences with the Amish and have completed a few studies about them. This book taught me new things about them that I didn't know before. There's use of their language Pennsylvania Deitsch and no worries! Reid provides us with a glossary of their meaning in the very front of the book. Though, I could understand their meaning through the very cleverly written context.
Also, in the back of the book, there is a "Reading Group Guide". This guide is made for discussions and thoughts revolving around the story in A Dream of Miracles. I read each question and answered them to myself. It helped me grasp the inner meaning of the story and the message that is being sent through it.
I feel like Ruth Reid was trying to tell us to not give up hope when all of it seems lost. If we look to God and pray to Him about what we're going through, HE WILL TAKE CARE OF US. Not only will He take care of us, but He will bless us with more than we could ever imagine. Mattie and Bo both started out in this story as individuals with nothing but loss. By the end, they both gain something that's beyond normal understanding... a firm belief in miracles.
I would recommend this book to any of the Amish world's fans, romance fans, mystery fans, and Christian literature fans. I questioned the ending so many times throughout the book, but I wasn't disappointed when I finished it.
I was given a complimentary copy of A Dream of Miracles in exchange for a honest review from Booklookbloggers.
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