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Amish Orchards #1
An Autumn Wind in Walnut Creek: Amish Orchards
Martha Yoder was chased away from her close-knit Amish community because of a hasty judgment handed down by the quilting group. Guilt of her misbehavior during one night of Rumspringa, in which she conceived her daughter, Alice, makes her let the kid rule her house. However, when one of the judges at the quilting group passes on, she wills Martha her apple orchard, but there is a catch: she has to deliver a basket of secrets to women in her former Amish community, some of which were those that judged her over eight years ago. While Martha struggles to deliver the notes, she must make friends with the tenant farmer, Ray Miller, at the apple orchard, and he has a secret of his own...one that can change her and Alice's life forever.
134 pages, Paperback
First published October 2, 2012
17 people are currently reading
89 people want to read
About the author
Sicily Yoder
101 books35 followersDied March 15, 2014.
Indie author Sicily Yoder published close to 100 Amish Romance novels and cookbooks from 2004 - 2014.
Indie author Sicily Yoder published close to 100 Amish Romance novels and cookbooks from 2004 - 2014.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
December 21, 2013
This was a Kindle freebie from Amazon.
Even self-published authors should have editors. Someone to say – “Sorry, but this whole section seems out of place.” Wrong word. The word is ensure not insure. Their not There. Etc.” Spell check more than once.
Normally a book with as many errors found as this one would get one star. I gave this book two because the initial plot is not bad. However, the plot gets lost in what appears to be rewrites of part of the book without checking to see if they affect another section. For example, Ms. Yoder has one character who makes a statement concerning visiting another person. Except that person is dead – and they are not going to the cemetery.
Too bad. This could have been an enjoyable book but whole sections that simply did not connect along with the many errors made it otherwise. She has written many books. Hopefully the others have been done with greater care.
Even self-published authors should have editors. Someone to say – “Sorry, but this whole section seems out of place.” Wrong word. The word is ensure not insure. Their not There. Etc.” Spell check more than once.
Normally a book with as many errors found as this one would get one star. I gave this book two because the initial plot is not bad. However, the plot gets lost in what appears to be rewrites of part of the book without checking to see if they affect another section. For example, Ms. Yoder has one character who makes a statement concerning visiting another person. Except that person is dead – and they are not going to the cemetery.
Too bad. This could have been an enjoyable book but whole sections that simply did not connect along with the many errors made it otherwise. She has written many books. Hopefully the others have been done with greater care.
July 5, 2015
Got this for free on Amazon. Thank god for that because it's just awful. The plot is all over the place, very hard to follow and confusing. It was hard to figure out who was who and who knew what. For example, when Ray found out he was Alice's dad, it read like Martha found out at the same time, but later Ray told Martha's dad that she didn't know. The details of the book changed from page to page, which confused everything. There were also a lot of grammatical/spelling mistakes, which could have been the editor's or publisher's error, but added to just how bad this book was!! There is zero character development and the plot gets lost in the horrible writing. It's like the author lost focus while writing the book, simply writing for the sake of writing, without any clear purpose. Save yourselves. Don't read this book!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 9, 2015
Stories about the Amish are usually a pleasant break in the depressing events reported in the news each night and "a prodigal son in female form" held the promise of a very good book. I was very disappointed.
The story needed more background about Martha's life away from the Amish and how she jumped from being shunned by her family and community to being accepted in a few short pages. How could Ray go from rude man to husband-to-be so fast? I needed/wanted a fuller explanation.
If there was a proof reader I hope he/she was fired for the poor job done on the Kindle edition.
No sex
No violence
The story needed more background about Martha's life away from the Amish and how she jumped from being shunned by her family and community to being accepted in a few short pages. How could Ray go from rude man to husband-to-be so fast? I needed/wanted a fuller explanation.
If there was a proof reader I hope he/she was fired for the poor job done on the Kindle edition.
No sex
No violence
May 28, 2013
One of my first "thoroughly Amish" reads. I've not had much interest in this genre but read this one that was free. I would say it was good for a first read. There were parts where I had a hard time following where the plot was going. It did finish nicely in the end. The character transformation of the main character was quite nicely handled, giving a satisfying finish with just enough suspense left for a continuation of the story. Nicely done.
March 26, 2019
Good read!
October 23, 2021
This book was so poorly written I doubt that anyone edited it. Quotations were left out, very poor english, etc., etc. I've read many Amish books, but cannot recommend this one...sorry! By the way, it was very disturbing that the rumspringa pregnancy only affected the pregnant girl, causing her to leave her community, and not the drunken young man! He gets made out to be a hero! Is this the norm in plain land, a patriarchy mindset?
November 25, 2022
Awesome
I loved this book from the very beginning. It is an awesome book. I recommend it to everyone who reads.
I loved this book from the very beginning. It is an awesome book. I recommend it to everyone who reads.
September 16, 2016
This is a look at the Prodigal Son story with the Prodigal being a young innocent woman on her first day of Rumspringa. Martha goes off drinking with 2 young boys one she thinks she loves. They all get passing out drunk and wake up the next morning not remembering what happened. She turns up pregnant and thinks Jeremiah is the father or wants him to be. He denies it. She doesn't remember the second boy. Instead of being brought before the Bishop she is judged by the women in the Quilting Circle. They say she has sinned beyond forgiveness and make her leave the community. She is devastated because one of the woman was her mother. She has a hard life for almost 9 years. She has her baby a little girl, Alice. They live in the projects with all the drugs, prostitution and gang violence. An old lady she know dies and she finds out Mrs. Bailey was an Amish woman hiding there watching Martha and Alice. Mrs. Bailey leaves Martha her home and 10 notes to deliver to the community that judged Martha so harshly. The notes and secret sins of the ladies of the quilting circle and others in the community makes the point of have sinned and fallen short, and judge not lest yea be judged. It was a sad but sweet story.
January 21, 2014
Wow,I love to read a good Amish book and this was one of them.
Martha was a young Amish girl that lived in Walnut Creek.She runs off during her rumspringa and goes to a barn loft party. She invites this young boy Jeremiah to the party. Some of the young people brought alcohol with them. Martha ends up Pregnant and is judged by some of the ladies of the quilting bee for her sin.She has to leave her community and family and start over. Martha struggles to raise her daughter Alice, but she loves her so much. There is a Mrs Dailey who passes away and she leaves Martha a apple farm orchard and a wooden basket of secrets she has to deliver. Well these are to be delivered back in her old Amish community Walnut Creek. Now when everyone hears about these secrets they are not to happy about these secrets Mrs. Dailey has written up. Who are the ten people who is to receive these secrets? There is a lot of secrets and lessons to be learned in this Old Order Amish Community.This book is about forgiveness and confessions. Will Martha find out who the father of her daughter Alice is ? Will he even want to be a father to this beautiful girl. I gave this book a 5 stars because it was a really good book. I was sent an e-book from the author , but was not told that I had to give a positive review.
Martha was a young Amish girl that lived in Walnut Creek.She runs off during her rumspringa and goes to a barn loft party. She invites this young boy Jeremiah to the party. Some of the young people brought alcohol with them. Martha ends up Pregnant and is judged by some of the ladies of the quilting bee for her sin.She has to leave her community and family and start over. Martha struggles to raise her daughter Alice, but she loves her so much. There is a Mrs Dailey who passes away and she leaves Martha a apple farm orchard and a wooden basket of secrets she has to deliver. Well these are to be delivered back in her old Amish community Walnut Creek. Now when everyone hears about these secrets they are not to happy about these secrets Mrs. Dailey has written up. Who are the ten people who is to receive these secrets? There is a lot of secrets and lessons to be learned in this Old Order Amish Community.This book is about forgiveness and confessions. Will Martha find out who the father of her daughter Alice is ? Will he even want to be a father to this beautiful girl. I gave this book a 5 stars because it was a really good book. I was sent an e-book from the author , but was not told that I had to give a positive review.
October 6, 2012
ohhh, wow, you will love this story !!! Martha was judged by the Amish Quilting Bee ladies and forced to leave her faith, family and community when she became pregnant during her running around years. The "ringleader" of the self-appointed judges follows Martha and moves to Kentucky also. She dies and wills her home in Amish country to Martha but she has more surprises up her sleeve. She has a basket of notes that Martha must deliver to people in the community.
Will Martha's parents accept her and allow her back in the family and community? Will Ray Miller love Martha and her daughter, Alice? (Ray is running the farm that Martha now owns the home attached to it!) What will the notes say? Will there be trouble or peace restored?
I enjoyed this book immensely. Autumn is my favorite season, and Sicily weaves it all through out the book with cider, fresh doughnuts, pumpkin whoopie pies, beautiful leaves changing colors, children returning to school, and more. This story holds many surprises and I do believe you will love them as much as I did!
Will Martha's parents accept her and allow her back in the family and community? Will Ray Miller love Martha and her daughter, Alice? (Ray is running the farm that Martha now owns the home attached to it!) What will the notes say? Will there be trouble or peace restored?
I enjoyed this book immensely. Autumn is my favorite season, and Sicily weaves it all through out the book with cider, fresh doughnuts, pumpkin whoopie pies, beautiful leaves changing colors, children returning to school, and more. This story holds many surprises and I do believe you will love them as much as I did!
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December 28, 2012 Out of all of the books, this one has got to be my favorite, and for many reasons: it deals with hasty decisions handed down by a quilting bee "ring leader," and how one of her decisions has a huge impact on a young lady's life. We have all had out times, when we have to try to make things right, and that is what the "ring leader," does, willing the family apple orchard to the young lady. Can that heal the pain?
Often in life, strings are attached, and the willed apple orchard is no exception, for the young lady must deliver a basket of secrets to the community. Can she do this, or will handsome Ray Miller get in the way?
Often in life, strings are attached, and the willed apple orchard is no exception, for the young lady must deliver a basket of secrets to the community. Can she do this, or will handsome Ray Miller get in the way?
July 26, 2014
Nice short read
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews