The Sisters of Sugarcreek by Cathy Liggett

Many lives were changed the day a fire burned down Faith Community Church, devastating the small town of Sugarcreek, Ohio.Now a young Amish widow, Lydia Gruber faces an uncertain future. Her husband, a craftsman and volunteer firefighter, always took care of everything, keeping her isolated from others in their community. Without anyone or any skills, how will she survive?With the death of her beloved aunt Rose in the fire, single mom Jessica Holtz inherits Rose's Knit One Quilt Too cottage. Though determined to keep the shop open in her aunt's memory, she doesn't know the first thing about knitting and quilting and begins to see her aunt's dream slip through her fingers.When Liz Cannon lost her dear friend Rose, she also lost her partner in the Secret Stitches Society--the name they gave themselves while delivering gifts of hope to troubled folks in the dark of night. Liz convinces Jessica to keep the anonymous society going, despite the younger women's inadequacy with knitting and sewing needles. But soon Liz has problems of her own as the life she has rebuilt for herself begins to crumble again.When Liz and Jessica choose Lydia for their first mission, the three women cross paths and form an unlikely friendship in the aftermath of tragedy. As they walk together through triumph and heartbreak--through grief and new chances at love--they begin to discover that with friends by your side, a stitch of hope can be found anywhere.


About The Author

I’ve been a Midwest girl all my life (oh, there were those 5 years when my one true love married me and whisked me off to live in New York – but I’ll get to that in a minute…).  Born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, by wonderful parents who were married 71 years, can you imagine? – my childhood was as normal as normal can be.
Lucky for me, my family was so great, kind enough to endure all my attempts at writing which started when I was a little girl.  I was always busy penning sentimental cards (one, I recall, compared my love for my parents to that of a puppy for its master!?), bookmarks with supposedly pithy sayings, and short stories that didn’t always make much sense.  Except for there were a few stories during junior high that had some of the girls in class crying, branding me as the person who writes “those tearjerkers.”  I also had notebooks full of prose and poems in high school, but lucky for my family, those were secretly tucked away. I didn’t subject them to all the ecstasy and mostly angst of those teen ponderings.
The desire to write led me to a degree in Communications which, in turn, led me to advertising copywriting.  And, after years of slaving away in a high downtown office building writing about Wendy’s hamburgers, Stihl chainsaws and Senco’s pneumatic tools, my prince showed up.  At our ten-year high school reunion, no less! One kiss, and the next thing I know, I woke up married and living in Queens, New York (as I mentioned earlier).
While in New York, we had a non-fiction book published by New American Library.  We also gave birth to something incomparably greater and most exquisite – our daughter.  Shortly after she turned two, wanting to raise her near family, we returned to Cincinnati.  The very next year, our always smiling son was born.
For many years while the kids were growing up, I wrote and edited copy for gift ware products.  But then, I started telling friends I wanted to write sweet romances, which was a strange and scary thing for me.  That’s because I told enough of them that they started asking about it – meaning I really had to attempt it.  I’m still not sure why I did that.
For me, the writing journey, the over thirty-year marriage to my husband, and the blessing of our two grown children, does all seem like a fairy tale.  But honestly, I know better. God’s always pursuing us, isn’t He?  And coming up with plans for our lives that are so much greater and more creative than the ones we often imagine for ourselves.
I’m not sure exactly what’s next. But I do know, studying more about God’s word and practicing at writing have seemed to blend together more and more in the past years.  Both have given me the opportunity to meet some incredibly talented people.  To make some wonderful life-long friends.  To go places I never thought I’d see.  And to witness the gifts of God’s remarkable timing and love.  So at this point, as I move ahead, I plan to leave the future in His masterful, capable hands.

My Review

A lot of friendships begin over tragedy, and the premise of this story is just what happens. I enjoyed the way Leah got her job at Rose’s Knit One Quilt Too Cottage, and that job fell in her lap, along with the new friends, and again with a lot in common, sad in the fact they have lost loved ones.
We also get to enjoy two different cultures that pull together, Amish and the local residents coming together to help one of their own. There is also a bit of romance here, and it comes in different forms to all three of them. Although you don’t know if any of these couple will end up together, or should, we get to enjoy the immersion into their everyday lives.
I got to walk in each of these amazing woman’s shoes, and watch what happened in their daily lives, and cringed at some of the happening. You are going to be chuckling, although I guess it isn’t funny, when we have a meal at Liz’s and her scrumptious meal is ruined, but that in it self is a blessing in disguise.
I would love to be able to continue with theses sisters of choice, and be in Sugarcreek with the people there, except for the banker.
I received this book through Edelweiss and Tyndale House Publishing, and was not required to give a positive review.