Meek and Mild by Olivia Newport

The leadership in an Old Order Amish community requires shunning friends and family whose only offense is to embrace the new Protestant practice of Sunday school among the Mennonites, but teaching Bible stories to children is one of Clara Kuhns’ great joys. Clara’s on the verge of saying yes to Andrew Raber’s marriage proposal, but now he is flagrantly refusing to submit to the bishop’s authority by owning a car. When the lot falls to Moses Beachy to become the new bishop, the community waits for him to take bold steps toward change. Clara and Andrew step together into a more progressive Amish faith as the Beachy Amish take form.


About The Author

Olivia Newport's novels twist through time to find where faith and passions meet. She chases joy in Colorado, where daylilies grow as tall as she is. Her husband and two twenty-something children provide welcome distraction from the people stomping through her head on their way into her books. 

 

 

 

 

My Review

 

 

 Meek and Mild covers several stories in one, with about five miles between them the member of the local Amish Community, some live in Pennsylvania and others live in Maryland.
When the Old Order feels they can not tolerate the progressive stance the members who live in Maryland seem to be taking, the Bishop calls for a shunning and declares that the majority all agree. Not quite, but no one seems to be listening, or are they?
We now are focusing on the lives of Clara Kuhn and Andrew Raber, and those who are their friends and extended family. Unfortunately, Clara has family in Maryland, and doesn’t want to stop seeing them. Andrew, now he seems to be following his own drummer in what at that time was considered worldly. These two have fallen in love, and although they want to marry, Clara is afraid of childbirth. She lost her Mom, and others and now is afraid to move on in her life.
At times I didn’t agree with the hard stance Clara’s stepmother took at trying to bend Clara’s will. Did it work, you will have to decide and I still am not sure. I did love her family in Maryland, and am wondering about her cousin, even after the end of the book, I’m not sure that all was worked out for her. Visiting here in Maryland does have a great learning experience for Clara, and there is a lot of love shown.
Come along and enjoy this rather historical read and find out how the Beachy Amish come about, I really enjoyed reading about this, and although fictional, there is a lot of fact provided.

I received this book through NetGalley and the Publisher Shiloh Run Press, and was not required to give a positive review.

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