Sense and Sensibility: An Amish Retelling of Jane Austen's Classic (The Amish Classics #4)

Henry Detweiler dies unexpectedly, leaving his second wife and three daughters, Eleanor, Mary Ann, and Maggie, in the care of John, his oldest son from a previous marriage. John and his wife, Fanny, inherit the farm and, despite a deathbed promise to take care of their stepmother and half-sisters, John and Fanny make it obvious that Mrs. Detweiler and her daughters are not welcomed at the farm. When Edwin Fischer, Fanny’s older brother, takes notice of Eleanor and begins to court her, much to the disapproval of his sister, Fanny makes life even more difficult for the Detweiler women.

In their new home, Eleanor wonders if Edwin will come calling while Mary Ann catches the attention of Christian Bechtler, an older bachelor in the church district, and John Willis, a younger man set to inherit a nearby farm. While Eleanor quietly pines for Edwin, Mary Ann does not hide her infatuation with John Willis. When the marriage proposal from John Willis does not materialize, Mary Ann is left grief-stricken and humiliated as the Amish community begins to gossip about their relationship. In the meantime, a broken-hearted Eleanor learns that Edwin is engaged to another woman.

Will admitting her affections for him result in the marriage proposal Eleanor has always desired?

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About The Author

The author of over 25 novels, Sarah Price brings her Anabaptist roots and over 25 years experience with the Amish to her books, many of which have been Amazon Top 100 Bestsellers (Plain Fame, Plain Change, Amish Faith, & others). 

Initially, she published as an Indie author, but now publishes with Realms, an imprint of Charisma House and Waterfall Press, an imprint of Brilliance Publishing. Her first book for Realms, First Impressions: An Amish Tale of Pride & Prejudice was released in May 2014 and debuted in the ECPA Christian Fiction Top 25 Bestseller List in June 2014.

The Preiss family emigrated from Europe in 1705, settling in Pennsylvania as the area’s first wave of Mennonite families. The name later changed to Price. Sarah Price has always respected and honored her ancestors through exploration and research about her family history and their religion. At nineteen, she befriended an Amish family and lived on their farm throughout the years. 

Twenty-five years later, she now splits her time between her husband and children in the NYC Metro area and a home that she shares with an Amish woman in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania where she retreats to reflect and write. As a masterful storyteller, Sarah Price prides herself on presenting an authentic Amish experience for her readers. Many of her stories are based on actual people she has met and her own experiences living among the Amish over the years.

My Review

Sarah Price does an amazing job with this story and unfortunately for me I had it all read in less than a day, I wanted more, and there was with the epilogue, which I loved.

When Henry’s oldest son takes a vow on his deathbed to take car of his family, and John agrees, you could feel the sick man’s sigh of relief. Of course, things are not about to be running smooth, when John’s wife banishes the family to the dawdi house, and talks her husband out of giving them the money he was supposed to give them. I hated that she had Maggie’s favorite climbing tree cut down, could really dislike Fanny.

Wait until you see what God has planned for Eleanor and Mary Ann, and will choose correctly? What a read you are about to experience, and once you start you won’t be able to put it down.

We meet manipulators at their worse, and you want to shake them, but we can only hope that these girls will come the their senses and follow God’s plan for their lives. We find that sometimes, the evil some people display does come back to haunt them, and then I felt sorry for them also.

Don’t miss this great read you won’t be disappointed!

I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Realms, and was not required to give a positive review.