A Life of Joy (41 page)
In the tradition of her widely popular Kauffman Amish Bakery Series, author Amy Clipston tells the tale of Anna Mae McDonough who was shunned by her family four years ago when she left her Amish community in Lancaster County, PA, to marry an Englisher and move with him to Baltimore. Now, eight months pregnant with her first child, she longs to return home for Christmas to reconcile with her family, especially her stern father, who is the religious leader for her former Amish church district.
So Anna Mae writes a letter to Kathryn Beiler, her brother’s wife, to enlist her help. Kathryn asks her husband, David, if she should arrange Anna Mae’s visit. David cautions her that a visit would cause too much stress in the family and instead suggests they visit Anna Mae and her husband in the spring. However, Kathryn arranges the visit anyway, believing in her heart that it’s God’s will for the family to heal.
When Anna Mae arrives in Lancaster for Christmas, the welcome she receives is nothing like what she had hoped for.
A book filled with love, the pain of being separated from one’s family, and the determination to follow God’s will regardless of the outcome,
A Plain and Simple Christmas
is an inspiring page-turner that will keep you guessing what happens next … right to the very last page.
Naomi’s Gift
An Amish Christmas Story
Amy Clipston,
Bestselling Author
Take a trip to Bird-in-Hand, Pennsylvania, where you’ll meet the women of the Kauffman Amish Bakery in Lancaster County. As each woman’s story unfolds, you will share in her heartaches, trials, joys, dreams … and secrets. You’ll discover how the simplicity of the Amish lifestyle can clash with the English way of life — and the decisions and consequences that follow. Most importantly, you will be encouraged by the hope and faith of these women, and the importance they place on their families.
Naomi’s Gift
re-introduces twenty-four-year-old Naomi King, who has been burned twice by love and has all but given up on marriage and children. As Christmas approaches — a time of family, faith, and hope for many others — Naomi is more certain than ever her life will be spent as an old maid, helping with the family’s quilting business and taking care of her eight siblings. Then she meets Caleb, a young widower with a seven-year-old daughter, and her world is once again turned upside-down.
Naomi’s story of romantic trial and error and youthful insecurities has universal appeal. Author Amy Clipston artfully paints a panorama of simple lives full of complex relationships, and she carefully explores cultural differences and human similarities, with inspirational results.
Naomi’s Gift
includes all the details of Amish life that Clipston’s fans enjoy, while delivering the compelling stories and strong characters that continue to draw legions of new readers.
Available in stores and online!
ZONDERVAN
A Life of Joy
Copyright © 2012 by Amy Clipston
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EPub Edition © DECEMBER 2011 ISBN: 978-0-310-41307-3
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Clipston, Amy.
A life of joy / Amy Clipston.
p. cm. — (Kauffman Amish bakery series ; bk. 4)
ISBN 978-0-310-31996-2 (softcover : alk. paper)
1. Amish — Fiction. 2. Amish Country (Pa.) — Fiction. I. Title.
PS3603.L58L54 2012
813’.6 — dc23 2011029927
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Cover design: Think Pen Design, Inc
Cover photography: © 2011 Scott Miller and Shutterstock
Interior design: Christine Orejuela-Winkelman
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