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Customer Reviews for Harvest House Publishers A Wedding Quilt for Ella, Little Valley Series #1
Harvest House Publishers A Wedding Quilt for Ella, Little Valley Series #1
Ella Yoder's wedding with Aden Wengerd and the building of their dream house is set for June. But when Aden is suddenly taken from her, Ella begins to doubt God's love.
When her family pressures her to marry the new young bishop, Ella asks for six months to heal from Aden's death. Meanwhile, Aden's brother, Daniel, helps Ella build her dream house based on a drawing by Ella's sister, Clara and now incorporated into Ella's wedding quilt. Can healing come through a house.a quilt..a community?
Average Customer Rating:
(19 Reviews) 19
Rating Snapshot (19 reviews)
5 stars
9
4 stars
5
3 stars
2
2 stars
3
1 star
0
14 out of 1974%customers would recommend this product to a friend.
Customer Reviews for A Wedding Quilt for Ella, Little Valley Series #1
Review 1 for A Wedding Quilt for Ella, Little Valley Series #1
Overall Rating:
Had potential, but ultimately disappointing
Date:April 9, 2012
Quality:
2
out of
5
Value:
2
out of
5
Meets Expectations:
2
out of
5
This book took me a long time to read, partly because I had a lot of other books to read for university that I had to finish by specific deadlines, and partly because this book just didn't grip me. For the most part, it was a quick and easy read. While the speech sometimes seems stilted and forced, it wasn't too badly written, so it wasn't as if I was stumbling over awkward prose. A few of my friends adored this book, while others found it difficult to enjoy. I tried not to start this book with a bias, but considering the views of some of my friends I expected that I wasn't going to like this book. So I was surprised to find that I could actually relate to Ella at the beginning of the story. I'm engaged to be married in four months and honestly, I could understand Ella's pain at her situation - she was not yet a wife, yet she's lost the man she was meant to marry. Does she still get the respect of a widow? Do others lessen her pain because she was never truly Aden's wife? This part of the story was probably the most believable and relatable section for me. I actually struggled to read it as I didn't want to think about what I would do if I lost Simon before we were married. It's just too painful to think about. I think Jerry Eicher captured Ella's distress quite well at this point.
But ultimately, this was the best part of the story. After this, the book moved along very slowly, often focusing on every day events that didn't lead anywhere. Although Ella wrote in her diary about how she was coping with her loss, I never felt like I really got inside her head after the funeral. Apart from the first part of the book, I didn't really connect with any of the characters. Everything felt surface-deep and some of the characters (especially Dora) seemed to change personalities to fit the situation they were in.
My biggest problem with this book is the presence of superstition and the way that everyone thinks that there will be a series of three deaths, and that this is God's Will. As another reviewer has noted, this book gave a really negative image of God. While a lot of Amish novels discuss the issue of God's Will, they never put God across as so harsh as it came across in this book. Whenever anyone begins to question the reasons for the deaths, their parents or church elders tell them that it's sinful to question God's ways and that he obviously meant life to turn out this way. I'm sorry, but this is not how I interpret God's will, nor how a lot of other Amish novels have approached it. Bad things happen in life all the time, but I believe that because God has given us free will, these bad things are the consequences of our own actions, not God playing puppet-master and reaching down from heaven to senselessly kill people because they're not conforming to God's will. I would say that God does have a plan for our lives and when bad things happen we need to trust that he will help us get through the situation and that something good will come out of it, but if my fiance suddenly died, I would not believe that God had had killed him because we weren't meant to be together. Seriously, if I were in Ella's situation and everyone was telling me that, actually, it must not have been God's will for me to marry this man - I would lose trust in God. Also, the fact that everyone talked about God's will all the time meant that they never seemed to voice any opinions of their own. No one ever consoled Ella on her loss, they just staunchly told her that it was God's will and she would get over Aden's loss in time. And don't even get me started on the superstitious "Things come in threes" aspect of the story. I don't know why the author used this concept as it didn't seem fitting with the Amish belief system. It displayed a lack of trust in God, in my opinion. Everyone was scared constantly that they would be the next death. God does not want his people to live in fear of when he will next strike someone down. So, I'm sorry to those who did like the pattern of threes in this book, but I really struggled with the "theology" of God put across.
On a lesser note, Eicher switched between actual German and what appeared to be German written as it would be pronounced by the characters' accents throughout this book. As someone who reads a lot of Amish fiction and speaks German, this bugged me. I have to assume that "Da Huh" was "Der Herr"? And so on. But then later in the book he had a character speak an entire sentence in regular German, so I'm not sure why he chose so spell some words in this weird phonetic manner. If you don't speak German this probably won't spoil your reading experience, but as I knew what the characters were actually saying it bugged me.
I really do want to rate this book higher, but I have to admit that if I hadn't bought this book for my book club discussion I probably wouldn't have finished it. Now that I have finished it, I am intrigued to see how Ella's life turns out, but I won't be rushing to buy the next book. I'd borrow it if it was in the library or if a friend leant it to me, though. Ultimately, I finished this book, but I had to make myself pick it up and read it, rather than turning to something more interesting. I think the story of a young Amish woman recovering from the death of her beloved could have great potential, but the characters weren't engaging enough, the story focused on a lot of unnecessary events that lead nowhere, and it ended up becoming a story about a hateful God who made his people superstitious and fearful. If this book had been about how Ella's trust in God had brought her through her period of sadness then maybe I would have enjoyed it more, but this was not the case. The start of this book really did have some potential and I wish Eicher had continued to focus on Ella's emotions more as I did feel emotionally invested in the story for a time.
Others have really enjoyed this book, so check out their reviews as well. This definitely seems like a marmite book - you either love it or hate it. I was somewhere in between to begin with, but ultimately this is one of those books that could have made it to the "okay" rating but ultimately was just a bit disappointing. It gets 2 out of 5 from me.
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Review 2 for A Wedding Quilt for Ella, Little Valley Series #1
Overall Rating:
Wedding quilt for Ella
Date:January 27, 2012
Kv43
Location:Alabama girl
Age:45-54
Gender:female
Quality:
4
out of
5
Value:
4
out of
5
Meets Expectations:
4
out of
5
Relaxing read! Have enjoyed the ebook status and the ease with which purchase can be made and you can read quickly after purchase.
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Review 3 for A Wedding Quilt for Ella, Little Valley Series #1
Overall Rating:
Style
Date:November 1, 2011
Victoria Snider
Location:Oklahoma
Age:55-65
Gender:female
Quality:
3
out of
5
Value:
3
out of
5
Meets Expectations:
2
out of
5
I dont like this authors writing style. He's hard to follow and understand.
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Review 4 for A Wedding Quilt for Ella, Little Valley Series #1
Overall Rating:
Date:June 28, 2011
Micky
Age:Over 65
Gender:female
Quality:
5
out of
5
Value:
5
out of
5
Meets Expectations:
5
out of
5
This is exceeding my expectations. Can't leave it down, but I must, cause I am having back surgery soon. My pills for pain make me so crocky I cannot think straight so I will wait till I can.
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Review 5 for A Wedding Quilt for Ella, Little Valley Series #1
Overall Rating:
Date:June 7, 2011
starlight
Location:Toronto, Ontario
Gender:female
Quality:
4
out of
5
Value:
4
out of
5
Meets Expectations:
4
out of
5
Each characters personality is so strong they basically leapes off each page. Finishing the book in a very short period of time was effortless. But I was disappointed the way the book ended so abruptly. It left too many unanswered questions, especially Ella's suitor. I would've loved to know her decision regarding marrying the Bishop.
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Review 6 for A Wedding Quilt for Ella, Little Valley Series #1
Overall Rating:
A heartfelt story of a love lost and moving on
Date:May 31, 2011
Amish At Heart
Location:New Hampshire
Age:45-54
Gender:female
Quality:
5
out of
5
Value:
5
out of
5
Meets Expectations:
5
out of
5
Jerry Eicher's writing is a bit different from other Amish fiction writer's that I've read. His characters and story lines are founded on very strong Old Order tradition/history. In "A Wedding Quilt For Ella," Jerry Eicher shows how strong "true love" is, and how difficult it is to lose a loved one. His character, Ella, is tested by her Faith, as to whether she has loved too much, and Ella wonders if that is why God has taken her beloved from her. Eicher takes us on Ella's journey of mourning and healing. A fine example of how Faith, the love of family and friends and staying true to yourself can help with the grieving process.
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Review 7 for A Wedding Quilt for Ella, Little Valley Series #1
Overall Rating:
Excellent reading.
Date:May 20, 2011
Loi O
Location:Colorado Springs, CO
Age:Over 65
Gender:female
Quality:
5
out of
5
Value:
5
out of
5
Meets Expectations:
5
out of
5
I was so interested in what was happening with each of the characters that I couldn't put the book down. Ella's family and their understanding and love for her brought tears to my eyes. I look forward to the next book in the series.
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Review 8 for A Wedding Quilt for Ella, Little Valley Series #1
Overall Rating:
inspiration on overcoming loss
Date:June 12, 2011
tjradj
Location:Ontario, Canada
Age:45-54
Quality:
4
out of
5
Value:
5
out of
5
Meets Expectations:
5
out of
5
This wonderful introduction to Ella Yoder tells a story of a young woman who's life changes vastly from the expected. It follows her and her community as they bear losses as well as blessings as they follow God's plan for their lives.
Truly inspirational.
Truly inspirational.
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Review 9 for A Wedding Quilt for Ella, Little Valley Series #1
Overall Rating:
Great story line
Date:April 14, 2011
Quality:
5
out of
5
Value:
5
out of
5
Meets Expectations:
5
out of
5
If you love all things Amish you will love this book.
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Review 10 for A Wedding Quilt for Ella, Little Valley Series #1
Overall Rating:
Date:April 7, 2011
booklover
Age:Over 65
Gender:female
Quality:
5
out of
5
Value:
5
out of
5
Meets Expectations:
5
out of
5
A very moving story. I could not put it down. If there is a sequel to this book I want it.
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Review 11 for A Wedding Quilt for Ella, Little Valley Series #1
Overall Rating:
great story
Date:March 22, 2011
Quality:
4
out of
5
Value:
4
out of
5
Meets Expectations:
4
out of
5
Ella Yoder is on top of the world, she is in love with a wonderful young Amish man, and they are soon to be married, but one tragic day will change all of that. When her intended Aden becomes ill, he really does not think it is serious, he did not find out in time, how serious it was. His appendix had ruptured and the poison leaked into his body, causing his death. His family, his community and his beloved Ella are shocked. How can Aden be gone? He was so full of life and happy, and now there is a bare spot in their hearts for him.
Ella is not sure that God loves her, why would he take he beloved Aden from her, right on the brink of their wedding? To add to her doubts, there are several accidents and deaths that follow immediately after Aden's death. There are whispers among the young people that it is bad luck come in threes, and wondering amongst them of who will be the next to die. Ella doesn't buy into all the superstition, but she is puzzled why God would take Aden from her.
Two odd offers come that seem to set her path, first Daniel, Aden's brother comes to visit her and offers to build her a house, the house that Aden had been saving money for. She is not sure about this, it is not something that is done in her Amish community. Secondly the young bishop Jacob Miller comes wanting to marry her, even though he knows her intended just died. Both have Ella in question of what she should do.
This is the first book I have read by author Jerry S. Eicher and I greatly enjoyed the book, it was different from many of the other Amish books that I have read, and I truly believe that it is because of the different regions and different Amish orders. I enjoyed those differences and thoroughly enjoyed this story. I grieved with Ella and her family as they went through the loss of Aden, and the accident of her brother Eli, I could truly feel the pain she felt through the author's writing. A great book, and I am looking forward to book two in this series, Ella's Wish to be released April 2011. 283 pages US $11.99 4 stars. Discussion guide included.
This book was provided for review purposes only by Harvest House Publishers, no payment was received for this review.
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Review 12 for A Wedding Quilt for Ella, Little Valley Series #1
Overall Rating:
Date:March 21, 2011
beth
Location:Okeechobee FLOirda
Age:45-54
Gender:female
Quality:
5
out of
5
Value:
5
out of
5
Meets Expectations:
5
out of
5
I really enjoyed the book alot. want the rest of the series.
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0points
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Review 13 for A Wedding Quilt for Ella, Little Valley Series #1
Overall Rating:
Lack Luster
Date:March 7, 2011
Quality:
3
out of
5
Value:
2
out of
5
Meets Expectations:
2
out of
5
Just off the mark from page one. An over-simplified story without real direction or ending. No noteworthy characters and the three angels bit left a lot to be desired.
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Review 14 for A Wedding Quilt for Ella, Little Valley Series #1
Overall Rating:
would like more of an ending-don't like unfinished
Date:March 4, 2011
Zola
Location:Kentucky
Age:Over 65
Gender:female
Quality:
5
out of
5
Value:
5
out of
5
Meets Expectations:
1
out of
5
I liked the book and I prefer a ending even if there is a sequel. I do not like cliff hangers. It seemed unfinished. Story held my interest. I love Amish stories. I will definitely look for a sequel.
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Review 15 for A Wedding Quilt for Ella, Little Valley Series #1
Overall Rating:
A Wedding Quilt for Ella
Date:February 27, 2011
Quality:
5
out of
5
Value:
5
out of
5
Meets Expectations:
5
out of
5
Harvest House Publishers supplied me with a complimentary copy of this book.
Ella Yoder's wedding with Aden Wengerd and the building of their dream house is set for June. But when Aden is suddenly taken from her, Ella begins to doubt God's love.
When her family pressures her to marry the new young bishop, Ella asks for six months to heal from Aden's death. Meanwhile, Aden's brother, Daniel, helps Ella build her dream house based on a drawing by Ella's sister, Clara and now incorporated into Ella's wedding quilt. Can healing come through a house.a quilt..a community?
When her family pressures her to marry the new young bishop, Ella asks for six months to heal from Aden's death. Meanwhile, Aden's brother, Daniel, helps Ella build her dream house based on a drawing by Ella's sister, Clara and now incorporated into Ella's wedding quilt. Can healing come through a house.a quilt..a community?
This book was a GREAT book in my opinion. Ella’s life is torn upside down in this book. She loses her fiancé and then she has to deal with her emotions which has to be so hard to do. I have never lost a spouse and I think that would be hard to do, even though Ella was not his bride yet. She loved him with so much love. I love how Jerry Eicher brings out the emotions in this book. A lot of the time, there are not enough emotions but having to deal with losing your one love, I love the way he handles this one. I can’t wait until the 2nd book comes out. I also love how her family surrounds her with love and then Daniel, Aden’s brother builds her dream house. You will definitely enjoy this book.
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Review 16 for A Wedding Quilt for Ella, Little Valley Series #1
Overall Rating:
Love Amish
Date:February 12, 2011
Quality:
5
out of
5
Value:
5
out of
5
Meets Expectations:
4
out of
5
I love the amish books and this was met my expectations.
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Review 17 for A Wedding Quilt for Ella, Little Valley Series #1
Overall Rating:
A very dark Amish Novel
Date:February 8, 2011
amishreader
Location:Charlotte, NC
Age:55-65
Gender:female
As a reader of many Amish Novels, this book was one of the few that I almost could not finish. While others thought this was an excellent book, I did not. This is a very dark novel. He said that the Amish could not marry until the age of 21. I don't think I have ever read that in any other Amish Novels. I don't think I will be buying the second book.
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+2points
2of 2voted this as helpful.
Review 18 for A Wedding Quilt for Ella, Little Valley Series #1
Overall Rating:
Date:January 28, 2011
Quality:
3
out of
5
Value:
3
out of
5
Meets Expectations:
2
out of
5
The story was quite predictable and didn't hold my interest the way I thought it would when I read the "promo" for it.
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+2points
2of 2voted this as helpful.
Review 19 for A Wedding Quilt for Ella, Little Valley Series #1
Overall Rating:
Date:January 20, 2011
Quality:
5
out of
5
Value:
5
out of
5
Meets Expectations:
5
out of
5
This was a very good book. It brought out all the emotions a person could have. Jerry did an excellent job on this book. It is a book you want be able to put down. It deals with everyday drama. It shows you how much we all need God in our everyday life. I recommend you get this book. You will reread it over and over.
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+1point
1of 1voted this as helpful.