Leah is going to marry Jude, a widower with teenage twin daughters, and a young son. Her mother is against the marriage, her bishop is against it, and his brother (also a bishop) doesn't approve. The biggest fear is that she won't fit into his family and will have a hard time adjusting because she didn't know much about the housekeeping portion of life. She had livestock and raised them for money.
Jude's twins, Alice and Adalain, are in their rumspringa, but they are living a dangerous life and have become rude and disrespectful, thinking that they don't have to abide by any family or church rules. They are involved with two wild boys who seek their attention.
Jude's young son does not take to Leah right off, but when the girls run to town and Leah has him all to herself, she finds herself breaking through his walls. He's fascinated with her animals and wants to learn to care for them.
Jude does not see how his daughters are treating Leah and doesn't know the pain she's in until he hears her crying in the middle of the night. This is the turning point of the book where Jude takes on his daughters and encourages his son.
Charlotte Hubbard writes sweet Amish stories that show that even the Amish have the same kinds of conflicts in their lives that we Englishers have in our lives. A Mother's Gift takes on teenage rebellion, babies born out of wedlock, revenge, and forgiveness that witnesses to a rebellious world.
Five Stars, Two Thumbs Up, and a goat to milk.
My thanks to Kensington Books for allowing me to read and review this book.
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