Hannah's Courage

Kensington Books publishes mass market paperbacks--those books you can carry with you in a pocket or purse for those times when you have a few minutes to read.  These are generally quick reads that don't take a lot of time to finish. 

Molly Jebber has written a book published by Kensington that takes place in the early 1900s, a book of Amish fiction.  Hannah likes her life just the way it is, until a newcomer to the community attaches herself to Hannah's best friend, Timothy.   Hannah is heartbroken that she has waited so long to tell Timothy she's in love with him, and she can't stay in Charm now that Charlene Shetler has attached herself to Timothy. 

Hannah always thought she wanted to teach, and when an opening shows up in Mt Hope, she applies for and gets the job.  She moves to Mt Hope to finish out the school year and to tutor some of the students throughout the summer.  She finds herself homesick and wanting to move back, and she finds that teaching a classroom is not what she really wants to do.

This is a quiet novel, without too much drama, and not a lot of compelling movement in the plot.  The characters have depth, but they are all too sweet, with the exception of Charlene.  Life among the Amish in the earliest years of the 20th century isn't much different from life now.  I wish I could give this book a higher rating, but three stars is all I can do for it.  This is the third book in the Charm Bakery series, but there is a set up for a fourth and maybe fifth novel in this series.

My thanks go to Kensington Books and NetGalley.com for providing the galley I read for this review.