Loving Jenna

Amy Lillard writes quality Amish Fiction.  Loving Jenna is a novel that fills a niche that is sometimes ignored.   The fact is that society at large has many of the same beliefs about special needs people that Amy expressed through her characters. 

Jenna is a young woman who nearly died when she was a preteen by falling into some water and came close to drowning.  She did suffer some brain damage, but she still understands her limitations and her abilities. 

Buddy is a young man with Down Syndrome, and he too understands what he can and cannot do, but when he first sees Jenna, he falls in love. 

Both of these young people have many hurdles thrown up by both of their parents to overcome.  Both of them have the chutzpah to overcome the hurdles.  In Jenna's corner was her grandmother, and in Buddy's corner were a couple of his brothers.  They both have to fight against prejudices of their parents, as well as society at large. 

This is a wonderful book that treats these conditions gently through the corresponding characters.  It is a five-star book, with two thumbs up, and your favorite chocolate cake.

Kensington Books and NetGalley.com provided the copy I read for this review.  The opinions expressed here are my own.