When the Soul Mends (Sisters of the Quilt, Book 3)

by Cindy Woodsmall

Paperback, 2008

Status

Available

Call number

F Woo

Call number

F Woo

Barcode

3661

Publication

WaterBrook (2008), 354 pages

Description

Fiction. Literature. Romance. HTML: After receiving a desperate and confusing call from her sister, Hannah Lapp reluctantly returns to the Old Order Amish community of her Pennsylvania childhood. Having fled in disgrace more than two years earlier, she finally has settled into a satisfying role in the Englischer world. She also has found love and a new family with the wealthy Martin Palmer and the children she is helping him raise. But almost immediately after her arrival in Owl's Perch, the disapproval of those who ostracized her, including her headstrong father, reopens old wounds. As Hannah is thrown together with former fiancé Paul Waddell to work for her sister Sarah's mental health, hidden truths surface about events during Hannah's absence, and she faces an agonizing decision. Will she choose the Englischer world and the man who restored her hope, or will she heed the call to return to the Plain Life-and perhaps to her first love?… (more)

Original publication date

2008-09

User reviews

LibraryThing member NQTBradyBunch
I loved this book and couldn't put it down, which seems to be par for the course for the author's fans. This is the first book I have read in quite some time that is purely for pleasure--lately, all I seem to read are "Get Out of Debt, Dummy!" and books that deepen my spiritual life, so this was a
Show More
rare treat and I read it in less than a day!
This is either the third or fourth book in the series, and certainly the one that wraps them all up. I especially appreciated the "intro" in the beginning, which gave a quick snapshot of the key players and their relationship to one another--I referred to it often, as this is the first of Cindy's books that I had read.
The stories within the book are wholesome, heart-warming, and real. The characters are well-developed, and Cindy writes in such a way that the reader can relate to almost all of the characters--even when there are some relationships that just won't mend no matter how much both people want it.
This is an interesting insight to Amish life, and many of the struggles faced when individuals leave/think about leaving/try to leave. I was so blessed to find such a heartwarming tale of romance (and not just for one couple!), and done in a way that I have no problem handing this "romance novel" to my teenage daughter to read!
If you like these kinds of books, Cindy is very easy to read--although, it did seem to jump around a bit at first. I quickly learned the characters and was able to thoroughly enjoy the book and cry tears of pain and joy as I found myself thoroughly entrenched in the story being told.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!
Show Less
LibraryThing member cherryblossommj
Wow. That is the main thought that I am left with after finishing this magnificent book. Cindy Woodsmall has done an amazing job with her debut series and I cannot wait to read more from this fabulous author. I enjoyed the first book and really was full of emotion for the characters. I cannot tell
Show More
you how many times throughout the series I was brought to tears or screaming in anger when the characters would not for themselves.

When the Soul Mends is an incredible book about such depth with a vast amount of heart wrenching drama that is so real and so needed to be read. You could read this book alone, but I strongly suggest you start from the beginning, because only after going through When the Heart Cries to the When the Morning Comes can you really appreciate the beauty and fully healing affects of When the Soul Mends. Can you see how perfect these titles are?

I'm practically speechless, but I want to ramble about how great this book is. The characters are so real, as are their troubles and joys. Cindy really brings you into an Amish/Plain/Englisher world and shows the good, as well as the bad in all cases. After falling into their world in the first two novels and screaming for answers with the cliff hangers those two left me in, Cindy has answered everything in more depth and better than I ever could have imagined. I'm completely satisfied with this series and you can bet it is on my keeper shelf.
Show Less
LibraryThing member readercat419
This book was fantastic. Even without reading the first two books in the series, I didn't feel like I was missing enough of the history to not understand what was going on. The author explains who the main characters are at the beginning of the book, and also gives the backstories throughout. I
Show More
will definately be reading the series beginning with the first book. This was one of those books that once you start reading it, you can't put it down. I will be watching for Cindy Woodsmall's future works.
Show Less
LibraryThing member PCGator
“When The Soul Mends” is the third and final book in Cindy Woodsmall’s trilogy about the challenges facing a small Amish community in Owl’s Perch, Pennsylvania. This latest novel answers many questions raised in the first two books about heroine Hannah Lapp’s dysfunctional family,
Show More
particularly her troubled sister Sarah. The story’s plot is rich enough to keep you turning pages, yet it’s the characters and their development that will remain in your thoughts and have you making comparisons with events in your own life. This author convincingly captures the odd middle ground that results when Old Order lifestyles are attempted in today’s modern world. Some conveniences, such as cell phones and C-section births, can’t help but intrude on Amish lives – particularly when not taking advantage of such technologies would result in needless tragic consequences. Hannah has matured and blossomed, yet still feels uncertainty and some anger about her past. She has spent the last couple of years trying to heal her emotional wounds and build a future in Ohio. Now because of a new crisis with Sarah, she must return to the people and places that hold such horrible memories. Making the journey with her as she returns to face her past, reconnect with as-difficult-as-ever family members and friends, and trying to come to the right decision as to her future will bring thought-provoking and satisfying closure to this season of Hannah’s life journey. I do recommend reading the first two books in the series, “When the Heart Cries” and “When the Morning Comes.“
Show Less
LibraryThing member judyblue
I have read all three books in the Sister's of the Quilt series and was thrilled to finally get this last book. (When the Soul Mends).
I would recomend this book series to everyone who also likes Wanda Brunstetter and Beverly Lewis. Without giving anything away, things finally play out and issues
Show More
get resolved. There are so many good characters in this series. I wish the it would continue.
Show Less
LibraryThing member courtneychowning
I felt a little lost at the beginning of the book since I have not read the first two books in the series but once I understood some of the background of the characters I began to really enjoy this story and when the last chapter came, I was sad it ended.

I don’t know how true to life the
Show More
lifestyle of the Amish is in her book but it was an eyeopener and I was surprised to find myself wanting to know to more about the community.

I am going to be keeping an eye out for the first two books in this series and if I find them, I will definitely be reading them.
Show Less
LibraryThing member quadmama
I really enjoy this authors style of writing. "When the Soul Mends," is the 3rd (and I believe the final) book in this series. The main character, Hannah, struggles with many fall-outs due to a tragic, life-changing event that happened in her life. She has to struggle to discover who she really is,
Show More
what God is calling her to be, and what will ultimately serve her purpose. She faces many ups and downs along the way and learns about forgiveness and trueness to self. This is a wonderful story about self-discovery and love.
Show Less
LibraryThing member khiemstra631
Woodsmall has written a very good concluding third book in her Sisters of the Quilt trilogy. I think she pretty well tied up all loose ends, and I enjoyed knowing how the series concluded. I will even miss the main character, Hannah Lapp Lawson, as she was very admirable. The only quibble I have
Show More
with this book is the style of the quotations. It gets pretty hard at times to tell which of characters has made a remark. Otherwise, it's a very worthwhile read, especially if you like Amish books.
Show Less
LibraryThing member SherylHendrix
A satisfying ending to the trilogy about a young Amish woman, victim of rape, who finds her healing and herself through leaving the community, then returning to live the plain life as a plain Mennonite.
LibraryThing member TheyCallMeVarmit
When the Soul Mends, written by Cindy Woodsmall, is the third and final book in the Sisters of the Quilt series. It's a sort of crossroads story for the main character, Hannah, and while she is dealing with complex feelings while having returned to the Amish world, she must decide whether or not
Show More
she will remain, or return to the Englischer world. For a bonus "issue", she must also decide whether or not to start something up again with her old Amish beau. While the potential love interest addition was well written, though slightly predictable, I was much more interested in the issues with Hannah's sister, Sarah who had mental issues. This addition brought a lot more depth to the characters involved, and made them entirely likable, especially Hannah, whom I found myself cheering on throughout the story.

The central theme in this book would be "forgiveness", or rather, "the importance of". It's flying all around in this book because there are a lot of old hurts to overcome. Even though this was a fiction about the Amish way of life, the religious tones were very subtle, making this a potentially enjoyable book for anyone of any religion. The author was able to pull together a wonderful story, and bring about a nice close to the trilogy. Fans of the Sisters of the Quilt series will enjoy When the Soul Mends, and I would recommend it as a light read.
Show Less
LibraryThing member wearylibrarian
Hannah's sister has called requesting her to come home. If only Hannah will come home, everything will be ok. Now Hannah is being pulled in two directrions-life in the Plain world and life in the English world. She also feels pulled between two men-Martin, the Englischer who loves music and wants
Show More
Hannah to change in order to fit into his world, and Paul, the Plain Mennonite who is patiently waiting for her to return to Owl's Perch, a man who does not ask Hannah to change, only to be true to her heart.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Maydacat
In this second installment in the Sister of the Quilt series, Hannah has left the Amish community that judged and rejected her. Finding a kindred spirit in her shunned aunt, she makes a new life for herself. Going to school and studying to be a nurse, she finds a purpose for her life. Being
Show More
befriended by people who accept her as she is, she finds peace. But back home, Paul regrets how he treated Hannah and longs to make amends, if he could only find her. Will that ever happen? Or is it too late to recapture the life she had before the attack that drove a wedge between Hannah and her family? Cindy Woodsmall has created a fascinating storyline with characters to match. You’ll want to read the first book in the series before you read this one. If you like Amish stories with substance and depth, you will want to be sure to read this series.
Show Less
LibraryThing member SABC
Hannah returns home after fleeing three years ago in disgrace. She must make a decision about whom to follow....her first love or the Englischer, who restored her hope.
LibraryThing member judyg54
As one reviewer stated so well, "Cindy Woodsmall writes real - real people, real conflicts, real emotions. When you open her book, you enter her world and live the story with the characters". That is how I would describe this trilogy of stories. This is all about forgiveness, finding our path and
Show More
learning how to be the person God would want us to be. It was also a good lesson on learning the truth about things from the source and not listening to what other's say the truth is. About believing the good in people and not letting others distort who we know them to be. I am so glad I picked up this series and read it; it will long be remembered and gets a spot on my shelf.

In this story Hannah Lapp will receive a confusing and desperate phone call from her sister back in Owl's Perch. She hasn't communicated with her family for a couple of years and has made a new life for herself in the 'Englischer world'. Now she finds herself going back to her Old Order Amish community where she was raised. It won't be easy, leaving Martin Palmer and the children she is helping him raise, taking a break from helping the medical community and her schooling to become a nurse. All to go back to a community that ostracized her.

Paul Waddell, Hannah's former fiance', will seek to help Hannah's sister, Sarah, who has mental health problems and hidden truths she must confront. Hannah will get to help her friend Mary while she is back home, overcome some very difficult pregnancy issues. But most important of all Hannah will need to decide if she wants to spend the rest of her life with an Englischer, the man who helped her hope again, or give in to the call of the 'Plain life', and listen to the call of her heart when it comes to Paul Waddell.

I couldn't turn the pages fast enough to find out the conclusion to the story. I knew what would probably happen, but you never rest easy until the story is done. A great ending to a story all about love and forgiveness. If you take this trip to Owl's Perch, PA you won't be sorry and you will learn a little something about the 'Plain people'. As the Pennsylvania Dutch would say, this series was "wunderbaar - ya".
Show Less
LibraryThing member Kris_Anderson
When the Soul Mends by Cindy Woodsmall is the final book in Sisters of the Quilt series. Hannah Lapp receives a call from her sister, Sarah that Matthew Esh has been injured in a fire and his brother, David passed away when their business caught fire. Hannah arranges for time off and heads home to
Show More
Owl’s Perch, Pennsylvania. Hannah left home two and a half years ago when she was seventeen. She works for Dr. Lehman and is taking classes to become a nurse. Hannah has found a family with Martin Palmer along with his niece and nephew. Hannah arrives at the funeral and is instantly met with disapproval which reopens old wounds. She notices that Sarah is behaving oddly, and that there are burns on her hands which Sarah cannot explain. Something is up with Sarah and Hannah wants to get her help before she returns to her life in the Englisch world. Paul Waddell, Hannah’s old boyfriend, works as a counselor at Better Path. With Paul’s assistance, the family can get Sarah the help she desperately needs. It also gives Hannah and Paul an opportunity to resolve the past. As issues become resolved, Hannah realizes her feeling for Paul are still there. Hannah will need to make a choice between her new life in the Englisch world or her old one in Owl’s Perch.

When the Soul Mends is not a standalone novel. You need to read the book in the Sisters of the Quilt series in order as each book builds upon the previous one. I thought When the Soul Mends contains good writing with well-developed and thoughtful characters. The story has a languid pace. I wish it had been a little peppier and edited for length (368 pages). While I enjoyed When the Soul Mends, I did find it predictable. A couple has a misunderstanding that takes them the book to resolve. I wanted the couple to have a real conversation. I like how the author handled Sarah’s mental health issues and how it added depth to the book. The theme of forgiveness is dominate in When the Soul Mends. Only when you truly forgive can you begin to heal. I appreciated the epilogue which wrapped up all the storylines. When the Soul Mends is a lovely conclusion to the Sisters of the Quilt series.
Show Less
LibraryThing member jguidry
An enjoyable read about a young woman who left her Old Order Amish community. The story focuses on the main character being caught between her Amish roots and the modern community she was forced to find a life in. I enjoyed the character development of Hannah as she realizes who she truly is as an
Show More
independent woman.
Show Less

Rating

(74 ratings; 4.2)

Pages

354
Page: 0.6194 seconds