What do readers think of An Amish Christmas by Cynthia Keller? Write your own review.

Author Cynthia Keller succeeds in presenting the details of the affluent lifestyle that Meg and James Hobart and their three children enjoy in suburban Charlotte, North Carolina, before circumstances abruptly force them to leave it all behind.

An accidental meeting with David Lutz on an icy road in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, thrusts the Hobart family into the midst of the Lutz’s Amish family life. Keller again succeeds in her portrayal of the lives of Catherine and David Lutz and their large extended family as they quietly engage in their daily tasks on their farm.

Meg Hobart’s refrigerator magnet with the words of North Carolina’s state motto “To be, rather than to seem” was scarcely mentioned in the novel – once, when Meg slipped the magnet into her pocket as the family left Charlotte, and later when she found it still in her pocket as they were leaving the Lutz’s home. Although the magnet was out of sight, its words provided one of the novel’s themes when Meg realized that this motto exemplified the profound changes in each member of her family as they experienced the Amish way of life.

I highly recommend Cynthia Keller’s well-written novel 'An Amish Christmas'.

Good news...it only took an afternoon to read instead of the two days I allowed. Although this was a genre I had never explored, I found An Amish Christmas educational, enlightening, and inspiring. Book Browse has provided me the opportunity to experience literature that I might have previously ignored, and Keller's novel, An Amish Christmas was a unique and pleasurable gift.

Keller has written a poignant story of betrayal, forgiveness and the power of love. She has done a beautiful job of capturing the simple and structured life of the Amish, and the traditions they share. After completing the book, it is clear that a small dose of their culture could benefit each of us.

A good read for the holidays or any other time.

This was an enjoyable and interesting read. The author did a good job of developing the characters. I laughed out loud at times because the attitudes of two of the children (teenagers) were so believable. Given today’s economic climate, the situation the Hobart family found themselves in was also believable. The story described a family who found out that having the best and most is not always the happiest. It also addressed how technology can drive us apart as well as keep us in touch. I enjoyed the information presented about the Amish culture. I have done a lot of reading on this subject and what was presented in an Amish Christmas was very consistent with what I have read. It is an easy read that will leave you feeling good.

The best thing I can say about this book is that it was short and I was able to get through it in two sittings. This is a sugar sweet story that could easily have been a novella in a woman's magazine. The characters were one dimensional and while the ending was a bit of a stretch, there was no doubt that all would live happily ever after. For those seeking a simplistic, feel good, easy read with no depth, this is the book for them. For anyone looking for a piece of literature of any intellectual merit, this book should be skipped.

The Hobart family seems to have it all, a beautiful home, fancy clothes, fast cars, but all taken away in an instant. They are forced to leave their possessions and home behind to go and live with family they hardly know in order to survive. On the way to their destination they get into an accident involving an Amish Horse and Buggy. The Hobart's car is badly damaged and the Amish family offer their home to the Hobart's while the car is being repaired. Through this intervention the Hobart's learn that the Amish ways of grace and hard work lead to greater fulfillment than the lives they had known before. It is a wonderful read with a lesson for all.

This book certainly passed my "50-page-test", in fact it passed my 5-page-test! I was wondering WHEN I would find the time to finish "An Amish Christmas", and decided just to begin reading this morning and now I'm done with it. The story has a family in crisis who finds itself removed from all of today's technology, and yet finds old fashioned gifts of everlasting quality. Meg and James Hobart finally learn to share the goodness of life with the members of their immediate family after seeing their dreams and goals go up in smoke. A great read for those who enjoy inspiring holiday tales. It will make you want to head into the kitchen and bake!

The Hobarts are a modern well to do family with all of the latest electronics living in Charlotte NC. Meg Hobart, the mom, questions some of the excesses of her kids lives but is totally enmeshed in their upwardly mobile lives. Due to unfortunate circumstances, their lives are changed dramatically. After spending some time with an Amish family and seeing what life is like without all their modern excesses, the entire family learns a lot of lessons. I thought that the book was very interesting and was a good reminder of what is really important in everyone's lives. Meg learns that it is more important to 'be' real rather than to seem to be something that she is not. I would highly recommend this book!