Kristina Anderson
Abiding Mercy by Ruth Reid is An Amish Mercies Novel. Fifteen years prior in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, Roslyn Colepepper is loading groceries into her car. She is attacked and her car is stolen with her eighteen-month-old daughter, Adrianna inside. The FBI are immediately called in. They soon find the abductors car and watch as it goes over a bridge and into the river. They do not find any survivors. Fast forward fifteen years to Posen, Michigan. Faith Pinkham is sixteen years old and works at her families’ restaurant, The Amish Table with her sister, mother and cousin. Olivia, Faith’s sister, seems to resent Faith and treats her terribly. One day they receive a call that their parents, Mordecai and Irma, were in an accident. It will take them weeks to recover. In the meantime, they must ensure that the farm chores are done and the restaurant continues to earn money. Olivia prefers to spend her time with her Englischer friends, and Faith is afraid that Olivia will soon jump the fence. Luckily, Faith has the help of Gideon Fohrer. As they spend time together, they grow closer. On the fifteenth anniversary of Adrianna’s kidnapping, The Detroit News runs an article with a picture of what Adrianna would look like now. Faith’s parents return home and life is getting back on track. Then one day Faith’s life changes irrevocably. Faith now questions who she is and where she belongs. What does the future hold for her? Faith is embarking on a journey. To see what happens to Faith, you will need to read Abiding Mercy. Abiding Mercy is a well-crafted story. The book has well-developed characters in an engaging story. I was drawn into the story and read late into the night. We get to see both sides of the situation in Abiding Mercy as the novel tells us Faith’s story and the Colepepper’s (mostly Roslyn). Ms. Reid did a superb job at weaving the past and present together into one appealing story. My rating for Abiding Mercy is 4.25 out of 5 stars. I did, though, find it a wee bit predictable. Partway into the book, I knew how the story would play out. That did not stop me, though, from devouring the book. There are a couple of unexpected twists. I appreciated that the romantic element was light. I liked the message that God is always with us. He is there to help and guide us (if we want His help). I did feel that the ending was a little rushed. At the end of the book, I am left wondering about the red-haired man. He is a present in different forms throughout the whole book. Who is he? I will be curious to see if he is present in the other books in the series. I would like to know more about Olivia (she needs a book of her own). Abiding Mercy is not your traditional (expected) Amish novel (which I welcomed). I will be eagerly anticipating the next edition in An Amish Mercies series.
1 person found this review helpful
Rachel Larson
This book was amazing. I love amish books and this one was beautiful. The
flashbacks added to the story instead of making it confusing. The author
made sure that the readers knew what was going on and I enjoyed that. I was
engrossed and was delighted with the ending. Thank you for writing this
beautiful piece of work
1 person found this review helpful
