A Patchwork Past {Review}

 

Sophie Deiner left the Amish lifestyle, carrying a heavy secret with her.  But as her health declines, she's forced to return home.  Once there, she struggles to reconnect with family and finds friendship with the local migrant community.

Shop owner, Jane, also welcomes Sophie home and tells her the story of an Amish relative who was in the Great Chicago Fire.  Through the story, Sophie learns her relative was heavily invested in helping immigrants rebuild after the fire.  Which leads Sophie to wonder.... how can she help in her own community?

I haven't read a lot of Leslie Gould's novels prior to this one. Maybe one or two.  So the author is still relatively new to me.  But I have read a lot of Amish fiction.  And while this title had many of those same elements, the book was quite different from anything I've read.  The flashback elements of the story were an added bonus, although I didn't identify with those characters as much as the characters of Sophie's timeline.  But the added benefit of some historical fiction kept me interested.  And both stories are tied together with a focus on immigration, historically and in our current world.  Differing from most Amish fiction, Sophie's dilemma is a question of who she will be as she navigates between the English and Amish worlds.  

Although A Patchwork Past is part of a series, it does work well as a stand alone title.  It wasn't my favorite title in this genre, but it did challenge me and kept me engaged throughout the book.  I would be interested to see what else happens in this series.

*Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.  All opinions are my own.