The Farm Stand by Amy Clipston is the second An Amish Marketplace Novel. Each book can be read on its own, but I recommend reading this charming series in order. Amy Clipston is an amazing storyteller. She manages to engage the readers attention and hold it until the very end (make sure you have two or three free hours before beginning one of her books). Salina Petersheim loves working in her garden where she finds solace and it is where she prays to God. She feels like she has few choices because of her father's expectations. Being a bishop's daughter is not easy especially when her heart leads her to a Mennonite chef. I could understand Salina feeling intense pressure and being afraid to speak up. You could tell Salina was feeling a variety of emotions as was Will. I liked that The Farm Stand featured Old Order Amish and Mennonite. I had wondered how a marriage between the two different faiths was possible and how it would work. I thought The Farm Stand was well-written with steady pacing and developed characters. I liked revisiting the four cousins from The Bake Shop. All four are present once again in this tale and we get to see how Christiana and Jeff's relationship is progressing. I liked the messages present in The Farm Stand. My favorite was that God has a plan for each of us. We need to be patient for things only happen in His timing, not ours. I also found the side story about Daisy, the marketplace cat, to be sweet. The ending left me smiling and looking forward to Bethany's story in The Coffee Corner. The Farm Stand is a poignant Amish tale with plentiful produce, a missing moggy, a determined dad, a muddled maedel, a confused chef, and a glorious garden.
So far, this book was my favorite in the series! It was much easier to keep up with all the characters and I found Salina and Will's story much more interesting than Christiana and Jeff's. Their Amish/Mennonite relationship was unique and not something I see a lot of in this type of fiction.
Throughout this book the author emphasized how you can use different ways to feel close to God. Salina mentioned praying and talking to The Lord while gardening, and Will mentioned feeling close to God while he follows his passion for cooking. It's so true that when we follow God's plan for our lives by using the talents and passions He gave us, we will feel closer to Him! I loved that message!
I also enjoyed the overall theme of following your heart. It was difficult at times to wait for the characters to make up their minds, but just like in real life, relationships aren't always easy!
One thing I noticed was that both this book and the first in the series had a domineering father that refuses to listen to his daughter until the last moment. I don't enjoy that trope and hope it is left out of the next book!
Throughout this book the author emphasized how you can use different ways to feel close to God. Salina mentioned praying and talking to The Lord while gardening, and Will mentioned feeling close to God while he follows his passion for cooking. It's so true that when we follow God's plan for our lives by using the talents and passions He gave us, we will feel closer to Him! I loved that message!
I also enjoyed the overall theme of following your heart. It was difficult at times to wait for the characters to make up their minds, but just like in real life, relationships aren't always easy!
One thing I noticed was that both this book and the first in the series had a domineering father that refuses to listen to his daughter until the last moment. I don't enjoy that trope and hope it is left out of the next book!
