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    Lydia's Charm: An Amish Widow Starts Over in Charm, Ohio
    Lydia's Charm: An Amish Widow Starts Over in Charm, Ohio
    Lydia's Charm: An Amish Widow Starts Over in Charm, Ohio
    Audiobook9 hours

    Lydia's Charm: An Amish Widow Starts Over in Charm, Ohio

    Written by Wanda E Brunstetter

    Narrated by Brooke Sanford Heldman

    4.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    Lydia King is suddenly a widow and moves her son and herself to Charm, Ohio, to be close to her mother and help with her grandfather. But is her heart ready for romance when gifts begin appearing on her porch from a mysterious source? Menno Troyer, a furniture store owner, is also recently widowed and the father of four energetic boys. He has come to realize that, though he doesn't think he's ready to love again, his sons need a mother. Levi Stutzman, another newcomer to the area, is the only one in his family not handicapped by dwarfism, and he has dedicated his life to caring for them. Though determined never to marry, he is always willing to be of help to others. Will the anonymous gifts left for Lydia bring her hope for a new life? And when tragedy befalls her yet again, will the mysterious gift giver be there to support her?
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherOasis Audio
    Release dateSep 1, 2010
    ISBN9781608147274
    Author

    Wanda E Brunstetter

    New York Times bestselling and award-winning author Wanda E. Brunstetter is one of the founders of the Amish fiction genre. She has written more than 100 books translated in four languages. With over 12 million copies sold, Wanda's stories consistently earn spots on the nation's most prestigious bestseller lists and have received numerous awards. Wanda’s ancestors were part of the Anabaptist faith, and her novels are based on personal research intended to accurately portray the Amish way of life. Her books are well-read and trusted by many Amish, who credit her for giving readers a deeper understanding of the people and their customs. When Wanda visits her Amish friends, she finds herself drawn to their peaceful lifestyle, sincerity, and close family ties. Wanda enjoys photography, ventriloquism, gardening, bird-watching, beachcombing, and spending time with her family. She and her husband, Richard, have been blessed with two grown children, six grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. To learn more about Wanda, visit her website at www.wandabrunstetter.com. 

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    Reviews for Lydia's Charm

    4.5/5

    73 ratings11 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Good book
      She drug it out too long, and the happy ending was too short
      I felt like there was not a great connection between the main characters
    • 4/5
      a bit drawn out, and sad... but otherwise a good book
    • 5/5
      What an excellent read! A story of unconditional love through tragedy one can only imagine.
    • 3/5
      I have always enjoyed Wanda's books and this was no exception. I started reading it yesterday and finished it today. I give it 3.5 out of 5 stars.

      Lydia's Charm is about Lydia King who moves to Charm after the death of her husband and the lose of her job. She and her son, Josh, move it with her mom.

      This is a story of relationships, love, loss, and amish living. There are recipes in the book of some of the wonderful things cooked throughout the book.

      My only complaint is like so many books there is always an added sad part that I am not sure is needed so close to the ending of the book. I am not sure if this is to increase the length of the book or not but I know in this book it wasn't needed as this looks to be a stand alone novel and not one of a series that that would be needed to introduce new characters.

    • 4/5
      After her husband's death, Lydia King and her young son move to Charm, Ohio to help her mother take care of her grandfather. Lydia is not sure if she is ready for love again, but she can't help noticing two men: Menno Troyer, a widower with four young sons, and Levi Stutzman, the only one in his family who is not a dwarf, devoted to his family, and afraid to marry in case he passes the dwarfism gene onto his children. Someone is leaving gifts for Lydia and her mother at the times they need them the most and Lydia is trying to find out who it is. Before she can, tragedy strikes again, and Lydia wonders if her heart will ever heal enough for her to love again."Lydia's Charm" is a nicely done, if at times achingly heartbreaking, novel set in the Amish community. Author Wanda E. Brunstetter has created several memorable and realistic characters, starting with Lydia herself, who has to start her life over again several times, struggling to please her mother, suffering more than one devastating loss, and has to make a major decision regarding her future. Her mother Mae has struggled her whole life to please her father and realizes almost too late how that not only hurt Lydia, but her own happiness. Menno Troyer still mourns the loss of his wife but is willing to do what is best for his children - but does he really know what is best? Finally, Levi Stutzman often sacrifices his own needs to take care of his family and is finally realizing he needs to have his own happy life. All of these people have deep storylines, and it is interesting to watch each character grow. Although the book has several very sad moments (as in put down the book and grab a tissue) there are also some happy moments, particularly for Lydia and her mother. I loved the relationship between the Stuzman's - they are a genuinely caring family. Included in the book are some discussion questions and a few recipes. I wouldn't want to try and make it myself but I sure wish I knew someone would make Frogmore Stew so I could try it out!"Lydia's Charm" is a nicely done novel set in the Amish community that will linger in readers minds long after they've finished reading it.
    • 4/5
      This is hard to believe but this was actually the first Amish book that I have read by Wanda Brunstetter. I'm a big Amish fiction reader but even though I have many of Brunstetter's books, I haven't actually sat down and read one until now. I know she's very popular with Amish readers but I just haven't gotten around to reading her. This book brought together something I never thought I would read in a book: Amish and midgets. It's a very unlikely combination that sounds like it would never work out but Brunstetter makes them both flow together naturally to make an interesting story.The main focus of the story deals with recent widow Lydia and the two men who want to court her. Both would like to make her their new wife but they feel as if they have roadblocks holding them back. For widower Menno, it is his four unruly boys who holding him back from offering a good home. For storekeeper Levi, he is ashamed of his family who are are dwarfs. The two men battle between courting Lydia and trying to help her see which is the better pick for her. I enjoyed getting to know the two men and there were times during the story where I had no idea who she was going to end up picking. I really liked Levi's family as they are not the norm that you read about in Amish fiction. I also liked learning about frogmore stew and would love to try it out for myself one day, thanks to the recipe included in the back of the book.While I enjoyed the story, there were some things that got on my nerves while reading. I was confused as to why Lydia's son is four years old and still not speaking any English at all. I felt that she was way too lax with him and didn't seem to want to punish him at all. Therefore I totally sided with her mother when she would try to discipline him for not following rules. But then after a certain tragic event happens, I felt bad for thinking all this. Still, that event seemed way over dramatic and very soap opera-ish to happen in the middle of the book.Overall, this was an interesting read. It's very safe Christian Amish fiction meaning there is nothing in here that will offend anyone. There's no antagonist and the story just basically deals with Lydia's decision of which husband she is going to pick. It's not the best writing but for those that do enjoy a clean story and also enjoy Amish fiction, this book will probably find high favor in their eyes. As for me, it was an ok read. Nothing about the Amish faith is really mentioned and while there are some insights into their culture, it's more for the setting of the story than anything. I wouldn't mind though going back and reading more of Brunstetter's stories as they do offer a nice relaxation read from all the stress of the holidays.
    • 3/5
      To me, this book had a serious mismatch between the tone and the content.I was expecting a sweet, gentle romance-- and in many ways, the tone matched that. Not much emotion came through, which was particularly surprising considering the events of the book.The book dealt with parent child relationships; the death of a grandparent; the death of a child; choosing whether to marry for convenience or live alone; unemployment; the long-lasting effects of childhood trauma, and more.Even with all that, the same gentle tone pervaded the book. Nothing seemed to affect the characters for long. I do understand that the characters had a deep religious belief that comforted them in time of crisis. I just don't see the reason for including all of these crises if the reader wasn't going to see a noticeable effect on the characters.In addition, most of the characters seemed flat and/or unlikeable. I liked Lydia well enough in the beginning, but I never felt any change from everything she encountered. Her mother was unlikeable. She probably showed the most growth of any character in Lydia's Charm, but I never really believed it. Menno (love interest #1) was self centered, and love interest #2 (Levi) was so nice as to be boring, and this from someone that really likes nice guys as characters and in real life. The kids were interchangeably rambunctious. There were no bad guys, no one challenging authority. Everyone in the community was nice and did their best to be helpful. Even the kids that were briefly mean had a good reason for it.In the end, I liked many of the parts. I could have liked the gently love story, I could have liked the exploration of the effect of so many problems on a group of people. Unfortunately, this didn't come together as either of those books for me. I didn't dislike it, but I was disappointed.
    • 5/5
      Great book! Even though I am not Amish, and know very little about their lifestyle, this book was absolutely a marvel. A great romance story for everyone to enjoy :) I got this book as an early reviewer, and truly loved every moment. I am a die-hard romance novel fan, and this one is on my shelf along with Nora Roberts and Lisa Kleypas. Read it!
    • 5/5
      I can never get enough Amish! I am a die hard Amish fiction fan and the first Amish novelist's work I read several years ago was Wanda Brunstetter. Since then, I have been hooked on all her work. She's a wunderbar novelist and each book she writes just gets better and better! Lydia's Charm is a wonderful story set in Charm, Ohio. There are so many emotions throughout this novel and each of Wanda's tenderly created characters portray those emotions flawlessy. Lydia, Levi, Nona and Menno (just to name a few of the awesome characters!) are gripping and true-to-life. They quickly become your family. Each character has a struggle that they are dealing with and through Wanda's fantastic work, each of those struggles felt like my own, especially Lydia's. She really reached out to me and tugged my heart. But, Levi.....now THAT is an awesomely sweet character! Wanda fills this 5 star book with everything from sadness to love and hope. She weaves God's love and grace through her amazing work, make this novel unforgettable. If you are new to Amish fiction, grab a copy of Lydia's Charm now....you'll be forever hooked! If you're already a Brunstetter fan, then you MUST add this book to your fabulous collection! *This book was provided for review purposes by Barbour Books*
    • 4/5
      Once again, Wanda Brunstetter has written a book the reader will find hard to put down. The characters are real, and the story line believable.Lydia King's husband has died and now she finds herself out of work. Her mother has returned to Charm in order to care for her ailing father and invites Lydia to join her. With nothing to hold her, Lydia and her five-year-old son move to Charm. Now Lydia is faced with a decision. Should she marry Menno and help raise his four boys, or should she wait and see if God has other plans for her?
    • 5/5
      Lydia King had only been married for 5yrs when her husband Jeremiah was tragically killed in a logging accident. Being the sole provider for her young son Josh, hasn't been easy and now its just gotten worse because she lost her job, and with no family close by, her husband had moved them to Arthur Illinois from Wisconsin she wasn't sure what she was going to do.When Lydia gets a letter from her mom, who had moved back to Charm Ohio to take care of an ailing parent, inviting Lydia to move to Charm and help her she really saw no other choice.Lydia quickly realizes that her mom is somewhat resentful for being the caretaker of her father but really refuses any help, so Lydia realizes that the best way to help is to get a job and help with finances. She meets Menno Troyer who was recently widowed and has 4 young boys to raise. He needs a wife and thinks that Lydia might fit the bill.Levi Stutzman and his family run the general store. Levi has decided never to marry because Levi's parents are dwarfs and he fears passing dwarfism onto any children he might have. He also feels a sense of responsibility for helping his family because he is the only one that didn't inherit dwarfism. His mom and dad have other ideas though, they manage fine on their own and want Levi to have a family of his own, and Levi's mom Nona thinks that Lydia could be the one for her son.Will Lydia find happiness in Charm, and will she get a second chance at love, or will tragedy once again test her faith?This is an amazing story of faith, hope and love that will keep you thinking about the characters long after you have read the last page. Mrs. Brunstetter has a way of telling Amish stories that capture your heart and imagination making you feel like your a part of the story she is telling. Thanks to Barbour Publishing and Netgalley for allowing me to review this book. The opinions expressed in this review are my own