When the Heart Cries

July 31, 2006
In this debut inspirational novel, Woodsmall takes readers inside a contemporary Amish family where the eldest daughter, Hannah, has fallen in love with her neighbor Paul. The trouble is that he's a Mennonite, and if those two faiths look similar to outsiders, they don't to Hannah's father, who would never permit his daughter to marry outside the Amish community. Yes, this is a familiar setup, with shades of the movie Witness
. But the star-crossed romance is only the backdrop to the central events of the novel: in the very first chapter, Hannah experiences a trauma, setting in motion a chain of events that sometimes seems incredible. Woodsmall's prose is undistinguished; she too often flatly describes emotions ("Disappointment and anger formed a knot in Luke's chest"), and the Pennsylvania Dutch sprinkled throughout the book can be distracting. Still, this novel shows potential. Most of the characters are likable, and Woodsmall depicts both the appeal and the potential myopia of secluded Amish life. An emotionally subtle subplot involving Hannah's younger sister's envy adds some depth. Better yet, the surprising conclusion sets Woodsmall up for a sequel—but she'll need some fine-tuning if she wants a truly lasting series.

September 1, 2006
Offering a peek into Amish life with clarity and a resounding ring of truth, this promising first novel tells the story of 17-year-old Hannah Lapp, who has been raised in an Old Order Amish family. Her heart, however, belongs to Mennonite Paul Waddell, who will be leaving for college soon. When he asks Hannah to marry him, she naï vely accepts, not fully understanding what this marriage will do to her place in her family. Hannah -s struggles and painful experiences as an outsider in her own home will touch the hearts of those familiar with Beverly Lewis -s Amish stories. Woodsmall -s style packs a powerful emotional punch. Recommended for all collections, particularly where Amish fiction is in demand. Woodsmall lives in Georgia.

Copyright 2006 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2007
Woodsmall's Amish heroine is naive Hannah Lapp, who, as the novel begins, accepts the marriage proposal of her childhood friend, Paul Waddell. But Paul is a Mennonite--and, almost worse, a college man. He embraces such corrupt modernisms as gasoline engines and the Internet. To outsiders, the differences between Amish and Mennonites may seem subtle, but that's not the case for Hannah's Old Order father, and all hell breaks loose. Woodsmall's first novel, which will more than likely beget a series, seems a worthy successor--or companion--to Beverly Lewis' popular stories of the Pennsylvania Amish. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)