I purchased this book to read.

When you read one of Amy Clipston’s Amish Fiction novels, it’s like catching up with an old friend. The characters feel like friends or people you want to have as friends. This book is a continuation of her Amish Marketplace series, the first book in the series is entitled The Bake Shop. While you can read any book in any of her series by itself, reading the series opens up the sense of family and continues the storyline.

In The Farm Stand, Salina Petersheim owns and operates her own produce stand in the local Amish market. She takes great care selecting and presenting her produce in the most appealing manner. Her sales are strong and Salina has many repeat customers. Her life is happy but she is having some doubts about her relationship with her fiance. She doesn’t feel the strong sense of love that she sees in her parents. While it is nice to spend time with her fiance, there isn’t any spark or excitement.

As she prepares to open her stand one day, a Mennonite man approaches her and wants to buy her produce for his restaurant. Salina’s produce is popular in his restaurant and a business relationship begins. With every passing encounter, Salina and Will find themselves growing closer. Will is engaged too. Can Will and Salina remain friends?

There are problems that arise and it is interesting to see how Salina copes with the difficulties she faces. At the center of the story is the love Salina has for her family and her faith. She is a good daughter and a faithful member of her community. Salina doesn’t believe the world revolves around herself, a trait that is nice to find.

The story is interesting and moves quickly. The characters are familiar from the first book of the series and the concepts of Amish culture are always interesting. Amish fiction is a breath of fresh air. It is wonderful to see people pulling together as a community instead of trying to tear each other down. The warmth and caring of the characters is evident on every page. Bottom line – the books by Amy Clipston, this particular one included, are a soothing remedy in our trying times. The pages seem to turn themselves and when you find yourself at the end, all you want is to pick up the next book and read on.

My Rating: 🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻

Additional Thoughts: Coming from Kansas, there was a large Amish community in Salina. One of my favorite places to eat was a Mennonite restaurant on the outskirts of Salina. It had fantastic food and a community spirit that was unlike anywhere else. People who live differently from you are always interesting and I think the strong sense of family has always appealed to me. Amish books lack gore, graphic sex, violence, and revenge. Reading these books is like that old commercial “Calgon, take me away!”.