This was another excellent book on the Amish! I enjoy her stories so much!

I enjoy reading Amish fiction books - Cindy Woodsmall is my new favorite author. Can't wait for the next one.

I love the sisters of the quilt series! You will laugh and cry with Hannah as she tries to follow her path in life.

"When The Soul Mends" is the last book in the "Sisters Of The Quilt" series. I honestly can not tell you which of the three books I have enjoyed the most. Cindy Woodsmall writes in a way that touches your heart and holds your attention from the first chapter to the last in the series. The characters seem so real that you begin to feel the pain, lost, healing, hope and love through out the three books.

What I have enjoyed the most is the author has come full circle with the series. You are not left wondering what could of been? Or what happens to the characters? She rounds it out nicely.

Thank you Cindy for giving us "The Sisters of the Quilt" series. Your books have been a present to those of us who enjoy reading Christian fiction. Also reading about the Amish, Mennonite and Old Order Amish families.

An excellant read...Hard to put book down. The author makes you feel as if you are right there.

I really enjoyed the last book in this series. However, this series is probably a better read all at once instead of waiting three years from start to finish. Hannah, Martin, and Paul are all very identifiable and believable characters. As with many books, the ending is a little contrived and short. If only the authors wouldn't cut the "good stuff" off too early...

For a used book it was in very good condition and I was pleased to receive it.

This book is excellent I don't read much but after I read the 1st 2 books in this series I couldn't wait to get this book. I could not put it down. Excellent!!!!

Hannah, an old order Amish young woman, has left her home in disgrace after her fiance, Paul, has refused to hear her side of an unexpected pregnancy. After giving birth and being kicked out of her father's home, she left and looked up an Aunt who had also been banned from their Amish family. Hannah moved in with her aunt, learned to love her immediately, and through her, met Martin, an Englisher with plenty of money and the responsibility of raising his sister's two children. Hannah nursed her aunt through illness and death. Hannah and Martin fell in love, and an older Doctor in the town befriended her, nursed her back to health after her high risk pregnancy, gave her a job and a will to live and follow her dream of becoming a nurse.

An unexpected emergency back home called Hannah back. She was hesitant, but still loving her family and home, she drove the four hours to be with her sister, Sarah, who had become a total mental case and whose father refused any outside intervention. Hannah was basically shunned and ignored by the townspeople because of the way she had left, the Bishop's verdict and the fact she was now living as English. Hannah was determined to get Sarah some modern mental health help and her life becomes entangled with her old fiance Paul, who is now a mental health counselor and the one assigned to oversee the care of Sarah. Hannah feels she really does not fit in anyplace anymore, but is anxious to get back to Martin, the love of her life. Paul has a new girlfriend who figures hugely in the outcome of this love mystery.

Eventually lives collide, old hurts return, new ideas seem wrong, and her best friend Mary has kept her doctor's report a secret since her accident, and defied his counsel by becoming pregnant. Hannah has enough medical knowledge to know a catastrophe is waiting to happen.

She is met with opposition no matter which way she goes. Yet, she sticks to her convictions and gets help for both Sarah and Mary --both at a terrible cost and worry to her and those who love her. The book contains intrigue, mystery, religious conflicts and a very tumultuous love story.

I was completely surprised with the book's ending, and to say anymore would be to spoil this lovely series' ending. I am looking forward to more books by this author.

When the Soul Mends is a wonderfully satisfying ending to a captivating series. Cindy Woodsmall has a way of tugging at a reader's heart so that the reader can't stop turning the page. Highly Recommended.

I enjoyed this book very much. I enjoyed this series of books from Cindy Woodsmall. I will definitely look for more books from this author. Donalee

What a fabulous conclusion to a strong series. When the Soul Mends is as deep an compulsively readable as the rest of the series. You could try reading it as a stand-alone but I think it's much more effective if it's read within the series. The author did a great job in regards to drawing me in. I was as confused as Hannah was about who I wanted her to end up with. But the author made such as great case for each situation that I changed my mind several times over the course of the series. I am ecstatic with how it ended, too. It seemed impossible, but Cindy pulled it off.

I loved the spiritual thread, which was subtle, yet effective. The part about forgiveness was very well done and portrayed the way life really is. It's one thing to say you should forgive someone and an entirely different thing to follow through with your intenstions. I also really enjoyed the roles the minor characters played in the story. It gave it a richer quality. I just wish the series didn't have to end. This is the kind of story that makes you want to pick up the phone when you turn the last page and talk to someone about it. I highly recommend When the Soul Mends.

I love how Cindy Woodsmall's characters touch the very heart of my soul. This is a story that we all can relate to, no matter what your background. Everyone struggles about where we fit in this lilfe we live, and what God's plan is for our lives. It's no different with Hannah and the community she has come from. Yes, they live a little differently, but the matters of the heart is what draw us together, and help us relate to one another. Here is a glimpse into one of the heart issues I'm talking about, "Your sister understood that love reaches out against all the odds and against all reasonable hope. I learned so much about freedom and hope and faith. Why can't you understand that people and circumstances aren't bound to what you can see in them today? If they were, there would be no need for faith." Wow!! Powerful stuff!

There were several times in this book I just had to laugh out loud. Cindy has a way of describing the simple things in life that touch your heart in unexpected ways and bring a smile to your face. I loved how each book starts where the last one ended. Since Cindy left us with cliff hangers for books one and two, I was glad she started exactly at the edge of the cliff where she left us hanging. I was also thankful that each book had a brief description of who was who. Since it was awhile between reading each book, this was helpful for me to remember who everyone was and where I had left off. Thanks Cindy!!

I also was intrigued with Cindy's ability to weave the lives of the Plain and the Englischers together, yet they were separate. It felt like this was a three dimensional book I was experiencing. Through Hannah, I was able to experience both worlds and see life from every side. I felt Hannah's heart breaking as she discovered things she never knew of her past and how all the pieces fit together. I could also feel for Paul and all his discoveries as well. Life just doesn't seem fair. God never said that it would be. Could I trust that God's power over my life is stronger than anything that happened to me? Something to think about! The author has a way of making me look at my own life through the events in these books and the lives and relationships I read about. Powerful stuff!!

Cindy Woodsmall takes on the topic of mental illness in this book, and does an amazing job of dealing with it from all sides. It's not easy to talk about for anyone - it's hard enough for the outside world to deal with -- but how the Amish/Mennonite people deal with this is one I never thought of. This story stayed with me long after I finished reading the last page. I felt like I had been included in the lives of Hannah, Paul, Martin and all the characters in between. If you have read the other two books you won't want to miss the conclusion to this series. If you haven't read this series it's definitely a must-read for everyone.

Nora St. Laurent - Book Club Servant Leader
www.psalm516.blogspot.com

Rarely is the third book in a series better than the two previous ones, especially when the others are bestsellers. But Cindy Woodsmall has outdone herself.

When the Soul Mends is an amazing finale to this series. Woodsmall does more than weave a great story; she can change your mind without you realizing she's done it. I had firmly sworn my allegiance to certain characters, and I don't change my mind easily. I've been known to throw a book across the room halfway through if it doesn't go the way I want it to. With the finesse of a master word weaver, Woodsmall makes the characters' changes subtle and incremental. In other words--real life.

When the Soul Mends is filled with conflict from beginning to end as Hannah battles not only obstinate family members, but the desires of her own heart. I couldn't put it down and finished it in one spell-binding sitting.

Not often does a series settle into my soul like the Sisters of the Quilt series has, and When the Soul Mends gets Novel Reviews and my highest recommendation. It's a 5-star read.

...I think Hannah has a terrible attitude in this book. She is not the lovable character I fell in love with in the first 2 books. She's b_tchy, boorish, and over the top for someone who only left her house 2 years prior. I am disappointed in this finale.

Wow. That is the main thought that I am left with after finishing this magnificent book. Cindy Woodsmall has done an amazing job with her debut series and I cannot wait to read more from this fabulous author. I enjoyed the first book and really was full of emotion for the characters. I cannot tell you how many times throughout the series I was brought to tears or screaming in anger when the characters would not for themselves.



When the Soul Mends is an incredible book about such depth with a vast amount of heart wrenching drama that is so real and so needed to be read. You could read this book alone, but I strongly suggest you start from the beginning, because only after going through When the Heart Cries to the When the Morning Comes can you really appreciate the beauty and fully healing affects of When the Soul Mends. Can you see how perfect these titles are?



I'm practically speechless, but I want to ramble about how great this book is. The characters are so real, as are their troubles and joys. Cindy really brings you into an Amish/Plain/Englisher world and shows the good, as well as the bad in all cases. After falling into their world in the first two novels and screaming for answers with the cliff hangers those two left me in, Cindy has answered everything in more depth and better than I ever could have imagined. I'm completely satisfied with this series and you can bet it is on my keeper shelf.

When the Soul Mends finished up the Sisters of the Quilt series, and I hated to see this series end.
If you haven't read the series, and you love Amish fiction, I urge you to try it. Cindy Woodsmall is one of the best writers around!

Two and half years ago, then seventeen year old Hannah Lapp left in disgrace the Old Order Amish community and her family home in Owl's Perch, Pennsylvania. Her equally shunned Aunt Zabeth Bender took her teenage niece into her home in Winding Creek, Ohio. Hannah vowed never to return although she misses her family, even though her father who's shunning of her means to him she is dead. Hannah has found contentment with her beloved Martin Palmer and the children they raise.

However, when her troubled sister Sarah frantically calls her, Hannah, in spite of her sibling spreading the rumors that led to her exile, rushes home to help her. She quickly realizes the community loathes her for her choices; her father demands she leave. With the help of her former fiancé Paul Waddell, Hannah tries to help Sarah with mental health issues while she also wonders if she made a mistake when she left her home.

The third Sisters of the Quilt tale (see WHEN THE HEART CRIES and WHEN THE HEART CRIES) is a terrific ending to the Hannah Lapp saga as readers obtain a deep understanding of the faith Mennonite and Old Order Amish families. However what makes the story line engaging and inspiring is Sarah, a unique person in terms of the Amish or for that matter inspirational fiction in general as she suffers with mental issues. Readers will appreciate this excellent entry in the Lapp saga as Hannah returns home to help her sister while her parents and siblings struggle with shunning and welcoming.

Harriet Klausner