Promises
an Amish Love Story

What journalists have said about the book:

Kathryn Miller Hollopeter has given us an opportunity to read of a refreshing time when religion, family, the crops and the weather were the main concerns and topics of the day in this delightful, low-keyed but absorbing story. The novel takes the reader back to the early 1900's and provides an insightful look into the lives of clannish but caring Amish families. Basically it focuses on one young man, Andrew Yoder, who is engaged in going from farm to farm where he joins others in harvesting and threshing during the summer months. The crops are the main source of livelihood for the hard-working Amish.

Charlotte Sigmon, the illustrator, is a freelance artist and fashion designer What Journalists Have to Say The Author ORDER Promises HOME

The often interrelated families become close-knit communities, governed mainly by their religious leaders. When troubles befall one of their group, everyone pitches in to share what they have and to provide love and support.

As the men and boys labor to get each field of grain harvested and stored, the women provide bountiful meals for the hungry crews. And it is during one of these meals that Andrew spies Elizabeth Weaver and is enamored by her.

"She came down the porch steps with fresh towels on her arm. Andrew recognized her as John Weaver's little Lizbet, but how she had changed in the years since he had come with his mother to visit the girl's grandmother.

"She had grown from a little tomboy into a demure young lady. Ringlets of light brown curls escaped from the blue scarf tied tightly around her head. Her eyes were shyly downcast in the presence of so many men. The thick lashes lifted as she handed Andrew a towel. She smiled in surprise ..."

Although she is not as a loss for beaus, Elizabeth seems to sense at once that Andrew is the one she wants to be with.

They savor every moment they can be together but have only the memories to keep their love alive as he works from farm to farm, and she is sent from home to home as a hired girl to help wherever she is needed.

Their romance is endangered when a dashing, sophisticated young school teacher Alfred Krantz, discovers her interest in books, and by providing Elizabeth with reading material and a style of life she is not accustomed to, hopes to win her heart.

But the more serious danger to their romance comes from their deep-seated religious beliefs which decree that Andrew should shun his brother, Sam, who no longer follows the Amish 'Ordnung.' How can he turn his back on Sam during harvest? If he helps him, his own standing with the church is in question. He feels he cannot ask Elizabeth to marry him and run the danger of isolating her from their entire community. The longings of the young couple and their desire to overcome all obstacles make interesting reading.

Though the characters are fictional, they provide a true-to-life glimpse of real-life Amish people. Utilizing multiple viewpoints, Hollopeter allows the storyline to unfold through the everyday lives of her characters and gives readers a glimpse of the Amish as flesh-and-blood people, not stereotypes as they are so often depicted by those who have only a superficial knowledge of them.

Though "Promises" is a gentle story, it is a compelling novel which provides an absorbing, authentic look at the Amish culture and its foibles.

Interspersed throughout the book are delightful pencil sketches created by the author's daughter, a freelance artist. The drawings not only compliment the story but realistically depict the people and the places described in 'Promises, an Amish Love Story.'

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