The Beginning of a Saga -- Goodbye to Yesterday

In Goodbye to Yesterday Wanda Brunstetter begins a six-part saga to be released in monthly installments.  Luke and Meredith Stoltzfus are having problems in their marriage since Luke lost his job .  When an opportunity comes up that looks like the answer to their financial problems, Luke makes plans to travel from Lancaster County to Indiana to learn a new trade and purchase the equipment needed to start his own business.  Meredith stays at home, waiting for Luke to return and waiting to find out if she is expecting their first child.  Part 1 of The Discovery ends with a suspenseful cliffhanger, begging the reader to tune in to part 2.

Goodby to Yesterday begins an interesting Amish story.  The characters and story line both offer a good deal of promise.  There are a couple of problems areas, though, that keep it from being all it could be.  (1) There is not a lot of development of plot and characters.  Much of the time in the short chapters is spent on details that don't move the story along.  (2) Purchasing all the installments in this serial novel will be rather costly.  The entire story will likely be comparable to the length of one or two paperback novels but will cost considerably more.

Fans of Amish fiction should enjoy this story, in spite of the drawbacks mentioned above.  The book is a quick, easy read that many readers can finish within a couple of hours.

Handlebar Publishing provided a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

 About the Author

Wanda Brunstetter is an award-winning romance novelist who has led millions of readers to lose their heart in the Amish life. She is the author of over 60 books with more than 6 million copies sold. Many of her books have landed on the top bestseller lists, including the New York Times, Publisher’s Weekly, CBA, ECPA, and CBD. Wanda is considered one of the founders of the Amish fiction genre, and her work has been covered by national publications, including Time Magazine and USA Today. Wanda’s books have been translated into four foreign languages.

Wanda’s fascination with the Amish culture developed when she met her husband, Richard, who grew up in a Mennonite church, and whose family has a Pennsylvania Dutch heritage. Meeting her new Mennonite sister-in-laws caused Wanda to yearn for the simpler life. In their travels, she and her husband have become close friends with many Amish people across America. Wanda’s desire to explore their culture increased when she discovered that her great-great grandparents were part of the Anabaptist faith.

All of Wanda’s novels are based on personal research intended to accurately portray the Amish way of life. Many of her books are well-read and trusted by the Amish, who credit her for giving readers a deeper understanding of the people and their customs.

Wanda’s primary attraction to the Amish is their desire to live a devout Christian life that strives to honor God, work hard, and maintain close family ties. Whenever she visits her Amish friends, Wanda finds herself drawn to their peaceful lifestyle, sincerity, and close family ties, which is in stark contrast to the chaos and busyness that plagues so many modern “Englishers.” Time and time again, Wanda loses her heart in the Amish life, and she hopes her readers will, too.