Amish saga

When the Heart Cries
Cindy Woodsmall
Waterbrook
2006
ISBN 1400072921
Contemporary
****1/2



Hannah Lapp has dared to rebel against her Old Order Amish clan to love a young Mennonite man, but on the way home from one visit, she pays a terrible price for her defiance as a stranger takes her virtue by force, leaving her hurt, pregnant, and ashamed. The next few months are pure Hell, as Hannah is made to feel guilt over the burden her suffering places on her family and is unable to prosecute the one who did the unmentionable thing to her. There is no one to whom she can turn as she faces some of the most terrible tragedies a woman can. Rather than being loved and supported in her hour of need, she is the victim of rumors. What is she to do when all her dreams become dust?



This is a stunning debut novel that draws you into Hannah's plight and makes you long to be the friend she needs. Ms. Woodsmall may well replace Beverly Lewis as the Queen of Amish Lit if she continues to write so compellingly.