A Season of Tending

I'm no stranger to Cindy Woodsmall, and I'm definitely no stranger to Amish fiction. I know that part of the attraction is my family connection to the Lancaster, PA, area. And while the Amish tend to have a narrow possibility for story lines, Woodsmall always manages to craft an intriguing narrative. This book, her latest, primarily follows Samuel, a young orchard overseer trying to save his farm from financial ruin, and Rhoda, a renowned gardener and canner who has been mistaken as a mystic because of her work with herbs. The story broadens to other members of Samuel's family. However, since this is book 1 in the series, I'm hoping Woodsmall plans to tie up loose ends in subsequent stories. What draws these two characters together is their mutual need for each other. Samuel needs Rhoda's talent to preserve both the orchard and his future. Rhoda needs the orchard to save herself from withering away when vandals destroy her garden. Overall, the story is compelling, especially since Rhoda and Samuel don't end up as love interests. However, the plot has lots of holes, from a mysterious illness Samuel's sister Leah battles, to a mysterious single mother one of Samuel's brothers supposedly supports. Hopefully future installment of the story line will bring all the loose ends together.