Amish of Summer Grove Books In Order

Publication Order of The Amish of Summer Grove Books

Amish of Summer Grove is a series of novels written by Cindy Woodsmall. The books tell the story of Ariana and her struggles to choose between her Amish and English roots.

+The Story

The Amish of Summer Grove series is one of Cindy Woodsmall’s most popular collections of novels. With so many Amish novels on the market today, it wouldn’t be wrong to suggest that there is a bit of a glut of Amish literature.

Of course, that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The Amish are finally getting fair representation in literature. However, because there are so many Amish novels in bookstores today, writing a unique and wholly distinct Amish novel has become rather difficult.

For that reason, the fact that the Amish of Summer Grove series brings so many unexpected storytelling aspects to the table is actually quite impressive.

The Amish of Summer Grove series tells the story of Ariana Brenneman. When she is first introduced, Ariana is a twenty-year-old young lady with strong ties to her Amish way of life. Ariana is initially as committed to her community as one could possibly be. She follows every rule and never strays beyond the confines of her strict interpretation of the Christian faith.

Ariana’s only interest is in helping her family contend with their ever-expanding numbers, an objective she intends to achieve by opening a café. Ariana’s heart was broken when her friend Quill Schlabach abandoned the Amish faith and ran away to live in the modern world.

If his departure wasn’t bad enough, Quill had the audacity to take their friend Frieda with him. She has never forgiven him for his actions and it becomes Ariana’s goal to protect her family from suffering through a similar ordeal.

When Quill returns to Summer Grove some years after his departure, Ariana fears the worst; that Quill is out to tempt one or more of her siblings away from the Amish life. Ariana is shocked to learn of her parents’ involvement in Quill’s return.

It isn’t long before questions about Ariana’s birth arise. She learns that she was actually switched with another baby shortly after she was born and that her roots lie not in the Amish world but with the English.

Ariana’s world is shattered. She encounters a crisis of faith that sees her questioning everything she thought she understood about God and family. The Amish of Summer Grove series is basically her journey as she attempts to define herself as a woman in an ever changing world.

The characters around her play numerous roles in shaping Ariana as she undergoes various forms of growth. Chief amongst these characters is Skylar Nash, the girl with whom she was switched.

When Skylar and Ariana switch families for a year, Skylar is forced to re-examine her life. After a prescription drug addiction nearly drove her right off the edge, Skylar’s initial revulsion for a life in Summer Grove where there is no television, internet or even electricity quickly vanishes as she learns to value herself.

She finds that even in the absence of the modern amenities she has grown accustomed to, there can be love and hope and happiness. Skylar’s journey is written to mirror that of Ariana. Just as Skylar struggles to acclimate to life with her biological Amish family, Ariana doesn’t know what to do with a family whose head is an atheist that is determined to enlighten her.

Ariana faces many temptations as she experiences the English world like never before, struggling to understand what her faith means and where she is destined to live.

Operating within the fringes, for the most part, is Quill Schlabach. Quill had his own reasons for abandoning Ariana all those years ago. Unfortunately for him, Ariana never seems up to the task of forgiving and forgetting, at least when it comes to his sins.

None the less, Quill endeavors to make himself available to Ariana. She isn’t ready to admit it but she needs him, especially after she begins her journey in the English world. Ariana spends the Amish of Summer Grove series trying to figure out what to do with Quill. She isn’t even sure he has a place in her life.

No one would ever accuse these books of being boring. Cindy has a way of making the drama of Ariana’s life truly compelling material to read. As the reader, you know that, after she learns the truth about her birth, her life will be changed forever. It becomes impossible to figure out the sort of person she will become in the long run, and that only makes the exploration of her journey throughout the Summer Grove series that much more enticing.

+Ties that Bind

Ariana has always been comfortable living an Old World Amish life. She loves her family and the only thing she cares about is getting her Summer Grove café open so that she can begin to do her part to support her expanding family.

Ariana’s life was shaken by the departure of Quill Schlabach. Her childhood friend chose to abandon the Amish life years ago, taking her friend Frieda with him. Ariana is determined to keep other Amish kids from suffering the same ordeal.

So when Quill comes back home, Ariana does everything she can to stop him from taking someone else that she cares about away from the Amish.

Quill doesn’t want to hurt Ariana but that is exactly what he does when he comes back home and begins to unearth secrets about Ariana’s birth that throw her life into turmoil.

+Fraying at the Edge

Ariana’s Amish life fell apart when she learned that her real family came from the Englisch World and that she had been switched at birth with Skylar Nash. In order to learn more about her biological family, Ariana joins her atheist of a father in the Englisch world, exposing herself to his attempts at expanding her worldview.

For Skylar Nash, the idea of spending a year with her real family doesn’t appeal to her. They are Amish folk that live backward lives. They do not even have electricity. But the only other option is rehab. Skylar is driven to rediscover herself.