Christmas Fiction Review: An Amish Christmas by Cynthia Keller – “To Be, Rather Than Appear”
If your spouse was cut from a high paying job and didn’t tell you for three months, could you forgive him or her? If they also secretly gambled on the family fortune, forced the sale of their home, pulled their children out of private schools, and moved their parents to another state, would they forgive and forgive them? That’s the premise of Cynthia Keller’s new book, An Amish Christmas.
The Hobarts – James, Meg, Lizzie, Will, and Sam – reside in a 5,000-square-foot home in an upscale Charlotte, North Carolina neighborhood. James and Meg have been married for 18 years. James is a well-paid legal advisor for a software company and his family wants nothing. Meg primarily raises her three children and, although more thrifty, still enjoys its materialistic advantages.
Hobart’s children embrace a sense of entitlement, attend private schools, and enjoy modern technologies, including laptops and iPods. Fifteen-year-old Lizzie scolds Meg for not spending five hundred dollars on a dress for her next Christmas ball; and Thirteen-year-old Will repeatedly and carelessly loses his dental retainer at $ 400 each.
As Thanksgiving approaches, Meg prepares to participate in her favorite vacation. Each year she cooks for eighteen neighbors, using her impressive and painstaking entertainment skills, including a time-consuming menu.
For months, Meg has felt that something is not right with James, who now regularly complains about “too many bills” and the need to “close the hatches.” She decides to give him until New Years to explain.
While dressing for his Thanksgiving feast, James reveals that in August he was cut down at work. Too proud to confess, he secretly invested in a real estate business that is sure to double his money. The transaction fell through, leaving the Hobarts virtually penniless, as James used their home as collateral.
Naturally, Meg is dumbfounded. How could James be so selfish by not consulting her and endangering the future of his children? His short-term solution is to sadly move in with Meg’s parents in Homer, New York. His parents are tough and emotionless people. When Meg tells her mother that she will be able to spend more time with her grandchildren, she responds, “Remember, Margaret, I raised a child and I am not raising any more. Once was enough.”
The Hobarts reduce their possessions and prepare to ride in James’ classic 1969 Mustang. During Meg’s last moments at the house, she retrieves a North Carolina state magnet on the refrigerator, which reads “Esse quam videri,” which means “To be, rather than to appear.”
On the way to New York, we have a cold, dark and icy night, the Hobarts detour to avoid an Amish buggy in Pennsylvania. They collided with a tree, causing extensive damage to his car.
Amish man and buggy driver David Lutz invites the Hobarts home, awaiting car repairs. Your planned stay brings news of a necessary two-week car restoration.
Will’s comment “Can you believe this place?” and Lizzie’s “Kill Me Now” lament exemplify James and Meg’s challenge to make their spoiled teens appreciate the generosity of David and Catherine Lutz. The couple have nine children, some close in age to the Hobart trio.
Keller imparts a cross section of Amish cultural knowledge in history. Sam looks forward to a school day with Eli Lutz. He learns that Amish children receive a formal education only through the eighth grade in a one-room school. Upon graduation, boys work in the fields full-time and girls contribute nationally.
Meg is aware of how little affection the Amish show, except for babies and young children: “But I did not recall seeing adults exchange a hug or a kiss or even an unnecessary touch.”
Lutz’s eldest son Benjamin is absent. By age 16, Amish children can get out of the house and explore other lifestyles before deciding to get baptized. This period is known as rumspringa.
Resolution finds the Hobarts beginning a promising new life, clearly influenced by their brief encounter with the Amish. As they prepare to leave the Lutzes, Meg rediscovers the North Carolina state magnet in her pants pocket. The little time she spent with the Lutzes allowed her and her family to live out that motto.
It’s easy to dismiss An Amish Christmas as another feel-good story about the simple life, based on the book cover depicting a bucolic setting and the silhouette of an Amish woman in a white hat. Whose.
Read An Amish Christmas and you will find yourself evaluating your position on issues such as forgiveness, marriage vows, and materialism. Keller’s message is especially timely during this era of challenging economic times, foreclosures and high unemployment.
In addition to being an entertaining and informative read, An Amish Christmas it is well written literature. For more information on Amish culture, visit http://www.amishliving.com.
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