Simple Charity

"For fans of Beverly Lewis and Cindy Woodsmall, Rosalind Lauer's moving Lancaster Crossroads novel A Simple Charity reminds us that the greatest gifts come from the heart--and that everyday miracles make love possible. OF ALL THE GIFTS THAT LAST, THE GREATEST IS CHARITY. Although she is still in her twenties, Fanny Lapp has known a lifetime of love and heartache. Twice widowed, she has a home to maintain, a renovation in the works, and a family to raise--all without a husband. Fortunately, in the Amish community, help is never far away. To ease Fanny's burdens, the bishop sends Zed Miller to the Lapp house. Fanny is drawn to kind, handsome Zed, who suffers from sins of the past. But to everything there is a season, and Fanny cannot act on her feelings while mourning her husband. Newly returned to his Amish roots after many years in the outside world, Zed knows he must prove himself to earn acceptance from his community. Without a second thought, he picks up a hammer and sets to work helping Fanny fulfill her dream of turning an old carriage house into a women's childbirth center. Soon Zed finds himself a part of Fanny's daily chores, sharing her laughter and sorrow. Knowing that time flows like a river, running slow and steady, Zed plans to wait on his love. But when their secret is discovered, how deep will the disapproval of their community run? A reminder that the greatest gifts come from the heart, A Simple Charity shines like the sun with the blessings of everyday miracles"-- "The final book in the Lancaster Crossroads Amish romance trilogy. Ever since Fanny Lapp's husband Tom died in a tragic accident one year ago, she's struggled to make ends meet with her three children and their large house in need of repair. Luckily, charity arrives in the form of Zed Miller, the black sheep in their community. Handy with a hammer and nails, Zed offers to repair her house and Fanny accepts--though she's dismayed about her attachment to the handyman so soon after her husband's death. But Zed's help allows her to find her true calling when an Englisher midwife asks for her assistance in delivering a baby. Zed Miller has been on rumspringa for years and has only recently returned to the fold. Although the community has welcomed him back, he doesn't feel worthy of the love of a good Amish woman like Fanny Lapp. But as he works toward repentance, Zed begins to realize that though he's made plenty of mistakes in his life, loving Fanny is not one of them"--

Beyond its central premise, the book can be read through the connected lenses of Romance, Fiction. Those themes offer useful points of attention as the characters, ideas, or world develop, especially where the book complicates the expectations of its primary category.