A LIFE OF JOY (AMY CLIPSTON)

Story Description: 

In A Life of Joy, the fourth installment in the series, eighteen-year-old Lindsay Bedford has reached a crossroads. Should she stay in the small Amish community she's known and loved for four years or return to the English life in her hometown in Virginia where her older sister is a college student? An extended visit to Virginia might just tip the scales as Lindsay reconnects with friends, joins a new church, works on her GED, and is pressured by her sister to stay and 'make something of herself.' Will Lindsay leave her aunt Rebecca and become English or settle in Bird-in-Hand and join the Amish church? 

My Review: 

Lindsay Bedford couldn’t decide whether to be baptized with her two best friends Katie and Lizzie Anne.  She had lived in the English world before coming to live with her Aunt Rebecca and Uncle Daniel four years ago.  Once she turned 18, there was more an expectation for her to be baptized into the Amish community.  Lindsay did feel like the Amish world felt right for her, but something deep down in her heart was holding her back from making the final commitment.  Lindsay felt that her friends were disappointed in her for her indecision. 

Lindsay works at the Kauffman bakery and she notices that her Aunt Rachel seems to be unusually tired when she returns home from the bakery each day.  She asks if she is feeling okay and Rachel tries to reassure Lindsay that she is just tired and needs to go to bed earlier at night.  Looking after her 3-year-old son and 18-month-old daughter must be wearing her out more than she thought.  Daniel too notices Rachel’s tiredness and is worried about her and asks if she needs to see a doctor but Rachel refuses saying the pain in her stomach is from eating too much.  She tells Daniel that he worries too much.  Is Rachel suffering from indigestion or is it more serious than that? 

I absolutely loved this book and felt as though I was with Lindsay wherever she went.  I could picture in my mind’s eye Bird-in-Hand, Pennsylvania where she lives with Rebecca and Daniel and Virginia Beach where she stayed for a while with good family friends Trish and Frank.  Lindsay is a devoutly independent and mature girl for her age who remains true to her deepest beliefs.  I’d recommend this book for everyone!!