Bygones: Sommerfeld Trilogy Book 1
by Kim Vogel Sawyer
Uhrichsville: Barbour Publishing, 2006, 286 pp, tradepaper..

Widow Marie Koeppler returns to the Mennonite community of her youth after her daughter Beth receives an unusual inheritance. Beth gets a house and cafe, provided that she spends at least three months living in the community. Marie finds herself reevaluating her life and choices as she reconnects with the past.

I enjoyed the book, partly because I grew up in a Mennonite community, although not as traditional as the one in the story. Sadly, the only Brandt in Bygones is an old man who dies before the story even takes place, but at least his passing made some housing available.

I recommend Bygones to anyone interested in Amish and Mennonite culture. It's also a romance, but males can balance that by reading some action thrillers.

Visit Kim Vogel Sawyer.

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