The Scent of Cherry Blossoms by Cindy Woodsmall ~ review

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: WaterBrook Press (February 21, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0307446557
• ISBN-13: 978-0307446558

Source for book: publisher sent for review

Book Description

Publication Date: February 21, 2012

Annie Martin loves the Plain ways of her Old Order Mennonite people, like those revered by her beloved grandfather. Retreating from a contentious relationship with her mother, Annie goes to live with her Daadi Moses in Apple Ridge.

But as spring moves into Pennsylvania and Annie spends time amongst the cherry trees with the handsome Aden Zook, she wishes she could forget how deeply the lines between the Old Order Amish and Old Order Mennonite are drawn.

Can Annie and Aden find a place for their love to bloom in the midst of the brewing storm?

My take on this book:

"The Scent of Cherry Blossoms"is the story of an Annie Martin an Old Order Mennonite girl whose relationship with her mother and siblings isn't all that great. She longs to go to Apple Ridge to spend time with her grandfather so when her mother tells her to go spend a few months with him she jumps at the chance. Aden Zook feels much older than his twenty-two years. He feels responsible for his twin brother Roman who suffered an accident a few years ago that left him in a wheelchair. He loves to sketch and draw when he isn't working at the Zook diner, which Annie's grandfather co-owns. As Annie helps at the diner she finds herself drawn to Aden, the thing is Aden is an Old Order Amish and therefore off limits to her. Can Aden and Annie find a way to be together?

While the main focus of this story was the building relationship between Aden and Annie, I thought the family angle was interesting. The relationship between Annie and her mother was tenuous at best. The relationship between Aden and Roman was different as well. They were twins, and Aden sort of felt responsible for Roman,because he was in a wheelchair, and Roman relied on him, but Aden's speech impediment had him depending on Roman as well. I thought the secondary story of Roman finding love added to the story. My only complaint was I felt like the ending was a bit abrupt, and left me wondering how things worked out.Overall I would recommend this quick read to anyone who enjoys Amish fiction, or for anyone looking for a quick inspirational read.