The Scent of Cherry Blossoms?

When I received The Scent of Cherry Blossoms, by Cindy Woodsmall, in the mail, I was excited to get to read a shorter story that seemed like it would be an easy read.  I like good, meaty books, but every once-in-a-while, something lighthearted is exactly what I need.  Unfortunately, The Scent of Cherry Blossoms was not what I was looking for.

Cindy Woodsmall’s latest book is about an Old Order Mennonite girl, Annie Martin, who falls for a Old Order Amish boy named Aden Zook.  Unfortunately, their different backgrounds prevent them from from being together.  I’m sure that you can guess the ending, just as easily as I did.

The predictability, however, was not the biggest turnoff of this book for me.  Frankly, I found the story line a bit boring and slow, and the writing was not particularly good.  There was nothing that really drew me in. 

Furthermore, although the messages about God and redemption were great, there was part of me that felt averse to the love story.  Throughout the book, Annie and Aden continually go behind their parents and grandparents’ backs to see each other, justifying their actions in believing that God meant for them to be together.  In the end, there are no consequences for this blatant disregard for their parents’ concerns…concerns that were very justifiable.

In the end, I couldn’t wait to finish the book and start a different one.  The Scent of Cherry Blossoms simply falls flat.  If you like to read fiction stories set in Amish Country, then you might like this one…there certainly are some interesting parts about culture.   However, you’d be much better spending your time on one of Beverly Lewis’ books, which are both historically accurate and very well written.  That’s where the truth lies: Woodsmall’s latest book could have been good, but it didn’t hold a candle to other Amish fiction stories I’ve read.  My advice?  Pass on The Scent of Cherry Blossoms.

These views are entirely my own.  I received this book for free to review.