A good wife who can find?She is far more precious than jewels…Meet Mercy Malloy. Whether she’s cooking up the best grub to be had all along the Holladay stagecoach line, working her husband’s horse farm or helping her neighbors, God’s love fills her life.She opens her hand to the poor,And reaches out her hands to the needy…So when two orphaned children appear on her doorstep, she hesitates only a moment before opening her heart and her home to them. Perhaps this is the Lord’s way of sending her and Judd the babies they’ve prayed for.Her children rise up and call her blessed;Her husband also, and he praises her…Out on the Kansas plains the years bring hardship and heartache—Indian attacks, a runaway daughter, an abandoned baby in a basket—but also precious new life and the unlooked for joy of a surprise love. Through it all, Mercy’s faith holds her family together, creating a patchwork of strength and beauty.
Drawing upon her experiences in Jamesport, the largest Old Order Amish community west of the Mississippi, longtime Missourian Charlotte Hubbard (a.k.a. Naomi King) writes of simpler times and a faith-based lifestyle in her new Seasons of the Heart series. Like her heroine, Miriam Lantz, Charlotte considers it her personal mission to feed people—to share hearth and home. Faith and family, farming and food preservation are hallmarks of her lifestyle, and the foundation of her earlier Angels of Mercy series. She’s a deacon, a dedicated church musician and choir member, and when she’s not writing, she loves to try new recipes, crochet, and sew. Charlotte now lives in Minnesota with her husband and their border collie.
My first Charlotte Hubbard book and I have to admit this was very different. There was such a shock about 2/3 of the way through the book that I had to go in and tell my husband, "I can’t believe that just happened. This just never happens in happily ever after Christian fiction."
Honestly, I did. But Miss Hubbard has a way of pulling things out of life surprises and turning them into God's intended joy. And then some.
Normally I want to give a brief synopsis, aka, nearly a spoiler, but not this time. The reader needs to soak up relational nuances of this unique book.
Get ready for four pretty big surprises….no five. 😁😁
This is a story about how courageous men and women had to be back in the early days. We are transported back to living on the prairie, with stagecoaches, Indians , and hard physical work. Everyday these people struggled to survive and prepare for harder days yet to come. This particular story is about a woman named Mercy who came out to the prairie as a young bride. She and her husband run a way station for a stagecoach line. Her trials and tribulations are testimony to how courageous and adventurous these people really were. I am always reminded of how pampered I am with all of today's luxuries when I go back into history like I did by reading A Patchwork Family.
I had an issue with the author putting down that the king James Bible language is archaic. The king James Bible language is actually easier to say and understand because it is written at a fourth grade reading level. And it never gets more difficult than an eighth grade reading level. However, the story was really well done! I was horrified by one of the main characters dying. It broke my heart. But that’s when the writing gets realistic.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Heartwarming, I felt so close to this family...I love the way the author described Christina .got insight into young pre teen and teens mind! how to scole them yet let know your love.
The a pet can help a child healed, how it helped Billy and the other boy get on with their lives Mercy was. such a strong woman and Michael 's was so kind.and if the aunt we all need aperson
A Patchwork Family is an incredibly beautiful and heartfelt story!
A Patchwork Family is so well written and such an incredible story, I can't wait to read the rest of the Angel's of Mercy series. I fell a little in Love with Judd and then a little in Love with Michael and cried more than once with Mercy. There were such strong emotions felt, as Charlotte Hubbard brought her tales to life. Such a talented Author. Thank you for your wonderful writing.
OH my goodness - I grabbed this book and began reading and it is total enjoyment!! I cannot wait to read the 2nd book in the series. Mercy, Judd, Billy and Asa and the entire Patchwork Family will make you smile and cry. Charlotte Hubbard is amazing brings to life living during the push west with the stagecoach and the advent of the rail system. Wonderful reading
I've read a lot of books I hated to put down or even to finish it...especially so with this book about Mercy and Judd and their life as s Wells Fargo way station...the Indian troubles,joyful and excruciating times, life with trials of living and settling the West
I have been reading Charlotte Hubbard's books for a few years now and have yet to find one I could put down. A Patchwork Family is no different. This is a sweet story. It has love loss and so much more. There is some religious parts in the book but it works with the flow of the story.
A different kind of family, a different kind of love. A joy to read. A hard life with the blessings of a good husband. Loved watching the story unfold in God's plan. Really looking forward to second book
Living on the plains as a young couple, life was hard work but with love and support of other people working together to make the plains a place to raise their families.
A very good book with lots of twists and turns. Nothing about life says it runs smoothly. Children orphaned and abandoned makes this book about a home now filled with children after 6 yrs without any. Really a great story. So much emotions. Enjoy this book.
This was a book about two kids abandoned by their mom on their way out west. They are left at a way-station . It is about unconditional love and the emotional trials of the children as they adjust to their situation.
I found this book and was intrigued with what I read about it, so I read it, fell in love with the characters, and finished it quickly. I was not disappointed. This is my honest review.
Do have a cry rag handy as you reach the middle to end of this book. This is taking place in Kansas as a territory - when folks where homesteading and the stagecoach was in the last years of their runs as the railroad was making it's way West. This is taking place on one of the homesteads that was also a stagecoach stop for a change of horses, and taking care of "personal necessaties". Think of a young married couple, who after 5 years of marriage, still hadn't been blessed and a couple of young kids that had been "dumped" my their mother and her "boyfriend" at one of the previous stops and what to do with those kids... You'll need to read it to find out what happens next.... I love what I've read by this authot & will continue to look for her books.
I thought that “The Patchwork Family” by Charlotte Hubbard was a wonderful story. A faith-filled couple, Judd and Mercedes Monroe, is running a stage coach stop near Abilene, Texas. They have taken in two “colored” men to help with the farm and duties for the Holladay Stage Line. In return, they are treated like family and given room and board.
One day the stage stops, and the driver, Michael Malloy, askes the couple to take in two abandoned children. Their mother just left them with tickets to Denver and drove off with a dandy. The children are naturally upset and scared. Judd and Mercedes pray about it and decide that they must do what they can for these poor children. The little boy is a joy to have around, but his older sister is not so nice. She has a mouth on her that would curl hair and needs to learn how to behave. It is a challenge for all.
Judd and Mercedes have their share of troubles…no money, hard work, Indians, no near neighbors. But the two of them have their love for each other and the faith to sustain them. The story goes on and the reader becomes more involved the more pages are read. I loved this book and will definitely read the following novels, featuring characters from this first book.
I purchased a free Kindle copy from Amazon.com. No review positive or otherwise was required – all opinions are my own. You can find this review on my blog at http://wp.me/p2pjIt-nP, and other reviews on my blog at http://imhookedonbooks.wordpress.com.