The Christmas Visitor

by Linda Byler

          One moment, Ben Miller was high up in the rafters at his neighbor's barn raising. The next, his foot slipped and he plunged to his death, leaving behind a young wife and six children—the youngest born four months after his death. Ruth Miller is not alone. Her Amish neighbors help her to make the difficult transition from wife to widow.            But while the community has been generous, raising six growing children, each grieving their father's death, is overwhelming. Devastated by her loss, Ruth isn't sure how she'll make ends meet or restore order to a house full of rambunctious kids. With help from her mother and her energetic, but untidy neighbor, Mamie, Ruth finds a way to start over. Preoccupied with the effort to create a new life and manage her shrinking bank account, Ruth barely notices John King, the handsome newcomer to her community. Besides, how could she—if she had a chance—replace Ben? Does one ever replace a husband?            As Christmas approaches, Ruth knows that she can't afford gifts for her children this year. It's hard enough to find money for groceries each week. But then banana boxes full of food, treats for the children, and even money begin to appear on her front porch. Who is leaving her these generous gifts? Is it a neighbor or a friend? Or, Ruth wonders, could it be John, who keeps unexpectedly appearing when Ruth most needs help?

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Genres: Christmas, Amish, Romance, Fiction, Amish Fiction, Christian Fiction, Christian

240 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Linda Byler grew up Amish and is an active member of the Amish church today. Growing up, Linda Byler loved to read and write. In fact, she still does. She is well known within the Amish community as a columnist for a weekly Amish newspaper. Linda and her husband, their children and grandchildren live in central Pennsylvania.

Reviews

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a sweet Amish romance. Ruth’s husband has passed away and she is left to run her household with six kids! Oy! Lots of descriptions of household life, kids galore, the struggles of being a single parent with no income and the stresses of relying on the community after a death in the family. And then mysterious banana crates of food and presents begin appearing on the porch and Ruth and her children may have a mysterious benefactor. This was a sweet, quick read that I thoroughly enjoyed!

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book but honestly I felt like I was reading ads. She put in a scoop of Tide and a capful of Downy, smelled the Johnsons and Johnsons baby shampoo, fed her children Cheerios, Trix, Jello, Rice Krispies, and Chip Ahoy cookies and put her three year old in Pampers. Enough! That's not even a third of the brands constantly brought up and I have a hard time believing that Amish would use Pampers, Mennonite, perhaps, but Amish? I don't believe it. It just seemed like an odd book and none of it very believable or compelling.

[Tisha (IG: Bluestocking629) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED THIS BOOK! WHY, YES, I AM SCREAMING!!!

My love of this book *may* have a wee little bit to do with the fact I live over an hour away from Lancaster, PA. And I LOVE Lancaster PA. This place is MY Disney. It’s MY Paris. It’s MY Grand Canyon. It’s MY NYC. I don’t need far off places, daring sword fights, or a prince in disguise. I have Lancaster! For real!

So this story is touching. It’s lovely. It’s funny. It’s sweet. It’s romantic. Yes, it’s predictable. Most stories like this are.

It would make for a great Hallmark/GAC Christmas movie! I can see it now. But please, if you do make this movie, film it IN Lancaster, not Canada. Pretty please, with a cherry on top!

This book mentioned a few places I’ve been to in Lancaster. So that was cool. BUT it was ridiculous in the product name placement. Tide, Cheerios, Downy, Johnson and Johnson’s Baby shampoo and on and on and on and on. Way too much. I’m not even 100% sure that Amish clean with store bought products? But maybe they do? Either way it was crazy. It was so disjointed. It didn’t belong in the book. Regardless, the book still gets five stars, I loved it so much.

Oh yes, the Audible narrator was wonderful.

[Mindy Steele · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sweet Christmas tale of second chances and the power of community.

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet little Christmas story. This is the first book that I have read by this author. Surprised to find out that she is actually Amish. It was interesting to read about some of the traditions that the Amish practice for the holidays.

[Carmen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't think people truly realize how hard single parenthood is... I appreciated that part of the story but the romance needed a bit more exposure.

[Betty Strohecker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a thoroughly enjoyable and heartwarming Amish story, set in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. I always enjoy Amish literature, so it was good to get back into Amish country, reading about their lifestyle. The Amish community are dedicated to their beliefs and take care of their own, comforting and celebrating their neighbors as events in their lives unfold.

I have visited Lancaster County several times and have always been impressed with the Amish lifestyle. This is the first selection I have read by Linda Byler, and it won't be the last. She is Amish, so it is no wonder that the authenticity of the Amish people comes through in her writing. This story of Ruth, a young widow struggling to provide for her six children, will really grab your heart.

[Heather❀Kiss The Pages❀]

I decided not to rate this because I went into this doubting I would even enjoy it. I did in fact not enjoy this but it's not the author's fault. It's just not my style of book. I don't consider this book a romance. We meet the hero at about 50% and I think there are probably 2 scenes where the hero and heroine are alone and even then it was only for a few minutes. Most of the book focuses on the heroine's financial and emotional struggles after the loss of her husband and how she deals with taking care of her 6 kids and household. So not the most romantic book.

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this to be a well written story that answered many of my questions about the Amish and their way of life especially involving Christmas. I plan to read another Linda Byer novel although as a steady diet I prefer something with a less transparent plot.

[Monica Willyard Moen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most of this book is not set during the Christmas holiday. Rather, it is the story of a woman who loses her husband in a tragic accident and how she copes with being a widow with six young children. I like this book well enough that I am buying a print copy to send to a friend of mine who doesn’t live nearby.

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a gift from my sister for Jolabokaflod. Little does she know Amish romance is my new guilty pleasure. I loved learning more about Amish culture with an equal dose of human goodness.

[Tammy Becker · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet Christmas story about Ruth, a widow and mother of six little ones and finding the second chance at love after a tragic accident took her husband from her much too soon. ❤️

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Christmas Visitor" by Linda Byler gets five stars from me. I really liked the story and the plot but I had questions while reading, this book was a book I read for an online bookclub that I am a member of. Other members had no problem with this book and others had questions like me! I will tell you some of the things that bothered me and it could be that they are normal for an Amish family (yes this is an Amish story), I will be the first to admit that I am not really familiar with the Amish, only what I have read in books and they have all been fiction, which this book is also, so it might be that this book is more "real" than the others have been because the author is Amish. The first problem is there is a lot of name brand products used in the story and the Christmas shopping and Ruth (one of the main characters buying a doll, I thought the Amish had faceless dolls). I asked a friend who isn't Amish or a member of the bookclub and doesn't use Facebook about my questions, I thought she was qualified to answer some of my questions, even through she has none of these things to qualify to know the answers but she is friends with the Amish in Arthur Illinois and spends many hours with them and she is the friend that got me reading Amish genre and she answered my questions with "yes that is what some of my friends do". So you are probably asking "ok why are you telling this if the book is really like it is in some Amish homes." I am telling you this so you can be prepared and not let your preconceived ideals of the Amish put a damper on enjoying the book, which it did for me at first, till we had the discussion and I talked to my friend. And after doing all this typing I just want to say I love the story.

Now let's get to the story! Ruth"s husband fall off a roof and was killed. Ruth has a family to raise and is struggling to make ends meet and surprise "bananas boxes are left on her porch and a letter arrives with money in it. But who is doing this? There is a new comer to town, is it him or someone else.

Ruth's best friend is not like anyone else in the Amish community and Ruth is constantly reminding herself of this but she is also thankful and appreciates her friendship with Mamie.

This book is a book about heartaches and struggles and yes love and romance. If you like Amish stories and Christmas stories, then you will love this story.

[Rhonda Gayle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ruth is a widower with young children who only wants to provide for them and have a simple but happy Amish Christmas. How will she manage? She is doing all she can to work things out when mysterious boxes begin to appear. The boxes contain exactly what the family needs at the time. Who is sending the boxes?
The Amish encourage remarriage among widows and widowers but Ruth feels she can never find a love like she had with her dear husband. Will she find love among the snow, the boxes, the fun, the spirit of Christmas or will she let it slip through her grasp?
I always desire to have a simple Christmas and have sought to teach my own children the true meaning of the season...Jesus and his birth, NOT GIFTS, GIFTS, and more GIFTS. I think the Amish certainly have the right idea when it comes to the holidays. The cover of this book is enchanting and just the cover alone made me want to read it. I am a snow lover and it reminds me of times in the past with my own grandparents.
Thank you to Linda Byler and netgalley for the chance to read this delightful book and review it with all honesty.

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very quick, easy read. Great story with great characters. Will read more by this author.

[Janice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this on the Kindle

A nice easy book which had a good story

[Yvonne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet!

[Meg GlitteryOtters · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Natalie · Rating 2 out of 5]

It’s no secret that I love Amish books and have read many of them at this point. This book was extra exciting to me because I love Christmas books and I also found out that this author is an actual member of the Amish community which I thought was very cool.

Unfortunately, I didn’t like this book much at all. Ruth, the main character was extremely judgy to Masie her supposed best friend. She called her out for eating sweets (that’s just rude) and her interior monologue was full of judgmental commentary about how Masie was so loud, so rude, her kids were out of control, her house was a mess, etc. Then after all that rudeness, she would think to herself, “there’s no better friend on earth than Masie.” Well, I doubt Masie would think that way about Ruth! I certainly wouldn’t want such a judgy friend. At one point, she was even ashamed of Masie - but she didn’t hesitate to use her for babysitting and whatnot.


I also found Ruth to be very self pitying. Which, I get — I mean her husband has died 6 months ago leaving her a widow with 6 children — but all she ever thought about was “oh poor me, how will I take care of these children” on an endless loop. She also mentioned quite a few times that she would never marry again, could never marry again, etc, but being that this is an Amish romance, you know that’s not going to happen. Sure enough, she ended up engaged to John even though she barely knew him and they barely interacted. Why he was so vested in buying presents for her bratty kids, I’ll never know.

Certain unimportant things were overly detailed (like Ruth talking about how she boiled eggs for 17 minutes - why do we care about how loud they cooked?) and more aspects crucial to the story (like developing the relationship between she and John) were not detailed hardly at all. There was also a lot of brand dropping which kind of took me out of the story.


As far as the audiobook goes, the narrator was not my favorite. She read things in kind of a monotone and would talk really quickly in spots and not in others. Also, she mispronounced “Lancaster” which I found irritating.

[Amanda · Rating 1 out of 5]

2nd book for KCLS Romance Book Club, Amish Romance month. I picked this one because it was Christmas themed (by the title). It was alright. Ruth is a widow. She's 30 with 6 children. Her husband, Ben, died 5 months before the book begins, when she's pregnant with their 6th baby. 6 kids in 11 years! Ruth is barely holding it together, left with little money or opportunity for a job, lots of responsibilities, she had to take life a day at a time. This was what made me cry a little, her grief and exhaustion.

What I did not enjoy was the constant brand dropping, the WalMart hot cold bag, Cheerios, Downy detergent, store brand children's Tylenol. Like anything non-Amish had to be named, it was weird. Ruth also bags on her best friend Mamie a lot for being over weight, lazy, has BO and that her home is a mess. Over and over her internal dialog is that she loves her friend, despite all these short comings.

John has recently moved into the neighborhood, into one of the very best houses and is a builder. As soon as he lays eyes on Ruth he's interested, even though he's 'dating' another girl. He breaks it off with the other chic, and .. makes eye contact with Ruth a few times, and she's very interested but feels guilty for wanting to be married again after recently losing Ben.

Meanwhile...Ruth and her family start receiving boxes on their porch with life saving supplies, clothes, food, cash. Eventually they receive a note that says to provide their Christmas wish lists.

John turns up a few weeks later fulfilling some of those wishes.

The whole thing was alternatingly sad, and then cute, but we didn't actually see Ruth and John get to know each other. He came by 1 morning, 1 dinner, Christmas eve, and then they get engaged. She does have to wait 4 months to get married for her year of mourning to be over, but we have no idea how these 2 will get along. We just know Ruth is freaking exhausted and John is willing to take a family of 7 on.

[Abbie Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a kid, I read a couple of stories about Amish families and found the way they did things the old-fashioned way fascinating. Though I’m not much into romance anymore, when I read a review of this book recently, I decided to try it. I’m glad I did.

Right away, I was drawn into the story, wanting to spank at least one of those rambunctious children and tell well-meaning but nosy Mamie to mind her own business. Though I suspected who the giver of the banana boxes was, the mystery kept me reading.

This book helped me put my life in perspective. Because Amish culture frowns on the use of modern conveniences, these people do things the old-fashioned way. I was intrigued to learn that Linda Byler handwrites all her books, since the Amish don’t even use computers. It was interesting reading about how Ruth, for example, painstakingly and methodically used a ringer washer every day. I’m thankful that I don’t have to do laundry every day and when I do, I can simply toss clothes into a washer and dryer, add soap and dryer sheets, turn a few dials, and let the machines do the rest.

Though there’s some religion here, this book isn’t too preachy. The romance doesn’t come until the end. Being a widow myself, I found it hard to believe that Ruth would fall in love with John months after losing Ben, even though she was thinking she couldn’t replace her late husband. But realistic or not, it’s a sweet, heartwarming holiday story, and there’s nothing wrong with indulging in some unbelievable fiction once in a while. I may check out more of Linda Byler’s work. Thank you for reading.

[Kimberlee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this book for our book club, which won't meet til December. I found the plot to be simpler than most books we read, and that simplicity is consistent with the Amish lifestyle. Ruth is a widow left with six children to raise as an "arme vitve" (poor widow) in her Amish community. I enjoyed the rich support of her community and the descriptions of her daily life and routine. I liked the peppering of German Dutch words througout the book and the glossary in the back in case I did not remember what they meant. I found it hard to believe that Ruth would forget that a gift of a clock meant marital engagement or where her suitor lived when she was walking toward the home near the end of the book. These slips seemed out of character for someone as competent as Ruth is. I look forward to our discussion of this book. The author, Linda Byler, is herself Amish and handwrites her books in notebooks and then sends them that way to her publisher. I work with Amish patients through my job, so I liked learning more about their lifestyle and beliefs.

[January · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Christmas Visitor by Linda Byler (2013)
Amish Romance
3h 46m narrated by Mandi Lee, 240 pages

Genre: Christian Fiction > Amish Romance; Holiday > Christmas

Featuring: Single Mother, Widow, German, Mourning, Family Dynamics, Second Chance at Love Trope, Newcomer, Secret Generosity, Children

Rating as a movie: PG

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½🤱🐴🎄🎁✝️

My thoughts: This story had a slow opening and took a while to heat up, but once it did, it was fantastic. The romance portion was very slow; I thought we were going to run out of time. The presents were my favorite part. I will be adding this author to my list.

Recommend to others: Yes. This very heartwarming.

Amish Romance
The Christmas Visitor (2013)
Mary's Christmas Goodbye (2014)
aka Coming Home for Christmas
Becky Meets Her Match (2016)
A Horse for Elsie (2018)
Hope Deferred (2020)
Love in Unlikely Places (2020)
Christmas Every Day (2023)

[Ann D’Aleandro · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought I’d try this romance line from author Linda Byler, who is Amish, in fact, Old Order Amish. (Obviously then, this is Christian fiction. )It was sweet, and interesting as it describes in detail the main character’s, Ruth’s, typical day with her six children and life as a recent widow. The Amish culture is interesting - and it is set in Pennsylvania. There is none of the melodrama you read in typical romance novels, and therefore no protracted-missed opportunity-mistaken intention that can be dragged out in that typical read. However, it probably is written so young ones can enjoy it.Nice at the festive season of the holidays. Beyond light in description. Couldn’t make a habit of it, though.......

[Niki · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an Amish romance and was fast and easy and very clean. Ruth is the mother of six small children when her husband falls in the barn too his death. Of course Ruth never imagines this will happen but does not want to have to court anyone again and at the same time can't image how she will ever support herself and her children. Magically things seem to keep appearing that they need. Boxes of food on their porch, money and even the play land that children wanted. Ruth knows with Christmas she will not be able to get any gifts for the children. She also begins to wonder if all of these gifts are coming from John who seems to also be around when ever she needs help. She does seems to think he is kind but also not sure what to do since she was already married.

[Gretchen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ruth is left a widow through a freak accident now she has to care for six young children and leave their precious farm. She is wondering if she is going to make it from one day to the next when suddenly boxes start showing up on the porch with food and other essentials.

Ruth doesn't know what she is going to do for Christmas. Then a handsome stranger comes to town and buys one of the old farms. They meet at a town meeting and the romance begins.
I love how the story handles aging parents, romance and second chances with grace and more ease than I thought was possible.
Very enjoyable wonderful Christmas book!
It leaves you with that special Christmas feeling!

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good and short Christmas romance from Linda Byler. The Christmas Vistor is about a widow Named Ruth Miller is just barley getting by raising her six Children. Around the holidays gifts start appearing on her porch and in her mail box. She wonders who I’m the world could afford to help her family? I enjoyed the romance in this. It was very short but still sweet. I thought Mrs. Byler did an excellent job of leading us to the mystery gift giver in such a short amount of time. This was a very good Christmas read.

I recommend this to Amish fiction fans or to anyone wanting a good Christmas read.

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 1/2 stars. Meh 🤷‍♀️ I didn’t absolutely hate it but it wasn’t a great read by any means. Yes, it had the expected holiday tropes and instalove but all of that aside, the ending felt SUPER rushed and not fleshed out at all in comparison to the rest of the story. And do you remember that scene in Anne of Green Gables when Diana enters Anne’s story in the baking power writing contest? The whole novel felt like that. I mean is the author sponsored by Tide, Gogurt, Jello, Singer, Bernina, Chiquita etc etc? Because I never would have expected so many brand name drops in a book let alone an Amish fiction.

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Christmas Visitor is a sweet and simple story about a young widow, Ruth. Ruth is a member of an Amish community and her husband died in a construction accident less than a year ago. She is now raising their 6 children, the youngest who was born after her husband's death. She faces the challenges with help from family, friends and faith and is eventually able to look toward the future with hope. This was a nice read for the Christmas season. The author, Linda Byler, is herself a member of the Amish community, which made the book even more enjoyable for me, since it is written with details of Amish traditions.

[Marilyn Rushing · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great Christmas read. Once I started reading this book it was hard to put it down. Looking for a sweet Amish read, choose this one.

A widow at an early age, Ruth Miller is doing her best to raise her six children with the help of her parents and neighbors. Christmas is coming and Ruth is not sure what she will be able to get the children the things they need must less the things they want. A lot if Money shows up in the mail box one day. Then suddenly banana boxes start showing up almost daily on the porch with all kind of food items and household items. Can Ruth see past the past and look to the future? Will she find the attention of one man she longs to know?