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A Horse for Elsie
A heartwarming tale of longing and hope in Lancaster by bestselling author Linda Byler
Elsie is desperate for a horse of her own, but her family barely has enough money to get by as it is—she knows they can’t afford to buy a horse, never mind pay for the grain and hay to keep it fed through the winter. With her father injured, it’s up to Elsie to help earn money for the family—while going to school and helping Mam with the other kids. So she buries herself in the daily tasks at hand and tries to forget her longing. But when her classmate Elam invites her to visit his family’s horse farm one afternoon, she willfully forgets her responsibilities at home and follows him. Exhilarated by the strong, sleek Morgans and the musty smell of the barn, her passion for horses is reignited.
As Elsie spends more time at Elam’s farm, it becomes harder and harder to be the responsible young woman her parents expect her to be. Why should she have to work as a maud to earn money for her family when Elam gets to spend every afternoon riding? It isn’t fair, and to make matters worse, now she’s expected to go to singings and play games with the other youth who are old enough to start dating, when all she wants is to be out riding. It’s a waste of time, she figures—it’s not like any of the boys will want a poor, rebellious girl like her anyway.
As she struggles to reconcile her anger and frustration with the obedience her Amish faith requires, she also starts to have confusing feelings for Elam. She’s determined not to like him in that way. After all, he only sees her as free labor, someone to muck out stalls and work the horses. Doesn’t he?
When tragedy strikes in the Amish community, Elsie is forced to let go of her teenage angst and grow up quickly. But sometimes letting go of one’s desires has a way of allowing one to accept something even better. A tale of longing, desperation, and finally hope, this is a heartwarming Christmas tale to be remembered.
Elsie is desperate for a horse of her own, but her family barely has enough money to get by as it is—she knows they can’t afford to buy a horse, never mind pay for the grain and hay to keep it fed through the winter. With her father injured, it’s up to Elsie to help earn money for the family—while going to school and helping Mam with the other kids. So she buries herself in the daily tasks at hand and tries to forget her longing. But when her classmate Elam invites her to visit his family’s horse farm one afternoon, she willfully forgets her responsibilities at home and follows him. Exhilarated by the strong, sleek Morgans and the musty smell of the barn, her passion for horses is reignited.
As Elsie spends more time at Elam’s farm, it becomes harder and harder to be the responsible young woman her parents expect her to be. Why should she have to work as a maud to earn money for her family when Elam gets to spend every afternoon riding? It isn’t fair, and to make matters worse, now she’s expected to go to singings and play games with the other youth who are old enough to start dating, when all she wants is to be out riding. It’s a waste of time, she figures—it’s not like any of the boys will want a poor, rebellious girl like her anyway.
As she struggles to reconcile her anger and frustration with the obedience her Amish faith requires, she also starts to have confusing feelings for Elam. She’s determined not to like him in that way. After all, he only sees her as free labor, someone to muck out stalls and work the horses. Doesn’t he?
When tragedy strikes in the Amish community, Elsie is forced to let go of her teenage angst and grow up quickly. But sometimes letting go of one’s desires has a way of allowing one to accept something even better. A tale of longing, desperation, and finally hope, this is a heartwarming Christmas tale to be remembered.
224 pages, Hardcover
Published October 9, 2018
23 people are currently reading
95 people want to read
About the author
Linda Byler
85 books226 followersLinda 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.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
August 24, 2020
A sweet and gentle novella illustrating a love built on friendship, common interests, respect, and admiration. Elsie exemplifies many fine character traits and never loses hope of owning her own horse even when fortune doesn’t seem to be on her side.
One thing that was different for me was reading about a more modern Amish than I’ve ever read about before. Material goods were mentioned such as brand name shoes and fancy lunch boxes, and it seems that the staple Amish home cooking is also looked upon somewhat with disfavor. I expected that the Amish utilized some of these things such as store-bought granola bars or pudding cups, but the fancy lunch boxes surprised me. As Plain people I assumed such fancies were not for them, and that plain and simple styles were seen as more practical and appropriate.
There are mentions of store-bought clothes and a red dress, both of which are out of character for the Amish I’ve previously read about. The Amish have always made their own clothes with very few store-bought items, and I thought red was a forbidden color? Perhaps we’re seeing a more liberal Amish group or is this a sign of change for the Amish? Elsie’s impoverished situation is certainly highlighted even more through the juxtaposition of her homemade and hand-me-down life with the store-bought and convenient way of life of her schoolmates.
This was a short, pleasant read with the expected happy ending. Elsie’s story is a heartwarming confirmation that patience, kindness, and hard work are ultimately rewarded with the fulfillment of one’s hopes and dreams.
One thing that was different for me was reading about a more modern Amish than I’ve ever read about before. Material goods were mentioned such as brand name shoes and fancy lunch boxes, and it seems that the staple Amish home cooking is also looked upon somewhat with disfavor. I expected that the Amish utilized some of these things such as store-bought granola bars or pudding cups, but the fancy lunch boxes surprised me. As Plain people I assumed such fancies were not for them, and that plain and simple styles were seen as more practical and appropriate.
There are mentions of store-bought clothes and a red dress, both of which are out of character for the Amish I’ve previously read about. The Amish have always made their own clothes with very few store-bought items, and I thought red was a forbidden color? Perhaps we’re seeing a more liberal Amish group or is this a sign of change for the Amish? Elsie’s impoverished situation is certainly highlighted even more through the juxtaposition of her homemade and hand-me-down life with the store-bought and convenient way of life of her schoolmates.
This was a short, pleasant read with the expected happy ending. Elsie’s story is a heartwarming confirmation that patience, kindness, and hard work are ultimately rewarded with the fulfillment of one’s hopes and dreams.
October 30, 2019
A Horse for Elsie is a remarkable story written by Linda Byler. This story is over flowing with love. Love of a poor family struggling to get by, the love a young Amish girl has for horses, and the love for a young Amish man growing everyday. The faith that is evident in this young girl Elsie shows how much love she also has for God.
I loved the evolving story as Elsie grows up and becomes a young lady. I enjoyed that she never let what others had make her bitter. The characters in this book truly tell an amazing story. This story teaches how when a family is grounded and loves each other hard times can be overcome.
I was not given a complimentary copy of this book to read and review. I was not approached to post a favorable response. I have rated this story with five stars for meeting my expectations of a wonderful story that I can highly recommend.
Congratulations to Linda Byler for writing such an amazing story for her readers enjoyment.
I loved the evolving story as Elsie grows up and becomes a young lady. I enjoyed that she never let what others had make her bitter. The characters in this book truly tell an amazing story. This story teaches how when a family is grounded and loves each other hard times can be overcome.
I was not given a complimentary copy of this book to read and review. I was not approached to post a favorable response. I have rated this story with five stars for meeting my expectations of a wonderful story that I can highly recommend.
Congratulations to Linda Byler for writing such an amazing story for her readers enjoyment.
December 14, 2020
This was a sweet story, but the writing style was really juvenile, almost to the point of being distracting. It also jumped forward in time so much and so quickly that the book felt a bit disjointed.
December 11, 2018
I would not have classified this as a Christmas romance. I did like Elsie’s industriousness but the whole romance felt rushed and juvenile.
December 13, 2018
A very cute and quick read that was happy.
December 23, 2018
A great little Christmas novella :)
December 26, 2018
Enjoyed Linda Byler's portrait of Amish country, coming of age, and the holiday backdrop.
January 31, 2019
Although written by an authentic Amish lady, there were times I just scanned the text. Character's feelings often got bogged down somewhat. Bu the overall story was good.
November 29, 2019
Not at all what I was expecting. Just when it was getting really interesting, the book ended. Boo. :( What happened to the Belgians???
January 6, 2020
Young Adult
December 11, 2020
Fantastic book
August 28, 2022
Linda Byler never disappoints. This book was very good. It’s a quick read…. Maybe 200 pages. I have read all her books and look forward to the next one.
January 7, 2023
A horse for Elsie
Good book a fast read! It was a little boring in the beginning, then became interesting. Over all a good read.
Good book a fast read! It was a little boring in the beginning, then became interesting. Over all a good read.
February 3, 2024
I enjoyed this book, I don’t think it’s as good as Sadie’s Montana series but I still love her writing and the way it all came together for a simple and clean romance!
June 20, 2024
Excellent book. Hard to put down. Author has a way of writing that puts yourself into the main characters life as tho she's writing about your life.
December 14, 2022
As someone who loves both Amish fiction and Christmas stories, I honestly expected to love this one. I was especially intrigued by the fact that the author is a member of an Amish church herself, as I thought it might bring an interesting perspective to the story. However, it ended up being nothing like what I was expecting, and I honestly struggled to get into the story.
The one component I did really enjoy was the fact that the story takes place over a number of years, and the reader gets to watch Elsie growing up, and how strong her desire to own her own horse continues to be. Unfortunately, I have to be honest and state that I didn't enjoy the plot, the writing style or the characters that much, and it actually took me quite awhile to get through this one, despite how short of a story it truly was.
The story didn't flow well, and a lot of the passages felt disjointed as the story went on. I also couldn't sympathize with a lot of Elsie's frustrations, as she came across as extremely juvenile and petty throughout a lot of them. The romance wasn't personally believable to me, as it seemed to come out of nowhere, and then the story abruptly ended at an awkward spot that really didn't answer a lot of the questions I had.
I also have to mention how strange I thought it was how much of this book focused around material things. I'd never seen so much of it an Amish fiction title before, and it seemed kind of different and strange from the usual.
Overall, I liked the idea of this one, but the execution wasn't quite what I was expecting, and I never did really connect to either the plot or the characters.
Final Rating: 2/5.
The one component I did really enjoy was the fact that the story takes place over a number of years, and the reader gets to watch Elsie growing up, and how strong her desire to own her own horse continues to be. Unfortunately, I have to be honest and state that I didn't enjoy the plot, the writing style or the characters that much, and it actually took me quite awhile to get through this one, despite how short of a story it truly was.
The story didn't flow well, and a lot of the passages felt disjointed as the story went on. I also couldn't sympathize with a lot of Elsie's frustrations, as she came across as extremely juvenile and petty throughout a lot of them. The romance wasn't personally believable to me, as it seemed to come out of nowhere, and then the story abruptly ended at an awkward spot that really didn't answer a lot of the questions I had.
I also have to mention how strange I thought it was how much of this book focused around material things. I'd never seen so much of it an Amish fiction title before, and it seemed kind of different and strange from the usual.
Overall, I liked the idea of this one, but the execution wasn't quite what I was expecting, and I never did really connect to either the plot or the characters.
Final Rating: 2/5.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews