A Dog for Christmas

by Linda Byler

One Christmas morning, while young Amish twins Henry and Harvey are sledding, they find a big black dog wandering in a field. They adopt the Newfoundland and name him Lucky, and he soon becomes their best friend and playmate. When tragedy strikes and Harvey drowns in a spring creek, Henry’s only source of comfort is his furry companion. To make matters worse, the Depression is especially hard on Henry’s parents who have more children than they can care for. He is sent to live with another family, where he becomes enchanted with Katie Stoltzfus. Eventually, Lucky passes away, leaving a hole in Henry’s heart, and he wonders if he will ever find another friend as faithful and loving. As Henry grows up, he has other dogs, but none are as special as the Newfoundland he and his brother once cherished. When Katie marries another man, it seems Henry will never be happy again. Every passing Christmas reminds him of the people and animal friends now missing from his life. Though, no holiday story is complete without a miracle. In A Dog for Christmas , bestselling author Linda Byler delivers a beautiful Christmas story of quiet triumph in the face of lifelong adversity. After years of loneliness and longing, Henry is finally rewarded with a hard-won love, a family to call his own, and a new best friend. Could there possibly be a better gift than that?

Genres: Christmas, Amish, Adult, Christian Fiction

224 pages, Paperback

First published October 27, 2017

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

[Christine · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was hard to listen to. It was an audiobook. The cover makes this look like a sweet Amish story. Two twin boys are given up to another family when the mother passes qnd the father has 11 other children. They were so poor and maltreatment at their home, that when they began to live with this new family, everything showed the neglect. The boys didn't know what sugar, Fruit, and beds were. While at the new family, they find a puppy that follows them everywhere. Through half of the book, a terrible accident happens at a creek, and one twin boy dies. Yes!! The story continues, with the boy becoming a young male, going to church, falling in love with a girl that he can't have, and the dog dying!!!! There was even an hour more of listening!!! This is definitely one book that does not match the cover.

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is decribed on the cover as an Amish Christmas Romance but I do not agree with this description. Instead I see this as a story of a boy who overcomes many of the challenges of his early life and with the support of a beloved dog, a stable foster family and a firm faith to achieve a satisfying and worthy life.

[Sarita · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a sweet story about overcoming challenges, but nothing wow which jumped out at me.
And a dozen kids...

*I listened to this on Scribd.*

[Sara Hurt · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[Linda Galella · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit darker than most Christmas stories but also filled with love, hope and pursuit of God’s will.

Henry & Harvey are 7 year old twins who belong to a family deep in poverty. Their mom has passed giving birth and dad is beleaguered by extreme melancholy. He remarries, because that’s what Amish men do, but the new step mother has no love for the gently mischievous boys and Dat can’t afford them or stand his new wife’s complaining. The twins are packed off to another Amish family that lives close by and can afford, needs and, in fact, wants and will love these boys.

H & H arrive at their new family right before Christmas and are awe struck by how much better life is: food, warmth, clothes, loving people, gifts and the big black dog - “Lucky”. They miss their mom and siblings but wonder if anyone from the family even thinks about them. Time passes and the boys grow up well loved, becoming strong Amish young men. A tragic accident takes Harvey’s life and the bulk of the story is about Henry and his coming to adulthood, managing grief and finding love all with the assistance of his ever present Newfoundland, Lucky.

Author, Linda Byler, is an expert at all things Amish. She includes a fair amount of Dutch/Amish language that cannot always be figured out by the surrounding text. There is a dictionary of terms in the back but it’s annoying to stop and keep looking words up. That issue aside, this is a thoughtful read and something unique in this genre📚

[Cherese Akhavein · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good book by Linda Byler. If you want a heartwarming story and at the same time a real look at how God works in your life during even the hardest of times than this book is for you. Henry and Harvey Esh were twins of Rueben and Savilla Esh they were two of 13 and when their mother passed their father remarried. When life became to much it was decided that Henrey and Harvey would move to live with another family, Ephraim and Rachel King who had three girls, Malinda, Katie, and Anna. Life was very different from what Henrey and Harvey were use to and they soon realized their new parents were patient, loving and kind, but still they longed for something beyond their reach. Was it their old life? Their mother who passed?
Then just as if God himself knew they needed it Lucky (the dog) appeared this helped to fill a place in their hearts. However as with all things life is never easy and when tragedy stricks how will this effect their life yet again? Don't miss out on reading this wonderful book! I highly reccomend it!

[Donna Mork · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very sweet story told with beautiful words. If you can ignore the several errors on the timeline, which pulled me out of the story on more than one occasion, you will enjoy the story itself. The Newfie was the star in my book and I cried when he passed of old age. Old age is the only reason any dog should die in any story, be it book or movie, so she gets a pass from me on that. There were funny moments and sad moments, overall very enjoyable read.

[Judy Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

A small book packed with a big story line. Poverty can sometimes lead to parents making tough decisions back in the 1930’s. Having twins was more than this family could handle after their mother dies. It seems tragedy is part of their life. When lucky the big black dog finds these boys, he sticks with them even when another tragedy happens. A great book, but be prepared for sadness.

[Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Has more substance than most Amish romances. The whole book is not solely about the romance.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

Needs a Different Title

Decent story. Deceptive title.
I didn’t read the entire book blurb prior to reading the book because it essentially began to spoil the book. Reading it now, I realize it is one giant spoiler for the ENTIRE book!

Not so much a story about Christmas. Or even really a dog. More about an entire life span of a devout Amish man and how a dog was a part of it.
Big on descriptive details and the pacing was either too fast or too slow.
Footnotes would have been more convenient than a glossary especially on Kindle. Also not all Amish italicized words even in the glossary or dictionary, which was frustrating.

[Chanover55 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don't read this with out a box of kleenex!
Henry and Harvey are twins who were given away by their father & stepmother since they couldn't care for them. Both boys are bewildered by the change in their lives but things go very well for them. After flooding rains, the boys take off on their way to school for some fun beforehand when tragedy strikes; Harvey is swept away and later found to have drown. The rest of the book follows Henry as he navigates life and several loses and his spiritual journey. And several dogs come into his life to help him along the way. Couldn't out it down!

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

4.5 stars

I'm amazed at some of the reviews on here. They totally give away the story! No spoiler warning either. They just give it away. If you should stumble upon my review first, do yourself a favor and don't read the others.

Without giving any of the plot twists away, and man alive there are so many plot twists (that is a good thing), here is the book, in brief:

Faith in God (Yahweh), Amish (Lancaster PA), sadness, death, happiness, birth, dogs, family, romance, all kinds of love and growth. In no particular order.

It truly was a gorgeous book. I highly recommend it 🥰

[Karen & Gerard · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story about Henry includes fun times and sad times, but his faith in God grows along the way. He finds love and does well. This book seems like a Hallmark movie with some adversity to overcome and a happy ending. (Karen’s review)

This book tells the trials of his childhood and continues into his manhood. The story has a good flow to it and I enjoyed all the characters very much. I also enjoyed the dogs that were involved in the story. (Gerard’s review)

[Alice Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author is Amish and so I know that the life she portrays has much accuracy, although the setting for this book is the 1940s. It was a simply written, simple story of the life of one man. The story leaves an impression of his life, more than it supplies the details. In spite of this lack, I was left with a sweet impression after an easy read that was appropriate for the season.

[Blue Sapphire · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although romance is not my favourite genre, I found this to be a sweet innocent read. The characters were charming but I found the use of the German to be overdone. No one wants to spend their time reading having to flip back and forth between the story and the glossary. Letting it dwindle or giving a simple explanation when it’s used and then letting it ebb would have been a better choice.

[East Gwillimbury · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heartwarming story about a boy and his dog. After his Newfoundland dog, Lucky dies, Henry can never fully bond with any other dog until a Newfoundland puppy is given to him for Christmas by his wife and children.

[Val · Rating 2 out of 5]

There's some drama, some nice descriptions of life on an Amish farm, but really, it's just not a very memorable story. The book tries to tell the entire life story of Henry Esh, but it's really too much for a 200 page book.

[Ann Green · Rating 3 out of 5]

To get to the HEA, you have to go along for the ride with some real ups and downs! Life! I did not feel this was the fluffiest Christmas novel of sugarplums and treats by the fire, but it was a good story with memorable characters and of course, the dog!

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute story. Huge family ends up getting split up when their mother passes away. The twins get send to a new home and they have to learn how to adapt in this home. They find a dog and they are able to keep it. Many adventures good and bad occur. Good clean read

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was surprised to see so many variables in this book. The author left you in wanting to know more, on each page, to what would happen to the twins after their young lives were completely changed. She wove loss, sadness and a touch of young love in the story. Good read!

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had so much sadness in it. Twin boys are being raised in poverty with a mentally ill father. Their mother dies and a stepmother arrives, because of the large amount of children the twins are given to a neighbor. Their lives improve until tragedy strikes. A dog helps them get through it.

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't feel that the title fits the story. Also, it was a very short book the amount of time it covered. The author just would say this happened or that which led to very dialog and little story development.

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know most reviewers of this novel didn’t see the romance in it as it was non traditional in the genre. But I found it well
done and enjoyable. Yes it was tragic and sad at times but watching Henry’s understanding of love grow from all facets of his life and family was truly romantic.

[Rose Marie Ray · Rating 5 out of 5]

good book

This was a very good read. You learn of the Amish ways and traditions. Their way of life is very different from ours but they believe in God too. The laughter, sadness, ups and downs of life are prevalent in their lives as well as in the “English“ peoples lives.

[Stephanie Harless · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was a cute, sweet, and beautiful book. it made me smile, laugh, and teary-eyed. it was sad but had a happy ending. I felt bad for Henry. he's been through so much. it was a good read, and I'm excited to read more amish stories. this book made my heart happy.

[Vicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very enjoyable book for me. A realistic fiction about hard lives, too many children, giving away some of those children because you can’t feed them and their adjustment to life in the aftermath. As the title infers, dogs play a big role in this story too.

[Savannah Hendricks · Rating 1 out of 5]

Adorable cover!!!! However, it was the opposite of a warm and joyful Christmas story (although pitched as such). It's a book about a growing boy's losses over the years, with a young romance the last quarter of the book that is all tell and no show.

[Christy · Rating 2 out of 5]

A very somber read! There were so many valleys that it was hard to rejoice with the few spurts of joy. Definitely a young adult read which is something I don't care to read.

[Audiobook Accomplice (Gillian) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very touching story of living faith… not much about Christmas
My Full Review

[Kimberly DuBois · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amish fiction about a dog at Christmas time - doesn't get much better than that!