Simple Pleasures: Stories from My Life as an Amish Mother

About the book: Simple Pleasures: Stories from My Life as an Amish Mother (MennoMedia, March 2016)

Young Amish homemaker Marianne Jantzi invites readers into her family’s life on the snowy plains of Ontario.

The mother of four young children and wife of a storekeeper, Jantzi writes about her daily routines and heartfelt faith with equal measures of wit and warmth. Sewing, cleaning, cooking, gardening, and helping to manage the store take up most hours in her day, but Jantzi finds time to pen columns for the Connection, a magazine beloved by Amish and Mennonite readers across the United States and Canada. Never sugarcoating the frustrations of motherhood, Jantzi tells it like it is, broken washing machine and bickering children and all. But through her busy days, Jantzi finds strength in simple pleasures of family, fellowship with her Amish community, and quiet time with God. 

My Review: Like sitting down to talk with a friend these essays of Marianne’s days are just the sort of thing I like.

This book is broken into 8 parts with 43 chapters. The names of the parts give you a clue as to the main theme of each chapter. For example 2 of the parts named Garden of Plenty and Pajama-Clad Little Ones.

The chapters are small and may include 1 or 3 little excerpts from her days according to the theme of the part.

Marianne writes in an easy conversational style detailing her days as an Amish housewife. She talks of daily chores, mishaps with the children, baking, and general family life. It’s written in a conversational style almost as if she were sending a newsy letter to a family member or friend.

My favorite part is Garden of Plenty. In the midst of Marianne’s daily (nice to read) ramblings I found hints and tips to help my garden or give me new ideas. I have to be more adventurous in my gardening. And plant to put up some, as Marianne is constantly talking about, instead of just eating through our garden in one season!

For me Simple Pleasures is best read in bits and spurts. A chapter or a section each time. And you want to read carefully for you never know what gems may be unearthed in each entry. Such as an apple pie recipe.

About the author: Marianne Jantzi is an Amish writer and homemaker in Ontario, Canada. Formerly a teacher in an Amish school, Jantzi now educates and inspires through her “Northern Reflections” column for The Connection, a magazine directed mainly to Amish and plain communities across the U.S. and Canada. She and her husband have four young children and run a shoe store among the Milverton Amish settlement of Ontario.

Read more reviews: http://litfusegroup.com/author/mjantzi

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Litfuse Group as part of their Blogger Review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”