In many stories featuring Amish
women, the greatest temptation
is for material goodies, independent
thought, freedom from the
simpler life; but for the protagonist
of Adina Senft’s The Tempted
Soul (FaithWords), her one longing
is of the maternal variety.
Because Carrie has been
unable to conceive, her husband
tells her she must merely accept
her circumstances and move on;
but when she hears about new
medical options available for the
infertile—something the Amish
community frowns upon—she
begins to wonder what God’s
will is in the situation.
“Carrie’s spiritual struggle,
then, is to discern God’s will for
her,” Adina says. “Sometimes
this is harder than we think—
particularly when opportunities
fall into our path that look [as
if] they must be
of heavenly origin,
but might only
be wishful thinking
or our human
desires talking.
With The Tempted
Soul, I hope the reader will take away the sense
that she is not alone in this struggle, that other
women are in that place, too, and God has come
through for them.”