This series of 6 books (each short) was on the friends of the library sale shelf. I have read this author in the past, though she is not my favorite writer of Amish fiction. She does seem to have tamed some of the issues I had with her books in the past regarding the Pennsylvania Dutch dialect.

If these characters appeared in other books by Brunstetter, I have not read them. We join Luke and Meredith at the point where they've been married about a year. Luke has lost his job at the furniture shop and hasn't been able to find a new job. So, when his uncle in Indiana offers to sell him gravestone engraving tools and train him in the process, Luke jumps at the chance, even though it means he has to travel.

WARNING: SPOILERS MAY FOLLOW. READ MORE AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION:

What I liked:
*I guess not much since I'm having a hard time thinking of anything. The characters are married and since we know there may be a baby on the way, we know there has been sex but none of that is discussed in the book, so I guess we could call it a "clean romance" in that sense.

What I didn't like:
*The plot was predictable
*Meredith and Luke don't communicate well with each other. At the beginning, they seem to be irritated with each other. Meredith wants Luke to communicate more with her, yet she doesn't want to communicate her news about a possible baby on the way. ( )

I think there are often misconceptions about Amish people: they never experience troubles or hardships and their lives are always filled with peace and harmony. Wanda E. Brunstetter has written a story that shows this isn't always the case. Good-bye to Yesterday is a novella that is the beginning of a six-part series, The Discovery--A Lancaster County Saga, and even though it isn't the usual Brunstetter book, it is still one worth reading. Luke and Meredith Stoltzus are a young married couple dealing with his long-term unemployment, a possible pregnancy, and the chance of being separated while Luke leaves Bird-in-Hand to find work with his uncle. As Meredith struggles with her fear of Luke traveling in bad winter weather, we see that Luke's welfare may be jeopardized by other dangerous circumstances as he travels to Indiana.
There are a lot of emotions described in this novella: depression, impatience, uncertainty, and worry. There is also a cliff-hanger ending so that readers will want to read the next installment. I can't rate this book as highly as I do most of Brunstetter's books but It entertained me and it made me want to read more of Luke and Meredith's story. I really can't ask for more than that and I will be checking out more of The Discovery Saga from my public library! ( )

This is a set of 6 books, all of which are very quick reads and each one leads right into the next story. It is like reading one big book in 6 installments. After I finished this story I immediately picked up book two to see what would happen, because you know that isn't the end of the story.

Luke Stoltzfus has lost his furniture making job in Lancaster County, PA and decides to take a bus to Indiana to learn his uncles's trade of carving headstones and then hurry home to his wife of 18 months, Meredith. Meredith is not comfortable with Luke traveling by bus in the middle of a bad winter storm, but Luke sets off anyway. Meredith also hasn't shared the possibility of her being pregnant with Luke. The trip to Indiana will go terrible wrong and that is where the book ends; hence the desire to pick up book two and being reading. ( )

Meredith and Luke have been married just over a year and are running into some troubles with their life. Luke has lost his job and is trying so hard to get a new job however until he gets a new job they are living off of savings and that is taking a toll on them both mentally. They are having arguments. Then suddenly a breakthrough uncle Amos calls from Indiana wanting to train Luke in his trade and sell him the tools to bring back to Pennsylvania to start his own business. He is even willing to work with him and allow him to make payments. So Luke convinces Meredith and heads out to Indiana.

Nice Plot so far getting ready to read next installment. ( )

I so enjoy reading Amish fiction and usually enjoy Wanda Brunstetter's stories. Unfortunately, I'm not sure why I didn't love this first part, but I found myself not connecting with the characters and found myself not really involved. Maybe it's because the story was too short and I needed more time to connect, but as it stands now, I'm not really caring if I continue the series or not.

The story ended in a cliff-hanger (as all serials do), but I felt like it was too predictable, that Meredith whined too much and I found it to be annoying. Will I read the next? Only time will tell at this point.

Don't let my frustrations sway you. Pick up an e-copy at your local library and judge for yourself. ( )