Brunstetter sure knows how to tell a story especially one like this one.
Wow! Definitely a lot of things going on here some not so good! So keep this in mind. But it is very realistic and wonderfully written novel. I loved every minute of it.
Poor Irma! My heart went out to her and I found myself rooting and praying for a fictional character! But, she seemed real to me. I even wanted to hug her.
People just don't realize how things are for some folks.
I'm so very glad for Laverne. There was a no kinder and caring man than him.
My hero lol.
I'm so very glad for God's grace and mercy aren't you? Without Him I don't know where I'd be.
5 stars for another wonderful story. I'm looking forward to the next read by this wonderful author.
I highly recommend!
My thanks to Netgalley and Barbour for a copy of this book. I was NOT required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I havent had the chance of Reading this book but I absolutely appreciate every book by Wanda Brunstetter and all her lovely and warm, passionate and compassionare production so that I am sure this one will be again another gem.

I loved this wonderful Amish fiction filled with romance, love and abuse. I loved how this story based around a young mother who had been abused as a child is handled. I enjoyed getting to know Irma and her husband LaVern. I received a copy of this book from the publisher for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.

This is the third book in the Friendship Letters series. The topic of this book is something new to me reading from an Amish book. It has to do with abuse. I enjoyed reading it. I recommend this book along with the others in the series.

Letters of Wisdom is a very well written book. The plot deals with child abuse so be aware. T I definitely recommend this book . I received an advance ebook from the publisher and Netgalley. This is my unbiased review.

Letters of Wisdom by Wanda E. Brunstetter
emotional medium-paced
Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0

This is number three in the friendship letters and probably my least favorite. It was still good though. I had a hard time connecting to Irma the main character and the struggles she is going through.

This series has been very enjoyable but this book will always be my favorite. The author tackles a sensitive subject with compassion and opens the doors for healing from those who have been through a similar situation. I appreciate the candid look at child abuse and how it affects many. It was particularly emotional for me as I was a victim like Irma.

Irma was so easy to relate to because we have similar childhoods. Her abuse came from her stepfather but mine was from my father and older brother. Irma still has memories from what she endured but when she marries and moves away she almost feels free for the first time. Lingering deep in her heart is pain, bitterness and unforgiveness. She has carried this secret for awhile. Like Irma’s mother, mine stood silently by and did nothing. The pain of not feeling safe and protected by her mother is hard to understand at times. Irma can’t understand why her mother allowed this to happen to her and never once step in to stop it.

Irma’s husband LaVern is away from home a lot due to his job. He has no idea that Irma is feeling stress around the children. He is gentle and loving with his wife but he has no idea of the secrets she has been hiding. When a death in the family sends Irma back home there was definite tension between her and her mother. Irma’s mother feels guilty for what happened to her oldest daughter at the hands of her second husband. She tried to stop him but his anger turned to her. She hid bruises from everyone and I understand her feeling of helplessness. My mother did not step in at all for me and for a very long time in my life I was angry with her.

The story shows how Irma is becoming more angry towards her children and begins to abuse them. This broke my heart. I wanted to sit next to Irma and tell her that she needs to seek help right away. Her bitterness is destroying her life and causing her children to be afraid of her. I’m so thankful that her dear friend continued to send letters to Irma and encourage her to seek help. I will leave the ending of this story for readers to see what the outcome is.

As I end my review I will share a few personal thoughts. For many years I suffered through physical and emotional abuse by my father and oldest brother. For years I cut ties to my family. I was angry that the two people who should have kept me safe didn’t. They let me know that I was not loved by them and had never wanted me. As I finished reading Irma’s story I am thankful for the author for sharing this story. Abuse happens everyday. But there is freedom when we forgive and are forgiven. Please make sure you read the Dear Reader section at the end of the book. It will help you understand why this story is so personal to the author. I’m grateful for the author being transparent and helping me continue to forgive my parents and oldest brother everyday.

“Bitterness blocks healing and prevents the goodness of God from shining through in our life.”

I received a copy of this book from the publisher and author. The review is my own opinion.

Part of the Friendship Letters Series, Letters of Wisdom shares the story of Irma Miller, a young wife and mother with a secret abusive past. She thought that moving away from home and starting her own family would allow her to forget, but when her abusive step-father dies and she returns for the funeral, all the old emotions come bubbling to the surface. Irma finds herself sinking further and further into emotional turmoil, beginning to repeat the mistakes of the past with her own children. Can she recover from the abuse? Or will the cycle continue?

Author Wanda E. Brunstetter continues her Friendship Letters series, addressing tough topics in a tender manner. This series has already addressed alcoholism and depression, and now turns to childhood abuse. Brunstetter does an excellent job of portraying the issues in an honest manner without being too gritty or overly graphic. Still Irma's emotions are raw and portray the true struggle that victims go through.

Letters of Wisdom also does a good job of drawing on the importance of community. Irma writes letters to her two best friends (Doretta and Eleanor), who pray for and support her. It's through their support and the support of her husband that Irma is finally able to reach out for professional help and heal the hurts of the past. It's also through community support that her mother and siblings find healing as well.

This book could be read as a stand alone title, but it so much richer within the series. All three books are written exceptionally well, touching on tough topics in a Biblical and healing manner. This one, in particular, felt very honest and real. I'm happy to see an author addressing these issues in a sensitive way, filling a void in the fiction genre. I would definitely recommend this book and feel like any of the titles in this series would make good book club selections. These are topics that just aren't touched on enough.

*Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Letters Of Wisdom by Wanda E. Brunstetter is the third and final book of the friendship letter series. I love all three of the books equally because they each have a good message in them about Keeping your faith and trust in God, Friendships, Relationships, Family, Helping each other deal with a topic that has probably affected people at some point in their life in some way, and Forgiveness and Loving each other no matter what your dealing with in your life. There is a personal note from the Author at the end of the book that you will want to read too. Thank you Netgalley and Barbour Publishing for giving me the opportunity to receive an ARC of this book to read and review.

Letters of Wisdom

This is the third book of The Friendship Series by Wanda Brunstetter. The story is about Irma who was a victim of child abuse growing up by her stepfather who treated her harshly, physically and mentally. Her mother and half siblings did nothing to stop it. Irma eventually marries and moves with her husband to another state and has 3 children and another on the way. Her husband is an auctioneer and away from home most days so she has to deal with the household and children on her own. Eventually the children are getting on her nerves too much and she keeps losing her temper. She starts hitting them and having them hide the abuse from their father because she keeps apologizing and saying it won’t happen again. Her husband does find out and hires someone to stay with her for the children’s sake. She shared her feelings in the letters to her friend, Doretta who writes back to her letters of suggestions and wisdom. In the end, Irma learns the truth about her growing up with the stepfather who abused her and why her mother and siblings never intervene after her stepfather passed away.
This was an excellent story, a sad but happy ending. Wanda Brunstetter did an excellent job writing the story. I highly recommend this book.
I have received a copy of this book from the publisher/author, a review was not required. These are my own thoughts.

Please be aware that this book deals with issues regarding child abuse. If this is an emotional trigger for you, you will want to consider that before you read this story. The physical and emotional abuse is not described in great detail and the author deals with this subject in a compassionate and appropriate manner. However, the repercussions from childhood abuse as it affected the main character is referred to all throughout the book.

I appreciate the fact that in this third book of the “The Friendship Letters” series author Wanda Brunstetter doesn’t hold back from tackling a tough issue such as child abuse. I also appreciate that she approaches this issue from a Biblical perspective as to how to find healing and how to walk with God during very difficult times. The author herself endured some difficult times in her childhood, and in this book she has communicated the healing and hope that she found through her faith in God. I had great compassion for Irma Miller and her family. The book gave me a greater desire to reach out to those who are struggling with the aftermath of abuse and learn more about how to be a good friend to them along their journey to wholeness.

I voluntarily received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

This was one of the most thought provoking Amish books that I have ever read. It touches on themes of abuse and intergenerational trauma. As a foster parent who sees the effects of trauma and abuse on an intimate level and on a daily basis, it was refreshing to read about this with a Christian theme based on hope and forgiveness.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the complimentary copy of this book. A review was not required.

Bitterness blocks healing and prevents the goodness of God from shining through in our life. Bitterness eats away at our peace.


The Friendship Letters series have been tackling some very tough subjects and this is not exception. Probably the most painful. Irma Miller has made a life for herself with her husband and children. She has left a painful past back in Montana where she was abused by her step father. When she hears from her family that her step father has passed away, she struggles with going back to Montana. Her husband gently reminds her that she can have closure and be a support to her mother. However, it is not only her step father that she struggles against, it is also her mother who stood by and let it happened.

Irma's story is the gospel. She was a victim of abuse by those that were suppose to love and protect her however the gospel is not about victimhood. The gospel is about the victory of Christ. It was a journey that looks different for all of us. Do we stay in victimhood or do we move to victory in Christ. What does that look like? Irma realization that she too is prone to anger and abuse. When it is directed to her own children, she knows that it is by the power of forgiveness and moving forward that she can move to victory.

The author is very sensitive to this painful subject. It is not taken lightly and it is not taken in isolation. Irma hid her pain and it was her husband that helped her. I appreciated how the gospel was lived out in our very broken world. Highly recommend.

A special thank you to Barbour Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

A wonderful book that is hard to put down. It is the third and final book in the series that involves letters written among friends. Trigger alert: it involves aspects of abuse that may trigger flashbacks or trauma. Wanda does an excellent job in dealing with abuse in the book. I love how she incorporates letters among friends and that God sees us in the hardest things in our lives. The theme of forgiveness and the love of God, family, and friends are huge parts of these story. Wanda suffered from abuse so she was able to clearly articulate the feelings one deals with if abuse is part of his/ her story. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to review this book!

Letters of Wisdom is the third book in the Friendship Letters series by Wanda E. Brunstetter. This wonderful Amish series does follow through as the series progresses, so it is best to read in order. The author does a nice job of giving background information, so this book is also a good stand alone story. This series follows three friends that go through personal struggles and reach out to each other for support through letters. This story focuses on Irma and her family. The story is so realistic and covers the topic of abuse. The author has delicately written a story that shows the struggles Irma has as she feels overwhelmed with being a mother, facing her estranged family after her abuser/stepfather passes away. With hopes of putting her past behind her and moving forward, Irma finds herself in an even darker place.

This story contains wonderful yet hurting characters. I enjoyed the way the author has written such an easy to read story as it touches on hard topics. The story is well written and easy to imagine. I appreciate the way Irmas’s husband steps up to make sure she gets the help she needs and the family heals from this situation. I like how her mother and siblings come together after her stepfathers death and try to help each other. I admire her stepsister for trying to reach out to her to help her understand their mother better.

I voluntarily received a complimentary copy of this story, this is my honest review.

When Irma married she couldn't wait to move away from her abusive stepfather and her mother who she blames for not stopping the abuse. After the death of her stepfather she thinks that she can put the past behind her. But that is not the case. With the help of her friends and husband she slowly makes peace with her past. Excellent story.

This was one book that took me through a range of emotions. Sometimes it is hard to forgive the past hurts and sometimes those past hurts manifest into hurting others. Asking for forgiveness heals all hurts.

I enjoyed that this story was told also through the letters written between the various characters, I feel that added depth to the story as letters can be very private. This was a little of an emotional story, in that it deals with abuse from a parental figure and how that had affected Irma as she grew up and then was raising her own children. Knowing she wanted to be a better parent than her own mother was, Irma struggles with handling the children, house work and outside work when her husband is gone auctioneering. Trying to always think of the good in her life, and all her husband has done for her she still struggles with the overwhelming duties she has taken on and how she was raised. This story although deals with some hard topics, was well written and opens up room for discussions about these things and sometimes how hard they can be to talk about with those we love but that it is ok to ask for help when we need it. Thank you to the author and Barbour Publishing for the complementary novel. This review is of my own opinion and accord. I am looking forward to seeking out the other letter books in this series.

One thing we have lost is the healing and words of a written letter. Bringing not only news from afar, a letter can give wisdom, love and understanding in its sentences. Letters of Wisdom is the third book in The Friendship Letters series. Doretta Schwartz loves letter writing and often uses them as a ministry for her friends. Helping them through some dark times and some rejoicing events, Doretta vows to be on the other end all of the time. Irma Miller thought that getting married and having a family would heal all of her wounds. When she realizes that she is mirroring her past, she turns to Doretta for wisdom. However, after reaching the darkest time of her life, will Irma find the help she needs to heal or will it be too late? This is a story of forgiveness, redemption and love. I received a copy through Netgalley. A review was not required.

Letters of Wisdom by the gifted storyteller Wanda Brunstetter, is book three in her Friendship Letters series. This is a contemporary Christian Amish series that tackles series issues that everyone, not just Amish, might face. This book was the most intense.

Irma Lapp’s story is told in this captivating novel. Her story of physical and emotional abuse was often difficult to read, but it was true to life. The characters were skillfully crafted. They were believable and made the story come to life. This story is one of repeated behavior, forgiveness, and second chances. It pulls on your heartstrings.

I was totally invested in Irma’s story and at times wished I could hug her. Through the deft pen of the author, my emotions soared and plummeted with the characters’. This tale is full of surprises and kept me turning pages well into the early morning hours. I was fascinated with this poignant story.

After the story ends, there are author notes, recipe, and discussion questions. I highly recommend this riveting Amish novel. It would make a great book club choice. Even though it is book three in the series, it could easily be read and understood as a stand alone. I rate it 5 out of 5 stars. A copy was provided by the publisher but these are my honest words.