Beverly Lewis (1)Recensioni

Ehh, this was just missing something. I don’t care about any of the characters. I would happily give this to my past 13-year-old-self if I could though.

I’ve read this four times in one year so make of that what you will.

This series was a favorite of mine when I was in middle school. Although it is not currently a favorite, I still highly recommend it for girls ages 12-14.

Content: remembering sibling loss

4 Stars

I did not realize that this was somewhat of an addition to The Shunning despite being part of the Home to Hickory Hallow series.

3 Stars

Abby Hunter and Stacy Henry are building a tree house--with a little help from Stacy's grandpa. When the hideaway is finished, the girls discover that a very cool tree house can cause very BIG trouble. Especially when they start posting signs that read 'Definitely No Boys Allowed!' What will happen to their faithful club motto: "The Cul-de-sac Kids stick together"? Is this the end for Abby's club on Blossom Hill Lane?

Blossom Hill Lane is the best neighborhood ever--mostly because of the kids who live there, and the fun they share. Join Abby, Jason, Dunkum, Stacy and their friends as they learn together with the rest of the Cul-de-Sac Kids the value of friendship and faith.

The Stinky Sneakers Mystery: Jason has bragged all week about his science fair project. But on fair day, his project is missing! Will he get a bad grade? And why does Eric look so sneaky?

Pickle Pizza: Eric wants to make something special for his grandpa for Father's Day. Why not a pizza? But when the pizza flops, what is Eric going to do?

Mailbox Mania: The Cul-de-Sac Kids decorate their mailboxes for a Fourth-of-July contest. Then a mysterious gift shows up in each mailbox. Who put the presents there? And why?

The Mudhole Mystery: When Dunkum digs for buried treasure, he uncovers a locked box covered in mud. Dunkum and his friends are in for the surprise of their lives!

Fiddlesticks: Shawn is dying to make the soccer team. But some of the kids tease him because his legs are so skinny. Will the teasing mess Shawn up during tryouts?

The Crabby Cat Caper: When Mister Whiskers disappears just before the school carnival, it looks like the crabby cat is gone for good. Can Dee Dee's friends help her find him?

I admit that I don't normally read Amish fiction; however, the premise of this book seemed intriguing at the time. I ended up being pleasantly surprised at some of the twists and turns that this book took, although I would have to say that the cover does give off a different air than the content of the book. While I'm not likely to read other books by the author, Child of Mine was entertaining, and raised good questions about parenthood and what it means to be a mother. The deception that initially takes place is a little uncomfortable, but I'm thankful that some of the characters realize the importance of coming clean as the story progresses. The characters experience different types of hardship and the authors are successful in helping readers to sympathize with the circumstances they are facing. This book does touch on Amish culture, but is not contained to that world. If readers are already fans of the authors, this book will prove to be an engaging and suspenseful read.½

"Susie Mast's Old Order life has been shaped more by tragedy than her own choices. But when she decides to accept another's invitation and stop waiting on her childhood friend, she soon realizes her mistake. Will family secrets and missed opportunities dim Susie's hopes for the future? Or is what seems like the end only the beginning?"-- Provided by publisher.

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Christian

Christian

Christian

Christian

Romance

The Orchard by Beverly Lewis is an Amish novel set during the Vietnam War. This turbulent time affected not only the English, but the Amish community. In order for Amish men to stay faithful to their faith and avoid the draft, they had to register as conscientious objectors. But for Evan Hostetler, the choice is not an easy one. He and his twin sister, Ellie, have an idyllic life living on the farm their family has managed for generations. In Ellie’s eyes the choice is simple, but her simple world becomes more and more difficult to navigate with Evan’s decision. The message of the book seemed to be that the Amish way of life was simple and good and that any other way of living was wrong. Ellie’s character is naive and her world small. There is conflict and tragedy, but in the end the author seemed to be saying that if Evan had just followed the teachings of his church, all would have been well. Perhaps. But the Amish church is not perfect, nor is it without problems — as are all churches. I felt that the book presented a one-sided, simplistic view of the world. Beverly Lewis is a much beloved and successful author, so check this book out for yourself and decide whether to read it.

Audience: Adults.

(I purchased this book from Amazon. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)

I really enjoyed this book. I've read about Ella Mae Zook in many of the Beverly Lewis' other books, but this one she is giving us a closer look with Ella Mae being a major character. This book gives us a look into her past as well as bringing in her great-niece, Clara, as another major character. I liked reading about their restoration of an old heirloom quilt.½

My Review:

Genre: Amish fiction.

My Rating: 4 stars.

My Recommendation: 16 up. Warnings below.

My favorite character/s: Hmm, I guess that would have to be Sylvia, she was an interesting character and I liked reading about her but I kinda disliked her relationship with her beau. It was like it was doomed from the start. *shrugs* That may just be me though.

My Verse for Sylvia is Matthew 6:21
For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. (King James Version.)

My Thoughts: I liked this book, I really did. It's just I didn't love it . . . But that's all on me. In no way is that because of the author. She did a wonderful job with this novel and I look forward to the next book in the series! Let's just go with it's not my cup of tea. Though that ending was slightly surprising and I NEED to read the next one! If you like Amish books you definitely need to check this one out! There was a good bit of intrigue to go along with the rest of the story and the ending has me wanting to read the next book so bad right now!

I'm giving it 3 stars but if the whole book had been like the last page I would have given 5 stars.


Spoiler Below!


Warnings: A character is divorced.

I received this book in exchange for my honest review and am truly happy to provide it! All the thoughts are my own.

Picked it up at noon - not even sure why it was in the house. Finished at 6pm - blah, blah, blah. Terrible book.

Another fantastic book by Beverly Lewis! It's everything an Amish fiction book should be! It's filled with vivid imagery that brings Hickory Hollow to life.

The characters are amazing! Of course, there's Ella Mae, a compassionate soul who reaches out to the hurting. Her timeless wisdom and peppermint tea soothe many hearts. Even though she's struggling herself, she still reaches out to others. Clara is an old soul. She has many feelings, and she's confused about them. A timely visit with her great aunt helps her sort out her life.

There's a sweet love story that delighted my heart! I'm so happy about the way the story ended! There's also a lot about faith in God. I'm thankful that Beverly Lewis includes this in all of her books!

What a fabulous book! As always Beverly Lewis delivers a fantastic story with great characters. She touches on some sensitive issues with no condemnation. This book has aspects of the importance of family love, acceptance, standing up for personal convictions and most importantly a relationship with God.

Another great book by Beverly Lewis! As always she pulls me in with characters that I can sympathize with and cheer on as they struggle through tough circumstances.
Definitely a must read!

Another great book by Beverly Lewis! A great coming of age story and how you should follow your heart!

This one was pretty good---I didn't figure out the truth until page 321 so that's some pretty good mystery writing. But then, I didn't figure out the REAL truth until pg. 349. Ha! I felt Kelly's story was summed up way too quickly and neatly---that was frustrating. The book had a few annoying repeats and I had a REAL issue with the fact that no one at the lab was catching on to what Kelly was doing. In addition, her friends tell her she's being "unethical"...uhhh...it's a little more than that! I didn't think that was very realistic. I think she would have been investigated for sure.

After reading two great Lewis novels before this one, I was bummed but not super surprised to be "not a fan". I just haven't really enjoyed most of her things lately. This one was extremely slow-moving and very disjointed and clunky. It seemed strange to me that the traveling evangelists weren't a part of the entire story...and I just feel like that whole idea could have been so much better. I just don't think she really made it a part of the whole story. Disappointing...it could have been so much better.

Normally, I'd give this story three stars. However, I've given her last few a pretty low rating, and I liked this one considerably better, so I'm basing this higher rating on that.

Some things I really enjoyed about the book: Earnest is easy to love, having an open, sensitive heart toward his family and such a sweet love for his wife. The family sees that the shunning is extreme and a man-made rule, instead of a God-made rule. The importance of personal prayer is emphasized. Titus is a respectful beau who doesn't throw baby fits.

Things that bugged me: Sylvia acts a little sensitive and immature, in my opinion, by having a chip on her shoulder about Titus' mom's influence. Don't get me wrong---I definitely think a man needs to be ready to leave and cleave if he's gonna get married---but I didn't see anything super detrimental about him considering the advice and wisdom of his parents. And, he was willing to compromise with Sylvia with a good attitude. Also, the twist at the end is just a little (ok, a LOT) too coincidental for the time, but whatever. I'm just glad Lewis didn't try to wrap up that twist in a few short pages. I'll pick up part two from the library tomorrow.