Rating: 
Summary: The Shunning
Review: I think this book is really awesome. Beverly Lewis really brings the book to life.
Rating:
Summary: Riveting
Review: I rarely read fiction, especially Christian fiction. This is different. I was transported to Lancaster County, and could smell the woodburning stove. I ached for Kate, and her family. Could not put it down, and loved reading the rest of the trilogy.
Rating:
Summary: fantastic!
Review: I just ordered books 2 and 3 on this series! Can't WAIT until they arrive!!
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing Ending
Review: When I pick up a book like this, I am looking for good "light" reading to give me a bit of escape and hopefully learn a little. However, I repeatedly find that trilogies of this nature use a "hook" at the end of the story to get you to read the next book. In my opinion, a book (even the first book of a trilogy) should come to some sort of closure at the end. The reader should be drawn to read the next book soley because he/she has become attached to the people and places in the book and wants to find out more about them, NOT because of some gimmick the author created to keep people guessing. But this book leaves the reader hanging. I simply did not want to read through two more books to find out how this story ended.
Rating:
Summary: GREAT BOOK!
Review: This book appeals to all kinds of people. It has romance, mystery, drama and even some historical insights together. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes those kinds of stories or to anyone who is just bored.
Rating:
Summary: It was great it kept you glued to it!
Review: I read The Shunning and it was great it throw curves at you around every corner. I'm working on The Confession right now and it's even better than The Shunning.
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful, thought intensive book!
Review: Beverly Lewis reaches her reader's hearts with this story of family roots and secrets. The suspense of not being quite sure of what will come next is very intense! Very hard to put this book down.
Rating: 
Summary: These are not the Amish I know
Review: I hesitate to make negative comments about this and the other books in this series since they have been rated so highly by others. However, I feel obligated to my many Amish friends to set the record straight. I read the Shunning, The Confession and The Reckoning, and was very much disturbed by the way the Amish were treated. In some ways it is evident that the author did a great deal of book research because she has many facts quite right; such as the given and family names of the characters. In other ways it would appear that she has had very little actual contact with real Amish people. My suspicion is that the Amish friends she claims to have are actually X Amish who have a lot of criticism and bitterness toward their people. Lewis judges the Amish by modern Evangelical standards and makes them look like heathens with bones through their noses in need of the Gospel. The Amish do have a different understanding of salvation than do Evangelicals and Fundamentalists, but to say they are not Christian is carrying it too far. Lewis would no doubt also have serious disagreements on theological matters with Catholics, most Lutherans and Pentecostals. There are many factual errors in the Shunning and the other two books in the series. The greatest error in The Shunning is the portrayal of the Amish not being allowed to talk to those who are excommunicated. My Amish friends tell me that they are expected to talk to those in the ban in order to win them back to the church. Lewis somewhat corrects this in the other books to make it look like the silent treatment was the individual pronoucement of one particular bishop. Lewis does not mention the Biblical basis for shunning which she apparently does not understand. Really, I think Katie, the main character, would have been shunned by atheists for the trick she pulled at her wedding! Some other errors include the forbiddance to sing any songs other than those in the Amish hymnal. It is true that the Amish only sing the traditional, ancient hymns at their church services, but on other occasions I have heard the Amish sing many kinds of songs, and "Jesus Loves Me" would not at all be out of order. Also the impression is given that one has to be born Amish in order to be a member of the Amish church. I know of a number of people who have joined the Amish were not raised in the church. It is difficult for an "outsider" to join the Amish, because a lot of commitment is required, but quite possible. I could mention many other things in the books that are not true to Amish life, but I don't want this to get too long. The books are well written and hold the reader's attention, but they are more for entertainment than enlightenment. If you want to know what the Amish are really like, these books are not for you.
Rating:
Summary: Amish girl finds out she was "adopted" by Englishers
Review: This book is about an Amish girl who finds out she is adopted. She has had trouble committing herself to all the Amish rules all her life. When she finds this out, she searches for her real "English" mother.The book is fast-paced, very interesting. After reading I had to get the next 2 books. "The Confession" and "The Reckoning". I have visited many Amish settlements throughout Illinois, Pennsylvania and Indiana. Somehow I find them so interesting and peaceful. This book makes you rethink your life and future.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderrful love story, and only one of it's kind
Review: This was a great book, and I am glad that I read it. It has a unique love story. And, anyone fascinated by the Amish country is sure to love the background. Don't miss it-then go on to the 2 sequels afterward. A series not to be missed!
|
