Rating: 
Summary: Get out your tissue box
Review: Beverly Lewis continues to draw the emotions out of the reader. I am looking forward to the 4th book with expectations of a happy ending.
Rating: 
Summary: Outstanding Once Again
Review: Beverly Lewis has done it again. Another book that you just cannot put down. I stayed up unitl the weee hours of the morning to finish. Can hardly wait for book 4 and see the interesting change of events.
Rating: 
Summary: How Much More Can Leah Bear?
Review: I am a huge fan of Beverly Lewis's books, but was just about to lay this one aside when it FINALLY started to get interesting and then - wow! Leah is the main character and her value and worth are never questioned, especially with the decisions she is called to make. The twins Hannah and Mary Ruth are young ladies now, but their hearts pull them in different directions. Sadie, the shunned oldest daughter is ever in the background until the last few pages. Somehow I feel we have not heard the last of her first, huge sinful encounter which resulted in her banning. I was pleased to see the doctor's family more fully integrated into this book. Abram and his wife have raised some different children with sharp minds and this book shows the reader the apparent differences and outcomes. The Amish community is beginning to lose some of their young people to the more liberal Mennonites, much to the chagrin of Dat and the bishop. Speaking of Dat, he is portrayed as stubborn, spiteful, and finally softening. Leah has my admiration and is definitely the star of this book. Her life and relationship to some special little people will pull at your heartstrings. This book is chock full of surprises and intrigue and Beverly Lewis has plenty to draw from when she releases book 4, "The Prodigal" in October, 2004. I am very excited to order it in advance. If the whole book had been like the last fourth of the book then it would have been 5+ stars. If just half the book had been, it would have gotten 4. However, this time Lewis took entirely too long to get to the meat and heart of the book, hence, 3 stars.
Rating:
Summary: Mrs. Lewis is a great author!
Review: I checked all three of these books out of the library and had them finsihed within a week! I was captivated by the story of Leah Ebersol and her sisters, as well as the Amish community of Gobbler's Knob. The author has a wonderful way of painting word pictures, and this series was one that easily pulled me into the story line. I am axiously awaiting the arrival of the fourth and final book to wrap up some loose ends that were left - especially in the last chapter of the book. I would also highly recommend Bevery Lewis' The Postcard and it's sequal, The Crossing, which I thought were written even better than the Abram's Daughter's series.
Rating:
Summary: the series branches out...
Review: I for one wasn't all that frustrated with the lack of "meat" in the story. That might be your impression if you are focused on the Jonas-Sadie-Leah love triangle, because that was a central plot in the previous two books. This book focuses more on the Schwartz family, Abram, Ida, and their twin daughters; as well as Leah's coping in the absence of her sister and old beau. Only toward the end does it return to focus on the original plot. This is a detour from the previous books, but it was a welcome detour for me, because I found the other members of Abram's family to be just as fascinating. The focus on different characters allows for new insights into the world of Lancaster County. "Sacrifice" (more than "Covenant" of "Betrayal") touches on several issues that make the Amish controversial: excessive legalism, the "hex doctors", and the question of salvation. Lewis handles these issues honestly, without getting either overly defensive or judgmental of the Amish people. I'm not giving this book 5 stars because it doesn't really stand on its own as a story. It is a collection of different, related stories that could have used an overriding theme to tie them all together. I don't even know exactly what "The Sacrifice" refers to, but it is still a worthy addition to the series. October will be a long wait, but if the next installment is anything like the previous ones, it will be worth it. I think I could predict what will happen to Leah in the next book (once you get to the end, you'll know what I'm talking about) but the cast of characters is so endearing and true-to-life, I would enjoy it even if it did turn out to be predictable. Anyway, Beverly Lewis has surprised me already, and I wouldn't put it past her to do it again.
Rating:
Summary: Not the best book in the series
Review: I really enjoyed reading the first 2 books, but this one was a BIG disappointment. Compared to the first 2, this book was very dry and boring. There wasnt a whole lot of action or plot going on. The years seemed to skip alot. For example, Leah's Momma gave birth to Abe, then in the next chapter he was 7 years old.
A friend of mine is also reading this series. After she read book 3, she vowed not to read the rest of the series. I have already read book 4. It is OUTSTANDING! I told her this and now she is going to read it. So, if you have read the first 2...just get throught number 3 and move on to number 4.
Rating:
Summary: Great book!
Review: I've read the first 2 in the series so far, and finally found this one as well.
The story of the Ebersol family continues in The Sacrifice. Leah is still angry and hurt at losing the love of her life to her banned sister, Sadie. She's patiently trying to cope with the loss of her mother, raise the 2 young children her mother left behind, court a man that has been in love with her from her childhood, put up with a hard-to-deal-with, grief-stricken father, and still manage to have some fun at the same time.
I have to say, there is a small, but very good twist in the book at the very end and I did not see it coming at all. It totally took on a new meaning for me then.
It's a must read, but I must say, if you haven't first read The Covenant and The Betrayal (in that order), then you won't really catch what's going on.
Rating:
Summary: Beverly Lewis does it again!
Review: It has been two years since Leah Ebersol heard the shocking news that her true love and beau, Jonas Mast, had married her wayward and shunned sister, Sadie. Leah has finally found peace and forgiveness toward both Jonas and Sadie, and a romance blooms between Leah and the Smithy's son, Gid. But tragedy strikes the Ebersol family and Leah's life takes a dramatic turn. She is standing in her kitchen one afternoon and looks out the window and sees a face she hasn't seen for years! And once again, life for Leah Ebersol begins to change. Add this one to your list of MUST READ!
Rating:
Summary: I have to agree with the previous review
Review: Lewis took much too long to get to the meat of the book! It felt like the beginning of the book was totally filler. I thought this was a trilogy, so when it got to the end, I was disappointed in the ending, with all the unanswered questions. Now we have to wait until October for the next installment of the series, which seems a ridiculous amount of time. By then you'll have to re-read the previous books in the series to get what Lewis is doing. Good book though.. once I got to the end, I couldn't bear to put it down!
Rating:
Summary: WOW. Get your hankie and get comfortable!
Review: The first two books in Beverly Lewis' ongoing saga, Abram's Daughters, were captivating to say the least. But this 3rd book will bring you to tears - both happy and sad. As with all of her books you will be "in the moment" with the family and the girls. You can see them. You can feel what they feel. As opposed to another readers response, I understand fully where the title, THE SACRIFICE, comes from. I wait poised and ready for Book 4. Excellent job Ms. Lewis. Excellent!
|
