The Thorn - review

About the Author:

Beverly Lewis, raised in Pennsylvania Amish country, is a former schoolteacher, an accomplished musician, and an award-winning author of more than eighty books for adults and children, many of which have appeared on bestseller lists, including USA Today and The New York Times. Her novel The Brethren won a 2007 Christy Award for excellence in Christian fiction. Writing memorable stories set in Amish farmland brings Beverly continual joy and inspiration. Her own family heritage is Old Order Mennonite, but she has many dear friends among Amish communities in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana. Beverly and her husband, David, live in Colorado Springs, Colorado. For more information, visit www.beverlylewis.com

About the Book:

Lancaster County, with its rolling meadows and secret byways, may seem idyllic, but it is not without its thorns. The Rose Trilogy is the stirring saga of two Amish sisters, and the events and decisions that change their lives.

Spirited Rose Ann Kauffman has long enjoyed a close friendship with the bishop's rebellious foster son. Rose's older sister, Hen--who knows more than she should about falling for the wrong man--cautions her against him, but Rose is being courted by another, and so dismisses the warnings.

Hen Kauffman Orringer's impulsive marriage to an outsider divided her from the People, a decision she regrets now that she has a daughter of her own. As Hen struggles to reclaim aspects of Amish culture, her very modern husband pushes back, and the two soon come to an impasse. Can she find a way to reconcile her longing for the Old Ways with the life she has chosen?

My Review:

I was so excited when I was asked to review this book.  Beverly Lewis is one of my absolute favorite authors, so to be given the privilege of reviewing one of her books was an honor!!  I have become so fascinated with the Amish lifestyle from reading her books.  She definitely makes me long for a simpler life.  

With this book, she doesn’t disappoint.  It is well written and easy to read.  It focuses on an Amish family with typical daughters.  One, Hen, who longed for the English way of life and finds herself in marries to an “Englisher”, but after having a daughter she longs for the simpler way of life she was raised in.  The other daughter, Rose, wants nothing more than to be Amish.  She longs for an Amish marriage and to live her life out with all the traditional Amish ways she is accustom to.  In the midst of all this though, Rose finds herself in a serious relationship with the son of an upstanding Amish family, but also attracted to the Bishop’s foster son, Nick, her long-time best friend.  The only problem - Nick is attracted to the English way of life he was accustom to before being place with the bishop.  

As with all Beverly Lewis trilogies, she makes you feel like you know these people and leaves you longing for the rest of the story.  I highly recommend this book or any other Beverly Lewis book.  If you don’t already have an interest in the Amish way of life, you will.  

I would like to thank Bethany House for the complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Happy Reading!!