The Fiddler by Beverly Lewis

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing The Fiddler Bethany House Publishers (April 10, 2012) by Beverly Lewis

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Beverly's first venture into adult fiction is the best-selling trilogy, The Heritage of Lancaster County, including The Shunning, a suspenseful saga of Katie Lapp, a young Amish woman drawn to the modern world by secrets from her past. The book is loosely based on the author's maternal grandmother, Ada Ranck Buchwalter, who left her Old Order Mennonite upbringing to marry a Bible College student. One Amish-country newspaper claimed Beverly's work to be "a primer on Lancaster County folklore" and offers "an insider's view of Amish life."

Booksellers across the country, and around the world, have spread the word of Beverly's tender tales of Plain country life. A clerk in a Virginia bookstore wrote, "Beverly's books have a compelling freshness and spark. You just don't run across writing like that every day. I hope she'll keep writing stories about the Plain people for a long, long time."

A member of the National League of American Pen Women, as well as a Distinguished Alumnus of Evangel University, Lewis has written over 80 books for children, youth, and adults, many of them award-winning. She and her husband, David, make their home in Colorado, where they enjoy hiking, biking, and spending time with their family. They are also avid musicians and fiction "book worms."

ABOUT THE BOOK

Come home to Hickory Hollow, Pennsylvania--the beloved setting where Beverly Lewis's celebrated Amish novels began--with new characters and new stories of drama, romance, and the ties that draw people together.

A wrong turn in a rainstorm leads Englisher Amelia Devries to Michael Hostetler--and the young Amishman's charming Old Order community of Hickory Hollow. Despite their very different backgrounds, Amelia and Michael both feel hemmed in by the expectations of others and struggle with how to find room for their own hopes. And what first seems to be a chance encounter might just change their lives forever.

If you would like to read the first chapter of The Fiddler, go HERE.

Watch the book video:






My review of The Fiddler:


One of the things that tends to turn me off of Amish fiction is that authors seem to overcompensate the peace and simplicity of the Amish life with a story that is too full of action, drama, storylines and the like.  They often do this to the point where the story feels so unlikely and tense that it is difficult to enjoy.  The Fiddler was the antithesis of this.  I don’t want that statement to sound like a criticism because I did enjoy the more relaxed tone of this book.  It was a little on the slow side and it didn’t effectively hold my attention throughout, but it was a good read for relaxation.

I have not read many of Beverly Lewis’s books, mostly because I don’t care much for Amish fiction, but The Fiddler was an enjoyable, relaxing read.  I really liked Amelia and Michael and their story was well told and never felt overwhelming or overdone.  Overall, The Fiddler is a pretty good book.  I liked it, but I didn’t love.  That is normal for me with Amish fiction though.  Fans of Beverly will likely love this story.





This book was provided for review by the publisher.