Reviewer: Robyn Roberts
Title: The Englisher - Annie’s People Series, Book 2
Author: Beverly Lewis
Publisher: Bethany House
ISBN: 0-7642-0106-9
Release Date: May 2006
Genre/Sub-genre: Christian Fiction, Romance
Year/Setting: Paradise, PA (Amish Country), Present Day
Overall rating: 3.75
Sexual content rating: Subtle
Language (Profanity) rating: None
Beverly's Website:
www.beverlylewis.com
Annie Zook is desperately trying to earn the approval her father (the preacher) in order to become a true member of the Amish church. She has sworn off her art for at least 6 months and struggles daily with this. Her pen-pal, Louisa, has been staying with the Zook’s for a few months and caused a little bit of a scandal when she arrived. Hard to imagine the preacher’s daughter corresponding with an "Englisher" or a "fancy" person let alone having one in the midst of their Plain community.
And now, to top it all off, Ben Martin has caught her eye. This wouldn’t be so bad except Ben is another "Englisher" who has moved to Paradise from Kentucky. The Plain (Amish) and the fancy just don’t mix together.
I found this story to be a real coming of age story. It’s the second in the series and I would forewarn readers that while Ms. Lewis has a real knack for telling stories, but she doesn’t do anything to bring you up to speed. I found sections of the book very hard to follow as they were continuations from the first book, The Preacher’s Daughter. I was able to piece together enough of the previous story to get by, but I’m still confused on certain points and there are a couple sections of the book that remain a total mystery to me because I don’t have the background information from that first book.
On the plus side, I found the book to be a delightful and heart-warming story. I have long been fascinated with the Amish community and loved the insight that Ms. Lewis has into the community, how it is run and what the beliefs are of the Plain people. This story focuses a secondary light on Louisa’s character and her becoming close to an Amish young man. It is a wonderful look at the comparisons and contrasts between the two worlds.
I did enjoy the book and found Ms. Lewis to be a skilled writer. I would like to read the first book and get caught up on what I missed. The ending does leave some threads dangling to entice us towards the third book. No word yet on when that one will be released. However, it looks like the entire series will be a winner.
Robyn
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