The Fiddler by Beverly Lewis - Reviewed

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.


My Thoughts:
 

“Listen,” she said.  “I don’t believe we’re chosen to simply receive gift, whether musical talent or something else. The most profound ones come our way so we can extend grace and compassion to others.  God’s gifts are multiplied when we use them to bless others.”  (p. 281)

I’m so glad I took Amelia’s journey with her in Beverly Lewis’ latest novel, The Fiddler.  I’ve shied away from Amish fiction a bit, and this was the PERFECT re-entry point!  I could identify with “Amy Lee’s” longing to be all that God created her to be.  I could identify with her longing to be closer to God.  I could even identify with her at the point where she spent time alone in prayer – alone in human companionship, but embraced by the Father.

The storm that “blew” Amelia into Michael's life was just the tip of the iceberg of discovery that awaited them both.  Both of these characters had very strong family ties – so strong in fact, that they were hesitant to fully embrace all of the gifts that God had given them – including each other.  When they reach a point of submitting to God’s will, things are pretty uncertain. Yet they follow Him – knowing that His path is best.

Folks, I loved this story! If you want a well-told Amish tale, look no Further! Pick up your copy of The Fiddler today!  May we all play our tunes as passionately as Amy Lee!!

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

Watch the book video: