The Fiddler by Beverly Lewis ~ Review

Cover used by permission
Baker Publishing Group

A sweet, unlikely romance between an Amish man and a “worldly” English woman, these two people have struggles aplenty in their lives.  Told in a gentle, soothing style the novel tells the story of an unlikely romance that just might turn into a very good possibility.

            I was actually surprised to find I wasn’t *as* enamored with this novel as I have by previous titles. The plot lagged a bit for me and since the book was basically about Michael and Amelia with very minor subplots, I wasn’t as driven to bury myself in the story.

            But I will say I got started on Amish fiction with titles “The Shunning” and its sequels, so to spot names I recognized in “Hickory Hollow” was like coming home just a bit. I smiled and loved catching up with that these famous characters have been up too. Perhaps they will be spotted more in coming novels for this series?

            I liked that Amelia was a fiddler and Michael an older Amish young man who still hadn’t joined the church, both struggling to find their way. It’s a different spin on the usual Amish plot line.

            While it wasn’t my personal favorite, I really don’t have a doubt that readers will fall in love with these two main characters. They are certainly endearing.

            This review is my honest opinion. Thanks to the publishers through CFBA for my copy to review.

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More about the novel and author...

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: