A Review of The Shunning – And a Giveaway!

This is a special day for me. I get to review one of my all-time favorites Amish stories, The Shunning, Book One of The Heritage of Lancaster County Series by the amazing Beverly Lewis.

While The Shunning wasn’t the book that started me on the road to writing, it was the one that shifted my genre to Amish suspense.

First published in 2000, I read it several years later and quickly become a fan of Beverly Lewis.

The Shunning has had several covers during its lifetime. It’s been made into a Hallmark TV movie and has touched many readers and authors alike.

It’s a tale of family secrets, lost love, betrayal, and, in the end, forgiveness.

The Shunning is well-written and brings the Amish ways to life in the pages of Katie Lapp’s story. Katie is a young Amish woman who is about to be married, though she is struggling with the path that lies ahead of her. She still mourns the death of the young man she loved who drowned. Katie believes she is being a good Amish woman by marrying the proper Amish man who has her parents' approval.

But Katie has a secret. She loves music and not only the type that is sung during the Amish church services. Her deceased boyfriend gave her a guitar which is forbidden by her faith. Katie likes to hold the guitar and hum songs she and her boyfriend made up together.  

Throughout her life, Katie has struggled to conform to the Amish ways and doesn’t understand why she can’t seem to fit in until a few days before her wedding when a secret is discovered. Katie is adopted. Now, everything makes sense. Katie understands why she never felt as if she belonged in the Amish world. Her parents were Englischers.

The Shunning allows the reader a look into the Amish of Lancaster County and the author shows both the positive and negative aspects of the Amish way of life. I really loved Katie’s strength in not going along with what her family wanted for her, even though it cost her dearly by being shunned. She stood strong and set her own course for a life that was right for her.  

Here’s a little about the book:

When Katie Lapp finds the satin infant gown in the dusty leather trunk of her parents' attic, she knows it holds a secret she must discover. Why else would her Amish mother, a plain and simple woman who embraces the Old Order laws, hide the beautiful baby dress in the attic? But nothing could have prepared Katie for the startling news that stumbles out of her anguished parents on the eve of her wedding to Bishop John. Will Katie suddenly find herself a stranger in the community she has always called home?

For a chance to win an e-book copy of The Shunning, tell me about the one book that really changed your life?

I’ll announce the winner when next we meet.

And the winner of my $10.00 Amazon gift card from last time is. . . Connie Porter Saunders.  

Until next time,

Happy reading!   

Mary Alford

www.maryalford.net