Beverly Lewis (1) (1949–)

Good book. Tessie and Marcus have been in love for a long time, but no matter what they do, they can't get Tessie's father to approve their courtship. After months of trying, the two secretly marry at the county courthouse, then return home to live as singles. Marcus continues to try to gain Ammon's approval. Meanwhile, they seize every opportunity they can to be together. After several more weeks, Marcus is ready to just announce their marriage and face the consequences, when he is killed show more in an accident. Tessie is devastated. Worse yet, she finds out she's pregnant, and without the marriage certificate she can't reveal her marriage.

I ached for Tessie throughout most of the book. First, to be denied marriage to the one she loved, to the point where they felt they must marry in secret. Then the following weeks of living apart, when all she wanted was to be a proper wife to Marcus. I completely understood her frustration. Then to have him die so tragically before they can reveal their marriage left her in a kind of limbo. She's a widow, even though no one knows it, and because of that they don't understand the depth of her grief. As she tries to go on with her life, she discovers that she's pregnant. She doesn't know what to do, so she hides her pregnancy as long as she can. Without proof of her marriage she is in danger of losing her status within the church. I was really worried for her and how things would go with the church elders. There was an interesting twist at the end that made a huge difference.

Added to the mix is the young man that Tessie's father wanted for her. He is still interested in Tessie and makes sure that she knows it. Because of her circumstances, she isn't too sure he knows what he'd be getting into. I really liked Levi. He was kind and patient with her uncertainty. I also liked his belief in her when she told him the whole story. He also had a very different personality than Marcus, one that I think was better suited to her anyway.

Also intertwined throughout the book was the story of Tessie's sister Mandy and her husband Sylvan. Mandy had followed her father's dictates and married his choice for her, even though she cared for another. At the beginning of the book she is unhappy in her marriage. Her husband is rather distant, they still haven't been able to conceive, and she needs something to distract her. A friend wants her to join in opening a shop selling Amish goods. This really appeals to Mandy, who sees it as a way to expand her world, but she's afraid that Sylvan won't approve. Over the course of the book, the slowly learn to communicate with each other, with Sylvan taking a surprisingly proactive approach. By the end, both have found unexpected happiness in their match.

There was an unexpected theme also, that of the problem of birth defects in the Amish community. Because there is so much intermarriage, the instances of serious genetic problems has been growing worse. Partway through the book, Tessie discovers that the reason her father was against her marriage to Marcus was that they are more closely related than is wise, opening them up to greater possibility of that happening to them. With her pregnancy, this adds even more stress, as Tessie worries about the future health of her baby.

I really liked the ending and seeing how things worked out for the various people in the book. I also enjoyed the occasional appearance/mention of characters from previous books. Ellie Mae, the wisewoman, is always interesting to spend time with. I also loved the mention of Katie Lapp, who was the first of Beverly Lewis's characters I read about, and who got me hooked on her as an author. show less

It has always amazed me how Beverly Lewis can continue to come up with great stories to tell. 41 adult fiction novels has not slowed down her imagination. The Beginning is another one that is especially poignant. While her readers will expect a romance story that always ends well, the reason for the title has nothing to do with courting and marriage. I won't be a spoiler. You will want to read the book to find out.

The story begins with Susie Mast wondering if she will ever have any boy show more interested enough in her to want to marry her. She hopes that Obie Yoder has romantic feelings for her but she never expresses her feelings to him. Suffering from the death of her brother several years earlier, Susie has found that the best way to cope is to keep busy. She is always cleaning, working in her mother's store or selling her family tree embroideries. She rarely relaxes or socializes. Susie's mother, Aquilla, has been in declining health since the death of her husband and son in an auto accident. Her adopted sister, Britta, is a big help to her with chores but has begun to ask alot of questions about her birth parents. Susie knows a little about Britta's past but is afraid to tell her anything about her adoption. She fears more loss will occur if Britta gets the answers she is seeking.

The Beginning is one of my favorite books that Lewis has written. The ending gathers and clarifies all the loose ends written in to the story. While I haven't read all of her books, this type of ending seemed more complex than the ones that I have previously read. It made the book much more satisfying than the usual girl finally gets the boy. The wisdom issued from the lips of the elderly women in this Amish district was amazing and the foods the ladies prepared made me hungry. I ended up ordering in on the day that I read the book. If there is anything unusual about the story it was how often they made tea. Someone was making tea on almost every page. The characters must have spent alot of time in the outhouse.

Beverly Lewis is the reason that I read Amish fiction. She is the gold standard for these types of stories and I highly recommend this novel. show less

The Love Letters by Beverly Lewis is a sweet Amish Fiction set in 1966. Dawdi Tim has pass away and his wife, Mammi Janice needs some assistance. Marlena Wenger is sent to help her out for the summer. This will mean that Marlena misses out on baptism instruction classes for the Old Order Amish and will have to wait another year to marry Nathaniel (Nat) Zimmerman.

Mammi Janice's neighbors are Ellie and Roman Bitner with their daughter's and son, Jake (aka Small Jay). Jake is mentally show more challenged but a very sweet boy. He has cat named Sassy that he walks around on a leash. Roman has never been close to his son. He will not let Jake help with any chores around the farm. Jake keeps trying with his father. Then one day Jake runs across a man named Boston.

Boston has memory troubles. He does not know who he is or how he ended up staying at the old mill. Boston has a dog named Allegro who liked Jake’s cat, Sassy. Boston befriends Jake. Boston provides the male figure that Jake has desperately wanted in his life. Jake brings Boston home to the farm and asks Roman to allow Boston to stay in the empty Dawdi house. Roman allows Boston to stay (in the barn) and Boston does chores in exchange. Jake reads letters to Boston that Boston had in his pack. Jake is hoping that there will be clues in the letters to Boston’s identity and family.

Shortly after Marlena arrives at her Mammi’s she receives word that her sister Luella has been in a car accident. Luella left the community several years ago and married Gordon Munroe, a soldier. Gordon is currently in Vietnam and his parents are on a cruise. Marlena is asked to look after Luella’s little girl, Angela Rose. Marlena is also attending Church with Mammi (Mennonite) as well as friends who are New Order Amish. Marlena is not sure on her decision to join the Old Order Amish which leads to conflict with her beau, Nat.

To find out what happens to Angela Rose, Boston, and Marlena, read The Love Letters. I give The Love Letters 4 out of 5 stars. The book is hard to get into at the beginning, but I enjoyed it once I got a quarter of a way into the story. A few times I found myself yelling at Ellie while reading the book. If she said she would check with her husband one more time (for permission), I think I would have screamed (of course, maybe I am a little bit too independent). I did enjoy the ending of this book. It is one of those endings where you close the book and sigh.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. show less

I hate that I am reading this series, but somehow I can't stop. I was curious about this Amish fiction genre, and read the first book of the series a while back. I spent the past few days reading the next two. It felt like a strange addiction, almost like I felt when I was watching Gossip Girl all winter. (Funny comparison, since the characters and plots are so radically different.)

Anyway, I think what I was drawn to in this book is the simplicity of the lifestyle of the characters. And I show more was just really intrigued by the plot of the eldest daughter who became pregnant out of wedlock in the previous book and lost the baby. It seemed that her struggles were very real as she was trying to mourn the loss of her child while everyone around her was mourning the loss of her "virtue". It really made me angry how her family treated her, even those who were supposedly supportive. I just kept hoping someone would actually care for this poor girl, instead of praying that she would repent and see the errors of her ways. But alas, this book was not written for people like me. show less