Monday, April 1, 2013

The Guardian Book Review




The Guardian (Home to Hickory Hollow #3)
Picture Credit

The Guardian by Beverly Lewis is the third book to the Home to Hickory Hollow series. 


When schoolteacher Jodi Winfield goes for a morning run, the last thing she expects is to find a disheveled little girl all alone on the side of the Pennsylvania road, clad only in her undergarments, her chubby cheeks streaked with tears. Jodi takes the preschooler home with her, intending to find out where she belongs. But Jodi is mystified when no one seems to know of a missing child, and the girl herself is no help, since she can't speak a word of English. It's as if the child appeared out of nowhere.
As the days pass, Jodi becomes increasingly attached to the mysterious girl, yet she is no closer to learning her identity. Then an unexpected opportunity brings Jodi to Hickory Hollow--and into the cloistered world of the Lancaster Old Order Amish. Might the answers lie there? (Goodreads)




I have read the back story of the Hickory Hollow series so it is helpful to read the previous two books but not necessary. I started this book and thought I had it all figured out, but I was very wrong. Before getting the book I figured it would be a journey about this little girl and how she finds her family again- not so. That part of the story is only the first couple of chapters before all is well and the story turns over to Jodi's life. I loved the first book in the series but this one was really hard for me to read and finish. I could not get into the story after the initial first chapters. There is a lot of information on how the Amish handle schoolteachers and Englisher people like Jodi. To see more behind the thoughts and process of the Amish was interesting. As the story continues we discover a new romance, and new way of life, and a new home for different characters. I also really appreciated the man in Jodi's life and how Beverly portrays him throughout the book.

While this wasn't my favorite, it is still a decent Amish book that I'm sure many will enjoy. 


Beverly Lewis is one of the most popular authors today and has written multiple books- check it out!


"I received this book for free from CFBA in exchange for an honest review".









This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
The Guardian
Bethany House Publishers (March 26, 2013)
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

When schoolteacher Jodi Winfield goes for a morning run, the last thing she expects is to find a disheveled little girl all alone on the side of the Pennsylvania road, clad only in her undergarments, her chubby cheeks streaked with tears. Jodi takes the preschooler home with her, intending to find out where she belongs. But Jodi is mystified when no one seems to know of a missing child, and the girl herself is no help, since she can't speak a word of English. It's as if the child appeared out of nowhere.

As the days pass, Jodi becomes increasingly attached to the mysterious girl, yet she is no closer to learning her identity. Then an unexpected opportunity brings Jodi to Hickory Hollow--and into the cloistered world of the Lancaster Old Order Amish. Might the answers lie there?

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


No comments: