The Heirloom: (Prequel to The Shunning, An Amish Christian Fiction Book)

327 pages Sep. 12,2023 publish date Bethany House Publishers

SYNOPSIS

This heartwarming prequel to The Shunning is a tender story of love, belonging, and the courage to move forward.

After her widowed father remarries, nineteen-year-old Clara Bender is no longer needed to help run his household. Marriage seems like her best hope of moving out, but there are few young men in her tiny Indiana Amish community. When she comes across letters from her mother’s aunt Ella Mae Zook, she sets off to visit Lancaster County’s Hickory Hollow to decide where her future lies.

Ella Mae is not quite ready to move from the farmhouse where she and her recently deceased husband spent over fifty happy years, but her children are eager to resettle her, making Clara’s visit seem like an answer to prayer. The two women form a warm bond while restoring an heirloom wedding quilt and sharing their lives, with Ella Mae confiding about a tragedy from her courting years. Eventually, Ella Mae suggests Clara stay for the summer, allowing Ella Mae more time with her and giving Clara an opportunity to meet the area’s eligible young men. But when the unexpected happens, will Clara find where her heart truly belongs?

MY THOUGHTS

I have read this author’s books since she started writing them. She is the one who started me reading Amish fiction. What I like about her books is how realistic they are. I love her writing style. The situations portrayed are realistic and believable. And I can always learn something about the Amish culture from her books. They are always very well researched.

Having read her book The Shunning and the rest of that series when it was first published many years ago, I was thrilled to see a prequel to this series in The Heirloom.

Clara Bender lives in Hickory Hollow, Indiana, and her widowed father is newly remarried. I didn’t like her new stepmother when we first met in the book. Her character is portrayed as unlikeable, as many stepmothers are portrayed. She doesn’t make much of an effort to get along with Clara or empathize with her.

Missing her mother, Clara reads some letters that were bundled away and sent from her aunt to her mother over the years. The two had a close and loving relationship. Clara contacts her aunt about a visit, as she wants to get to know her and hear more about her mother in her younger years.

I loved it when letter writing was popular and used to write and receive letters from my grandmother. The pretty stationery was always a treat to see. Clara’s father isn’t crazy about her going to visit her aunt because it’s a different church district and the rules are different in that district. He relents when she makes plans to stay for a short amount of time.

Once arriving, I enjoyed getting to know the aunt, and we see a bit of a timeslip as we are taken back in time to her aunt’s youth and get to meet some of the youngsters her aunt knew. Just like with today’s youth, there were the reliable and steadfast youth and the braggarts and show-offs. We see from this why the bishop back then made the rules so strict after some mishaps, and this explains why Clara’s aunt is the way she is and also why she doesn’t speak of this time period with anyone.

I enjoyed reading about fixing the heirloom quilt and its repair process.

After acclimating herself to her new homestead in the Lancaster area, she and her aunt would like her to stay longer. Also, the new beau she has wants to grow closer to her. He is a strong man of faith. I enjoyed seeing how Clara and her aunt drew closer in their relationship with each other and with God. Clara goes through some uncertainty when she decides she wants to make this her permanent home, and her father can’t agree to her staying in Lancaster for many reasons. Because of her upbringing, she will not disobey her father. But God always has our best interests and will bring us through our trials and tribulations.

This is an excellent book. This author, with her steadfast faith, never fails to write an inspirational book.

I was given a complimentary copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

About the Author

Beverly Lewis (beverlylewis.com), born in the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch country, has more than 19 million books in print. Her stories have been published in 12 languages and have regularly appeared on numerous bestseller lists, including the New York Times and USA Today. Beverly and her husband, David, live in Colorado, where they enjoy hiking, biking, making music, and spending time with their family. –This text refers to an alternate kindle edition edition.

Enjoy your day. Thank you for your visit today.