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Book Review of The Shunning (Heritage of Lancaster County, Bk 1)

The Shunning (Heritage of Lancaster County, Bk 1)
demiducky25 avatar reviewed on + 161 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1


This is the first book in the "Heritage of Lancaster County" trilogy by Beverly Lewis, and it is arguably the best one of the three (at least I thought it was the best one). It tells the story of Katie Lapp, a young Amish woman who is set to marry the local bishop, a widower, and raise his young children. Katie has always felt that she was different from other Amish women because she's constantly drawn to things that are "modern" and always feels at odds with her "Plain" way of life. She loves music, something that she and her childhood boyfriend enjoyed before he was lost at sea, but has to keep it secret because it's forbidden in her community. One day, Katie finds a satin baby gown in her parents' attic and knows that she has a deep connection to it. However, her parents won't talk about it, so she has to find out the truth herself. The story behind the gown rocks Katie's world and makes her questions whether being Amish is really for her.

All in all, this was a good read, if a little predictable at times. Lewis does a good job making you feel connected to the characters in this story. I think that anyone could enjoy this book, it's not preachy and it's clean so that parents with advanced young adult readers could allow their tweens/teens read it without worrying about content (this isn't a YA book though, I'm just pointing out that it could be enjoyed by people of all ages).