THE HEIRLOOM is the prequel to The Shunning by Beverly Lewis. I’ve never read The Shunning so I knew starting with THE HEIRLOOM was the way to go. This story is all about two Amish women who are grieving. Clara is grieving for her mom who was her rock. She misses her terribly. Her Aunt Ella Mae is also grieving for her husband who she isn’t quite ready to let go of. 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 ready for her to downsize and move. So when Clara reaches out to her to come for a visit, it seems Ella Mae’s prayers have been answered. If you have read The Shunning, THE HEIRLOOM is a great way to learn more about your favorite characters. If you are me and haven’t read it, and love Amish fiction, you can’t go wrong with a Beverly Lewis book. She really knows her stuff!

While Clara is in Pennsylvania helping Ella Mae restore an heirloom wedding quilt, she never stops dreaming of returning home. But over time, she comes to love being in Hickory Hollow. All the while, she never loses hope or her faith. THE HEIRLOOM finds Clara struggling with staying there as her Dad wants her to come back home. Clara Bender’s mother died and her father quickly married a woman who isn’t exactly warm toward her grieving step-daughter. Her father hears about bad news in Ella Mae’s town and wants Clara back home. Why would she go back home when she feels so much more welcomed at her Aunt’s home?

THE HEIRLOOM is about Clara trying to learn more about her mother from her family. My heart broke for Clara. Her story is so heart tugging and filled with faith, devotion, and love that the reader can’t help but cheer for her. Beverly Lewis grabs hold of the reader’s heart and never lets it go! She made me sad, then the next moment I was smiling and giggling out loud! You can never go wrong with a Beverly Lewis book if you are a fan of the Amish genre. THE HEIRLOOM is a heart tugging story that will hold you hostage until the very last page. Once you start reading, it will be very hard to put down! Beverly Lewis surely knows the Amish people and their hearts!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House through Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.library netgalley13 s SophiaAuthor 5 books364

Several years ago, I stumbled across my first Amish Romance, The Shunning, and entering Beverly Lewis’ Amish world captivated me and I’ve loved reading about the Amish people ever since. Imagine my delight to see that Beverly Lewis returned to that world to write a prequel about events before The Shunning with a new heroine seeking answers and finding a chance at friendship and romance in the homey and heartwarming Amish world.

The Heirloom begins in an Amish community some distance from Lancaster County’s Hickory Hollow when Clara Bender’s mother dies and her father rapidly remarries to a woman who isn’t exactly warm toward her grieving step-daughter. Clara’s reeling from all this and needs time and distance from the home that no longer feels her place. She finds letters from her mother’s aunt, sees the closeness between the two women, and decides this is a good time to discover more of her mother from the aunt in Hickory Hollow.

I was taken from the start with Clara and her need to find her own place now that she’s at loose ends. Her desire to visit Hickory Hollow is complicated by her father not wanting her there because the two Amish communities have distinct differences in how strict they will be about the tenants and practices of Amish faith. He knows she’ll meet eligible men and hear about matters from Ella Mae, but he does let her go for the visit. He was right about Clara on that count because she does meet someone nice and wants to stay in Hickory Hollow, but she is also dutiful and will obey her father.
Clara’s timing is impeccable from her great-aunt Ella Mae’s perspective because Clara’s arrival means she doesn’t have to leave her home and resettle at the insistence of her children. Clara can take care of the household, get a grip on her personal concerns, and the two different generations of women form a bond not just of family blood, but of understanding and of course their shared belief in God and his work in their lives. Working on the heirloom quilt is a symbolic heart of it all. I couldn’t wait to get Ella Mae’s own story which she has been reticent about. There are dual plot lines that go back to Ella Mae’s youth so young Ella Mae touches the reader’s heart, too.

I how much attention to detail and authentic the Amish community and faith feels as part of the story. Their desire to live away from the modern world to be close to God, their choice for simplicity of life, home, and work, and their tight-knit communities and families was all so vivid and as present as the characters. I’m not a sewing craft person or made from scratch always, but I get a yearning to try after reading about the Amish work- and yes, the delicious foods mentioned and made have me salivating, too.

For those looking for familiar faces from The Shunning, there is a Katie Lapp sighting and others. That said, they are background. I was happy to be back in the Hickory Hollow world and it seems there will be more books now. This will be for those who want full immersion into an Amish setting in their Inspirational Romance.

I rec'd an eARC via NetGalley to read in exchange for an honest review.

My full review will post at Books of My Heart on Nov 5th.inspirational-fiction net-galley-reads5 s Cathy Cermele752 11

The prequel to The Shunning was even better than I expected it to be. Nineteen-year-old Clara Bender felt unneeded when her widowed father remarries and with few prospects for herself in her small Amish community, she feels lost and hopeless. Until she finds letters her mother had kept which piqued her curiosity and gave her hope.

Clara showed bravery as she traveled to meet great Aunt Ella Mae who had written the letters to her mother, something I admired her for. The relationship they formed was sweet, heartwarming and what they both needed in their lives. If you Amish fiction, I suggest you get a copy of this book as soon as you can.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley. Opinions are my own.
5 s Amy891 18

Beverly Lewis fans will delight in reading the prequel to The Shunning. Katie Lapp is featured in the novel, the author focused on Ela Mae's and Clara Bender's stories. While readers at first would wonder how the stories intersect, Clara's mother knew Ella Mae and valued their friendship. Seventeen-yar old Clara is coming to terms with her mother's death and father's quick remarriage. Her trip to Hickory Hallow is a blessing in order to get away from the challenging circumstances.

IN my opinion, #TheHeirloom is one of Lewis' best novels. It's well written, with charismatic characters and ,tugs at readers' heartstrings. As a fan of the author, viewing Lewis' trajectory, this novel wouldn't have been written early in her career.

Lewis has always been a prolific writer but the maturity and richness of the novel comes across and readers can tell that she loves the characters and setting. Thank you to #NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity read the early edition in exchange for an honest review. If this is the new direction Beverly Lewis is taking with her books, I'm looking forward to the next Hickory Hallow novel.netgalley-readers nuts-for-new-netgalley-reads-amy-s3 s Brandi (Rambles of a SAHM)813 30

many people I first read The Shunning and the books that followed in the late 90's. I also saw the movies and enjoyed them as well. So naturally when I found out there was going to be a prequel I knew I had to get it and read it. I'm so glad I did.

The story in The Heirloom does not center around Katie Lapp who is the main character in The Shunning. Instead Katie is a side character and the main character is Clara Bender. Clara isn't from Hickory Hollow but she takes a trip to visit her aunt, Ella Mae Zook, who does live in Hickory Hollow.

While in Hickory Hollow Clara finds a sense of renewal. Even though the Hickory Hollow community is more strict than her district she finds a freedom that her very soul was craving. She is able to begin emerging from the grief of losing her mother and opening up to the prospect of not spending the rest of her life as an old maid.

I really d that this was a completely new story. It takes place shortly before the timeframe of The Shunning which gives a lot more insight into what led up to Katie's story and why the punishment was so severe. Someone that hasn't read the previous series is going to thoroughly enjoy how seamlessly this storyline goes when they read the prequel first and then the series.

By the way, this would also make a good stand alone read if you aren't interested in reading all four books together. But for those of us that have already invested in the series, I say you are in for a real treat when you add this book to your reading list.amish contemporary-fiction3 s January1,780 85

The Heirloom by Beverly Lewis
Heritage of Lancaster County #0.5/#0
10h 5m narrated by Libby McKnight, 328 pages

Genre: Amish Fiction, Christian Romance

Featuring: Dual Storylines, Old Order Amish, New Order Amish, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Denarian MC, Quinquagenarian MC, Grief, Heirloom Quilt, Stepmother, Courting,

Rating as a movie: PG

My rating: ??????
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