Book Club: Review of The Timepiece

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Perhaps you were wondering what happened to the Miller family after everyone in Hickory Hollow found out Ernest had been previously married before joining the Amish? In The Tinderbox, we read of Ernest, his first marriage, and how the secret he kept caused pain and growth for his immediate family and the Amish community. In this sequel, The Timepiece, Beverly Lewis focuses on the appearance of Adeline Pelham, Ernest's daughter by his first wife and how this impacts everyone.

Over the course of thirty-nine chapters, we see how the arrival of Adeline impacts Ernest and his wife Rhoda, their daughter Sylvia, and the sons. Adeline agrees to stay with the Millers for a time before she needs to return for her college courses in Georgia. She asks a lot of questions to try to understand the Millers and the Amish in general. Sylvia also finds that— in forming a new relationship with her half-sister—she grows and changes occur within her immediate relationships.

A Page Turner 

Personally, I felt the story of The Timepiece flowed and was easy to read. The pace was smooth and I wanted to read the next chapter. I wanted to know how Adeline would react to attending Sunday service, if she would marry her fiancé, Brendon, and just who would Sylvia end up marrying herself? I enjoyed seeing Adeline grow closer to God and accept Jesus as she read the Gospel of John and her mother's own diary which spoke of her mother's spiritual journey. At one point, Adeline is driving to the Millers and is thinking about the life of Jesus. I loved that she had tears springing from her eyes as she thought about His Crucifixion. This touching reaction really brought her to life for me.

Beverly Lewis provided a nice conclusion to the story of the Millers, although she could go back and revisit them if she wanted to share the life of Sylvia or her brothers as they get older. I would recommend The Timepiece to readers who enjoy Christian fiction, stories set in the Amish community, or those seeking a comforting story of forgiveness and growth.

Do you want to read my review of The Tinderbox?

Book Club: Reviewing The Road Home by Beverly Lewis

Disclaimer: I received this book for free from the publisher in return for my honest opinion. All thoughts and opinions are my own. This post may contain affiliate links. For more information please see my Terms of Use and Disclosure Policy. Thank you.

This was the first time I have read any books by Beverly Lewis and I was pleasantly surprised. In The Road Home, we follow the journey of Lena Rose Schwartz after the death of her parents, as she travels from the Amish community of Centreville, Michigan to the Leacock Community in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The book details Lena Rose's yearning for her nine siblings who remained in Centreville, her experiences helping her cousins Harley and Mimi Stoltzfus, providing companionship to Solomon, Lydia, James, and Rebekah, and her growing friendship with Arden.

From the beginning of the book we are introduced to a host of characters and in general I feel it was rather easy to feel connected to them. The only characters with whom I had some difficulty developing a connection were some of Lena Rose's siblings. This may or may not have been intentional as I feel that Lewis spent more time introducing and describing the siblings that Lena Rose seemed more involved with back in Centreville – Chris and Emma.

photo by M.Y.

I would have appreciated a bit more detail explaining the differences that Lena Rose notes between her former life – different clothing, different carriages than the horse and buggy, etc. – to that of the life in Lancaster County. Perhaps I am at a disadvantage not having read other books by Lewis. In fact, I have not read a lot of fiction or non-fiction relating to the Amish community even though we do not live far from Lancaster County.

I enjoyed reading about Lena celebrating the different holidays with Harley and Mimi and the rest of the family and friends in Lancaster County. While my heart was sad for her character missing home, I was glad to see she was accepting God's current path or plan for her. She was finding a way to make positive impacts in her temporary home by helping Rebekah, cleaning James' home, and also participating in the various youth activities like singing, hay rides, and ice skating. In fact, one of my favorite descriptions is about the hay ride during the winter.

I would recommend The Road Home by Beverly Lewis from Bethany House to individuals looking for Christian fiction that includes a bit of clean romance and is inspirational. After reading The Road Home, I will be looking for other books of Lewis' to read as well.












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