Rating: 
Summary: I couldn't put this book down
Review: Bestselling author Beverly Lewis continues to till the rich Lancaster County soil in her latest book, THE BETRAYAL. Set in the fictional Amish community of Gobbler's Knob circa 1947, this is the second installment in the "Abram's Daughters" series and continues the story of the Amish Ebersol sisters --- Sadie, Leah, and twins Mary Ruth and Hannah. The stories of these courting-age girls are woven together, but Leah's narrative takes center stage through the course of this installment.As the story opens, Sadie and Leah are both dealing with the continued fallout of Sadie's irresponsible behavior during "rumschpringe," a period of time in which young Amish people are given the freedom to explore the outside world to determine whether or not they want to be baptized and commit their lives to the "Plain" way of life. Sadie's downward spiral is chronicled in THE COVENANT, and it's clear her descent is not complete, as anger and sadness eat away at her in THE BETRAYAL. "After their private talk Sadie had gone inside and created a fuss, all because Mamma had suggested Sadie take herself upstairs and lie down. 'You look so hot in the face,' Mamma had said sweetly, offering a concerned smile, no doubt noticing Sadie's swollen eyes. 'I'm all right, really,' Sadie replied. 'Just thought a rest might do you good.' Then Sadie burst out crying. 'I'll go out to the pasture if you say to --- coax all the cows home for milking --- do Leah's chores, but I won't be resting!' Both Hannah and Mamma gasped, though Mamma the louder. 'Such foolish words, Sadie dear. Time you behaved like a baptized church member ... and bite your tongue.' Sadie brushed her tears away, standing there silent now. 'You best go to your room,' Mamma insisted. 'Tis not becomin' of you to disobey.' Suddenly Sadie brushed past Mamma and Leah, breaking into an all-out run. Out the back door and down the steps she went, toward the barnyard." As Sadie seems to be pulling away from the only life that she's known, Leah decides to get baptized and marry her devoted childhood sweetheart, Jonas Mast. A rift between the sisters develops despite their love for one another, and the whole family is thrown into tumult. Secrets both large and small abound in the Ebersol household, and Leah and Jonas's union ends up in jeopardy. In the end it's unclear which betrayal THE BETRAYAL refers to --- Leah of Sadie or Sadie of Leah. Lewis grew up in Lancaster County, and her body of work shows an obvious affection for the Amish way of life. Her stories are often set among the Plain people, and her descriptions of their everyday lives are idyllic. THE BETRAYAL is no different, and fans of Lewis are likely to embrace her newest novel despite its somewhat abrupt and unsatisfying ending. It's nothing the forthcoming third installment in the series can't fix. Uninitiated and more critical readers of the book may chaff against an overabundance of colloquial language (redd, Dat, ach, wonderful-gut, jah), the idealized presentation of the Plain life, and thinly drawn characters. Much of the dialogue and inner thought of the characters seem highly contrived, like soliloquies of earnest actors in a drama about an Amish life they only know about through movies. Nevertheless, it's clear that the author does truly care about her characters and this can atone for a number of literary sins. The community of Gobbler's Knob is a vividly drawn world the likes of which most readers will never be able to inhabit apart from Lewis's affectionate prose. The agriculture-based economy and simple lives of the Amish provide a welcome vision of fulfilling lives apart from our fast-paced culture. --- Reviewed by Lisa Ann Cockrel
Rating:
Summary: GREAT BOOK!
Review: For anyone looking for good, simple writing, this book is for you! Mrs. Lewis does an excellent job presenting us with the Amish community. I am so entangled right now in Sadie, Leah, and Jonas's life that I can scarcely wait for the next book in this series to come out in May of 2004. This newest book is entitled The Sacrifice and hopefully it will answer all the unanswered questions I have--like does Sadie find out her own child is alive? Who is buried on the plot of land owned by the "Good Doctor"? Will Leah be able to relate the truth about her and Smithy Gid's relationship to Jonas? And will Mama have any more children after Lydiann? I can't wait! For more about the author, Beverly Lewis, check out her website: www.BeverlyLewis.com! Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Christian Fiction- The Betrayal
Review: I came across this book and honestly the picture is what grabbed my attention. I picked up the book and starting reading the back cover. I have always been fascinated by the Amish and their culture so I decided to give the book a try. This book lived up to what I had hoped it would. Since I had never read any books by this author I was extremely pleased with the outcome. Beverly Lewis makes you feel as if you are part of the storyline (just as any great writer would) you become close with the characters and honetly feel for them as they go on their journey. I would recommend this book and any other books by Lewis.
Rating:
Summary: Christian Fiction- The Betrayal
Review: I came across this book and honestly the picture is what grabbed my attention. I picked up the book and starting reading the back cover. I have always been fascinated by the Amish and their culture so I decided to give the book a try. This book lived up to what I had hoped it would. Since I had never read any books by this author I was extremely pleased with the outcome. Beverly Lewis makes you feel as if you are part of the storyline (just as any great writer would) you become close with the characters and honetly feel for them as they go on their journey. I would recommend this book and any other books by Lewis.
Rating:
Summary: Mesmerized!
Review: I finished this book in less than 24 hours. That alone should speak volumes! I was given Beverly Lewis' first book, "The Covenant" for my birthday in March of 2003. I was instantly taken to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania (my husband knew I had ancestors from Lancaster County and thought I would enjoy it) where I met the Ebersol family and their "plain" girls and "plain" ways. I devoured that book as well, learning of the oldest daughter, Sadie, and the shameful "rumschpringe" she went through. The secret that her next youngest sister, Leah, had to keep as well as learning about the twins, Hannah and Mary Ruth, and the new baby girl, Lydiann, born to Abram and Ida Ebersol. "The Betrayal" continues on where "The Covenant" left off, and takes you on a wild downhill buggy ride as Sadie and Leah deal with their shared secret. Leah and Jonas Mast are courting with letters from afar and they are both about to go through Baptism rites at the same time before their impending marriage...or so it seems. Love and trust seem to grow between them, until... Aunt Lizzie Brenneman (Ida Ebersol's sister) is in on the secret as well...and she may even have a few secrets of her own to tell. How will Lizzie's secret be revealed? What about Naomi, Sadie's "rumschpringe" friend, who knew the truth about Sadie's baptismal vow being false? She's about to be married, and is trying to clean herself up with a few confessions of her own before her baptism. What is there to tell? And how will that affect Sadie, Leah, and the Ebersol family? And Abram so wants Gid Peachey (the neighbor's son) to be Leah's husband that he plots and plans to put a wrench into Leah and Jonas' potential happiness. Will he succeed? All of these things are explored in "The Betrayal." Questions are answered, but even more questions are left undone as we await Beverly Lewis' next book in the "Abram's Daughters" series. I was left with a gut wrenching feeling thinking about having to wait to hear how this story will end! Only Beverly Lewis knows at this point!
Rating:
Summary: A new favorite series
Review: I had ordered this book randomly from a book club I had joined. When starting this WONDERFUL novel I had no idea it was one book in a series, so I was disapointed at the ending and felt empty, as if the author couldn't properly finish a novel, BUT thankfuly I came to amazon and found out there is more =] Knowing this, I am going to buy the first book tomorrow and the next when it arrives in May of 2004 From the very begining I could not put this book down. I have never had the delight of reading about the Amish, and I have to say this story made me feel I was right there next to each character as the events took place. The emotions in The Betrayal are very high, I would be happy and then the next chapter so sad as Leah was I wanted to cry with her. This story also makes you think of your own life, may it be Amish or not, I guess its because its a story of life, growing up, and first loves. For those christians, practicing or not, this story has a huge spiritual journy behind it. When reading The Betrayal I was going though a hard time with my family, with the insperation this story left me with, I found the strength to realize it all happens for a reason, and God knows that reason. All one has to do is look for the good and move on through the hard times, because in the end it will work out and you will be happier then you could have ever imagined, which is what I believe will happen to Leah in her journy through life and love.
Rating: 
Summary: An unusual book, compelling in a slow, quiet way...
Review: I have always found the Amish world fascinating -- perhaps they give us an idea what the lives of our ancestors (who lived without modern conveniences) were like -- or perhaps it is simply because they are mysterious because they separate themselves so completely from the rest of society. This book provides some insight (and I don't know how accurate it is) into what it would be like to grow up Amish. The book is set in the post WWII period, but I don't know to what extent life has changed among the Amish, who seem timeless in many ways. The plot is worthy of Jane Austen -- seemingly not much happens, and yet a great deal happens, particularly given that women in this culture have their choice of very little except whether they choose to remain within the community by being baptized and then who (among the Amish) they marry. The main character, Leah, plans to be baptized and then marry her sweetheart Jonah, despite the fact that her father would prefer she marry another young man he has in mind. The only thing really troubling her (besides her sweetheart's temporary absence -- he's off learning carpentry) is her sister's explosive secret, which she has promised to keep from their parents. How can she be baptized with such a troubled conscience -- concealing something so important. Is it right to keep her word or break it? Meanwhile, her sister is trying to come to terms with this secret herself, in her own interior struggle. If I had any complaints, it would be that the pace of the book is slow -- perhaps as slow as the lives of the plain Amish compared to the fancy English around them, the difference between driving a horse and buggy compared to driving a car. Still, the book was quite compelling and I can hardly wait to read the next volume in the series.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing!
Review: I love Beverly Lewis' books. However, this series on Abram's daughters is amazing. Once again, Mrs. Lewis paints a wonderful world, very much like our own, through her beautiful words. If you look for drama, suspence, betrayal and hidden secrets, this series must be your next and last stop. Read them! You won't be disappointed!
Rating:
Summary: Good Clean Suspense and Romance!!
Review: I loved this 2nd book. All thru book 1, I wondered if Sadie or LEah was Lizzie's daughter. Now, I'm wondering who her father is? Maybe Dr. Henry Schwartz? This book is a page turner full of suspense and romance. It answers some questions from Book 1, but leaves more questions unanswered. I hope that Leah and Jonas will find each other again.
Rating:
Summary: Another wonderful book
Review: I really liked the continuation of the first story, and thought it moved along at a nice pace, and kept me interested. Leah's strength, and true character is further revealed in this story, and you will be amazed by just how strong she is! These characters just keep getting richer and richer with each novel!
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