Book Review: The Covenant by Beverly Lewis

Name: The Lilies of the Field

Author: William E. Barrett

Series: Abram's Daughter

Brief summary: The Covenant is the tale of Abram and Ida Ebersol two oldest daughters, Sadie and Leah, during their rumschpringe. This is a time when Amish teens are allowed to run wild and free before taking their baptismal vows.
Sadie, the eldest of the Ebersol's four daughters, is making her vows in the fall, and she is not at all sure this is the path she wants. Truth be told she has been sneaking into town asking for trouble. She knows her parents would be shamed if they knew where she had been, but this doesn't seem to bother Sadie in the least. Especially after the night she meets the fancy English boy, Derry. She could not stay away from this boy who whispered sweet nothings in her ear. Sadie at first does not understand the danger that everyone tries to warn her against, but it is not long before Sadie learns first hand what can happen when you are lead astray from God by temptation.
Unlike Sadie, Leah, the second oldest, was not raised to woman's work in the house but to man's work out side with her father. She has always been her father's son since her parents did not have any boys. As Leah watches her sister Sadie going through her rumschpringe, she begins to worry about her sister, but all she seems to get from Sadie these days is indifference. Not knowing what else to do, she starts to look forward to her own upcoming rumschpringe. Her father has it in his sites that she will marry the Smithy's son, but unfortunately Leah has another boy in mind. How can she break the news to her father without breaking his heart?
As Sadie and Leah are both going through their rumschpringe, they both learn that some times you can not stop the fall, but you can be there to help pick up the pieces. (From Amazon.com)

Grade/Age level: 14 and up

Cautions: Some adult themes including an teenage unwed pregnancy is mentioned. Nothing graphic.

If you like this book, you will also like.... Love comes softly by Janette Oke (link leads you to my review of this)

Personal Opinion: This was my second time reading this AMAZING AMAZING story! I have my fellow blogger and friend, The Other Katie (who also happens to be co-author of the Katie and Katie blog) to blame for my love of books by Beverly Lewis. This was the first book I read by her and I was honestly captivated! I fell in love with the Amish and their simple lifestyle. If I hadn't had read this book and read the rest of Beverly Lewis' books, than I never would have bugged my family to visit the Amish country and than we never would have gone there on vacation this fall! This is the sort of book that although is about the Amish, it's almost like a soap opera in the way of all the unexpected twists and turns! Great inspirational read! But, the cool thing about it is that it could be religious, or not. You can look at it as religious if you want to, but if you don't think about it as religious, than it won't seem religious.

Rating: 10/10