The Heirloom by Beverly Lewis is a special story that is a prequel to The Shunning. I thought the story was well-written and it had a good flow. The characters were developed and relatable. Katie Lapp is in the story, but The Heirloom focuses on Clara Bender and Ella Mae Zook. I liked both characters. Clara and Ella Mae may be decades apart in age, but they got along so well. The pair have a special relationship. I like how a family quilt that needed to be repaired played into the story. Ella Mae and Clara are quilters (another thing they have in common) and can repair quilts that need some love. I enjoyed the description of this family quilt. We get to see how the rules can differ from one Amish church district to the next. The differences can include the style of dress, the type of caps, gizmos allowed in courting buggies, scooters versus bicycles, and so on. Unfortunately, sometimes a bishop can be too strict which causes people to move. I can understand why Clara’s father is worried about Clara finding a beau and possibly settling down in such a strict district. I could understand Clara’s grief over the loss of her mother. She is having a hard time seeing someone come in and take her mother’s place in the house. It is hard losing a parent and you will continue to miss them every day. Ella Mae is dealing with the loss of her husband and her children are pushing her into doing something she is not ready to do. Ella Mae is a special woman who offered wise words, encouragement, and support. One of my favorite phrases from The Heirloom is, “God cares ’bout even the little things, she always said. Big or little, if they matter to you, dearie, they matter to Him.” The Heirloom has a sweet ending, but there is a detail or two that I wish had been different. This is a special Amish tale that deals with family, friendship, forgiveness, hope, grief, love, and faith. The Heirloom is a touching Amish tale with distressed daughter, loving letters, a family friend, a bouncing buggy, youth group gatherings, a bothered bishop, and a devoted God.

I have read this author's books since she started writing them. She is the one who started me reading Amish fiction. What I like about her books is how realistic they are. I love her writing style. The situations portrayed are realistic and believable. And I can always learn something about the Amish culture from her books. They are always very well researched.

Having read her book The Shunning and the rest of that series when it was first published many years ago, I was thrilled to see a prequel to this series in The Heirloom.

Clara Bender lives in Hickory Hollow, Indiana, and her widowed father is newly remarried. I didn't like her new stepmother when we first met in the book. Her character is portrayed as unlikeable, as many stepmothers are portrayed. She doesn't make much of an effort to get along with Clara or empathize with her.

Missing her mother, Clara reads some letters that were bundled away and sent from her aunt to her mother over the years. The two had a close and loving relationship. Clara contacts her aunt about a visit, as she wants to get to know her and hear more about her mother in her younger years.

I loved it when letter writing was popular and used to write and receive letters from my grandmother. The pretty stationery was always a treat to see. Clara's father isn't crazy about her going to visit her aunt because it's a different church district and the rules are different in that district. He relents when she makes plans to stay for a short amount of time.

Once arriving, I enjoyed getting to know the aunt, and we see a bit of a timeslip as we are taken back in time to her aunt's youth and get to meet some of the youngsters her aunt knew. Just like with today's youth, there were the reliable and steadfast youth and the braggarts and show-offs. We see from this why the bishop back then made the rules so strict after some mishaps, and this explains why Clara's aunt is the way she is and also why she doesn't speak of this time period with anyone.

I enjoyed reading about fixing the heirloom quilt and its repair process.

After acclimating herself to her new homestead in the Lancaster area, she and her aunt would like her to stay longer. Also, the new beau she has wants to grow closer to her. He is a strong man of faith. I enjoyed seeing how Clara and her aunt drew closer in their relationship with each other and with God. Clara goes through some uncertainty when she decides she wants to make this her permanent home, and her father can't agree to her staying in Lancaster for many reasons. Because of her upbringing, she will not disobey her father. But God always has our best interests and will bring us through our trials and tribulations.

This is an excellent book. This author, with her steadfast faith, never fails to write an inspirational book.

I was given a complimentary copy . All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I read The Shunning when I was in college and it opened up the world of the Amish to me. I was so excited to read this book. It continues to amaze me about the differences between the Amish and "English" people. I enjoyed how the story played out. Of course my favorite characters were Ella Mae, Aaron and Clara



Thanks so much to netgalley and the publisher for the arc. The opinions are my own.

This is the long awaited prequel to The Shunning. This sweet story about how Clara finds herself after losing her mom. Clara finds a connection with her mom’s Aunt Ella Mae, in her mom’s home town of Hickory Hollow. Clara and Aunt Ella Mae hope for the future in each other company while mending an old family quilt, the Heirloom.

I was so excited to see this ARC available, I adore Beverly’s books and this did not disappoint.

Clara’s mother recently died, and her father has already rewed. Feeling lost, Clara discovers a stack of old letters written to her mother from her aunt. On a whim, Clara decides to go and visit her aunt in another district, and the two form a close bond.

When Clara makes friends, meets someone special, and wants to remain living with her aunt, her father orders her home.

Can Clara stay true to her faith and have the courage to follow God's will when making life decisions?

An inspirational story of faith and family.

I adored this story, an absolute stand out for me. I love Amish romances and Beverly is one of my favourite authors of this genre.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book in return for my honest review.

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 like 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.

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.

This is the prequel to The Shunning.
I was very excited to see this book and I just had to have it!
I absolutely adored this book, too! So good! I couldn't put this book down!
I finished it a day!
I enjoy Lewis' books and this one is no exception.
Lots of inspirational messages that I loved as well.
Clara was an interesting character.
In a way, I felt sorry for her and I felt that she was the innocent one.
She needed this journey to find out who and where she really belongs.
I decided to throw this in because I can relate to this quote as I'm sure most of us can.
We never get over missing our loved ones. Mamas are special. Mine was. I still miss her to this day.
“You’ll always miss her, dearie. It’s natural when ya love someone so much. We never get over such great losses, but we eventually get through them with the Lord’s help.”
Ella Mae was an equally interesting woman. I loved her wise words of wisdom, support and encouragement
I especially loved how Ella Mae stood her ground on certain things.
This is Ella Mae's and Clara's story of learning how to learn and live again without their loved ones in their lives.
Lewis has written a beautiful story about family and friendship along with redemption, forgiveness and hope.
I didn't want this story to end. I hated to say goodbye to my new friends and old ones too.
You might want to keep a box of tissues nearby too.
I am looking forward to her next story.
5 stars for a well written book. I highly recommend!
Such a gorgeous cover too! I love book covers!
My thanks for a copy of this book
I was NOT required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I won this ARC as part of the Library Thing’s Early Review Program via NetGalley from publisher Bethany House. I was under no obligation to write a favorable review and received no compensation for writing this review.

This is my first time reading a book by Beverly Lewis and was blown away by this heartfelt/heart-wrenching story. The Heirloom is a prequel to a book called The Shunning which is now on my TBR list, as well as many others by this author. We are introduced to Ella Mae Zook first by letters to her niece and then in person when her great niece Clara Bender comes to stay with her who lives in Hickory Hollow, a more strict Amish community, against her father’s wishes. Together Ella Mae and Clara work on restoring a family heirloom quilt bonding them together helping them to heal from their grief. During Clara’s stay she meets Aaron, a young man from Hickory Hollow, and falls in love. Clara and Aaron want to marry but it will not be easy as there are many roadblocks for them to overcome. Will God help them through this difficult journey? Read this delightful story and have faith that all will be well in the end.

I highly recommend this inspirational story of strong family ties, values, and even stronger faith.

The Heirloom is Beverly Lewis' newest Amish fiction novel. It will be published next month on September 12, 2023. I received an advanced review copy (ARC) through Librarything's Early Reviewer's Club in exchange for an honest review. This story is a prequel to Lewis's The Shunning.

The publisher's summary:

After her widowed father remarries, nineteen-year-old Clara Bender is no longer needed to run his household. Marriage seems like her best hope of moving out, but there are few young men in her tiny Indiana Amish community. When she comes across letters from her mother's aunt Ella Mae Cook, she sets off to visit Lancaster County's Hickory Hollow to decide where her future lies. 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 eager to resettle her, making Clara's visit seem like an answer to prayer. The two women form a warm bond while restoring an heirloom wedding quilt and sharing their lives, with Ella Mae confiding about a tragedy from her courting years. Eventually, Ella Mae suggests Clara stay for the summer, allowing Ella Mae more time with her and giving Clara an opportunity to meet the area's eligible young men.

This book has a simple plot with a slow pace. I was distracted by the ARC's full justification for the paragraphs so perhaps that is why I felt the pace was slow. Sometimes there were only 2 to 3 words per line. It seemed that no matter how long I read at a stretch, I made little progress toward finishing the book. The justification was much improved by the midpoint of the story and that is where the plot became interesting. There were several mysteries and problems for Clara to resolve and the food descriptions were scrumptious. The pace also picked up nicely. Still, it took me two days to finish this short 190 page book. Unheard of for someone like me who can read three 300 page books in a day.

The justification clearly impacted my enjoyment of the novel and I would expect that by the time it is published the justification will be corrected and my comments irrelevant. Let's just say the second half of the book is worth reading.

The Heirloom is a story about a young lady named Clara who has recently lost her mother and her father has rewed. She finds a stack of letters from her great aunt Ella Mae, written to her mother. Clara is so moved by the letters that she decides to go and visit her great aunt who lives in another district.
Ella Mae is also grieving the recent loss of her husband. Together the two form a close bond and help each other heal from their losses and cope with the current conflicts in their lives.
Ella Mae's family want her to move out of the home she loves into one closer to them. Clara makes friends, meets a young man and wants to stay in Hickory Hollow, but her dad insists she return to her home district.
Many life stories, heartaches and future hopes are shared while the two work on repairing an old family heirloom quilt.
I appreciated the bible verses that helped the characters stay true to their faith and have the courage to follow God's will when making life decisions.
The vivid descriptions helped to paint the lovely scenes in my head. This was a pleasure to read.
It's an inspirational story of strong faith and family ties. Highly recommended. Thank you to Bethany House Publishers, LibaryThing & NetGalley for the ARC.

When I was a teenager, my mom sent me to her bookshelf and told me to start reading the many Janette Oke books that were prettily lined up side-by-side. (It was probably summer vacation, and I was probably driving her insane, lol.) I fell absolutely in love with those books, and with reading. I feel like I have been on a search ever since, to find books that impacted me in the same way. Not being especially familiar with Beverly Lewis personally (though I had heard of her), I was so excited to dive into this book.

Y'all. I finally found the Lost City (*ahem* Book *ahem*) of Atlantis.

The book follows the story of Clara, who not only recently lost her mother, but her husband too. Feeling a little lost and overwhelmed, she decides to visit her great aunt Ella Mae. The relationship that blooms between these two, and the way that the author weaves their stories with our amazing Father in Heaven...there are no words. I walked away from this book with a deeper understanding of our Lord and all the warm fuzzies that I have missed all these years. This book is like a warm snickerdoodle. A definite recommend!

Well thanks Ms. Lewis! Now I feel that I need to go back and read The Shunning again to remind myself about Katie Lapp. It could be a vicious circle!
I really enjoyed The Heirloom and finding out Ella Mae Zook's back story. I always enjoy reading about the differences between the Amish districts. I live in Indiana so it makes me wonder how many differences there are between the districts here.
Thank you for the ARC on NetGalley.

I just love reading stories by Beverly Lewis. Once again she pulled me right into this story from the very start. Clara lost her mother, and her father remarried within a year. While this is likely common for the Amish, as life is generally harder enough that they really need that help mate to survive, it was especially hard for Clara. Her step mother appeared very sweet, but Clara still felt very displaced as her stepmother stepped into fully casting for Clara’s father and the home.

Clara’s father gave her a desk that belonged to her deceased mother, and in it she found a large stack of letters from her aunt who lives in a much stricter old order community where her parents originated. Clara goes to visit her aunt, and her life takes on a whole new direction that gives her new purpose.

This is a beautiful story! Ms Lewis is a wonderful story teller with a great imagination, and very realistic details of the Amish community and how they live. I will continue to read her books!

Thank you, Bethany House and Netgalley, for the opportunity to read this advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

We are given a young woman whom lost her mother, and her father has recently remarried, she is feeling lost when she discovered letters her Mom had saved from her Aunt. Reading these letters open a new door for Clara.

This is a Amish woman whom loves God, and she is now staying with a woman who lives her life for the Lord, perfect, but her Dad does not approve of this Amish district, to liberal for him.

Enter a love interest and you will soon feel all is lost for poor Clara, especially when the two districts Bishops become involved. But there is a young man that is willing to go to great lengths to win Clara, and we are there to see how determined he is!

I really enjoyed this journey and wanted to stay longer!

I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Bethany House, and was not required to give a positive review.

A compassionate story about life and living. It was an encouragement to be reminded that we need to be saved by Jesus's blood not by following the church rules.

As a prequel to The Shunning, The Heirloom offers the backstory of Hickory Hollows wise woman, Ella Mae Zook. After Clara Benders mother dies, she finds letters from Ella Mae to her mother. As she reads them, she realizes she must meet Ella Mae to help her find solace while grieving her mother. I do enjoy these peeks into Amish life, but with this installment, the author wrote the characters far more perfect and sweet than believable.