3rd out of 151 books
—
127 voters
The Covenant (Abram's Daughters #1)
Book 1 of Abram's Daughters series from bestselling author Beverly Lewis. Years of secrecy bind the tiny community of Gobbler's Knob together more than the present inhabitants know, and the Plain folk who farm the land rarely interact with the fancy locals. So when Sadie is beguiled by a dark-haired English boy, it is Sadie's younger sister, Leah, who suffers from her sist...more
Paperback, 320 pages
Published
September 1st 2002
by Bethany House Publishers
(first published January 1st 2002)
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This is a beautifully written, compelling tale of the life of a young Amish girl. What I particularly appreciated in this novel is the author's understanding that the religion practiced by the Old Order Amish is not a saving faith in Christ alone for salvation. There are a ton of "Christian" Amish books out there whose authors equate the theology of the Amish with other, more mainstream Christian denominations and this simply cannot be done. Anyway, back to the point- this is a wonderful series...more
Pleasantly surprised! The format it is written in is a bit confusing at first who is telling the story and throughout actually but, it was a good story of a family trying to be righteous and the interesting tribulations that are sent there way. The chemistry is actually what drew me in. All the sisters add so much into the family. Sadie I felt was especially self-focused and quite the taker as well as a rebel. Leah is obviously favored though she doesn't believe it and is sincerely a sweet perso...more
I picked this book up at the library due to good reviews from my friends. At first I thought that the book might be a little too simply written to have any literary value to me... It was very easy and quick to read, but by the end of the book I was interested in the lives of the characters and will probably read the rest of the series to find out what happens. It was actually a nice "break" to read something that I didn't have to think about much. This is not to say that there is nothing to be l...more
A review from my old blog... (joint review of The Covenant and The Sacrifice)
I found myself drawn into these books like I haven't been for a long time. Many of these books on my list are not books that I would normally read for pleasure. The reasons for that are various. Many of the books from the past week aren't my normal fare simply because I am a college graduate and not in elementary school or middle school. That's not to say that they aren't good books of course. Some of the other books fa...more
I found myself drawn into these books like I haven't been for a long time. Many of these books on my list are not books that I would normally read for pleasure. The reasons for that are various. Many of the books from the past week aren't my normal fare simply because I am a college graduate and not in elementary school or middle school. That's not to say that they aren't good books of course. Some of the other books fa...more
First off, I have a running challenge from a friend to read whatever romance novel she throws my way. (Avoid "Succubus in the City" and any Highlander-wolf themed romance. Made me want to burn a book for the first time in my life. Also avoid the time-traveling Viking who becomes a Navy SEAL series. Dumber than dumb times infinity. BTW: last year's challenges.) Her challenge for the new year: read an Amish romance. An AMISH romance....really.....this can't be right. Direct quote from me: "What ca...more
I picked up this book for a couple reasons. First, I really really liked Cindy Woodsmall’s series Sisters of the Quilt, so thought I would check out another Amish style story and second, it was free on the kindle.
While this wasn’t one of my die hard favorite reads, I would definitely read other books by Beverly Lewis. I’ve heard plenty of good things and you don’t become a New York Times Bestseller without work to back it up.
As far as the story goes, The Covenant kicks off the series and follows...more
While this wasn’t one of my die hard favorite reads, I would definitely read other books by Beverly Lewis. I’ve heard plenty of good things and you don’t become a New York Times Bestseller without work to back it up.
As far as the story goes, The Covenant kicks off the series and follows...more
BOOK SUMMARY:
The Covenant follows approximately one year (1946/1947 in Lancaster County, PA) in the lives of Abram Ebersol's four daughters: Sadie (almost 19), Leah (almost 16), and Mary Ruth and Hannah (13-year-old twins). Sadie is thoroughly enjoying her rumschpringe (English translation "running around," which is the time when Amish teens are permitted to sow their wild oats before being baptized and joining the church) and is drawn to the ways of the Englisch (non-Amish) world. Leah is just...more
The Covenant follows approximately one year (1946/1947 in Lancaster County, PA) in the lives of Abram Ebersol's four daughters: Sadie (almost 19), Leah (almost 16), and Mary Ruth and Hannah (13-year-old twins). Sadie is thoroughly enjoying her rumschpringe (English translation "running around," which is the time when Amish teens are permitted to sow their wild oats before being baptized and joining the church) and is drawn to the ways of the Englisch (non-Amish) world. Leah is just...more
This is a coming of age story of 4 young Amish girls living in Lancaster County, PA. In the Amish community when a young person turns 16 they are officially allowed to date and they are encouraged to have fun and the rules are a little relaxed before they make their covenant with the church and the way of life of the “plain” people.
Sadie is the oldest girl of the family and wants to test the boundaries of her freedom and falls in love with a boy outside of the Amish society. Will she choose this...more
Sadie is the oldest girl of the family and wants to test the boundaries of her freedom and falls in love with a boy outside of the Amish society. Will she choose this...more
I like Beverly Lewis, she always seems to have an interesting story to tell about the Amish. Unfortunately though she does use the same formula when she creates her books, so even while you enjoy reading them, you know what's going to happen, and that detracts a little bit from the book. The Covenant is the first book in a series titled "Abrams Daughters" and as you may have guessed it, Abram's daughters are the ones who feature.
Sadie is in her wild time and is certainly taking advantage of it....more
Sadie is in her wild time and is certainly taking advantage of it....more
I loved this book. Beverly really showcases a true amish heritage. Abram and his wife love eachone of their girl, Sadie, Hannah, Mary Ruth and Leah. Although Leah, has been made her dads farmhand essentially substituting Leah for the son Abram never had. Leah broke away from that and took on the the woman's role in amish life. She took a stand and said enough I wanna be married and have a children and learn the ways of the women and jonas mast has her heart. And then there is Sadie where amish l...more
This is a quick read with a story that moves at the rate of a soap opera. There's 5 more in the series and I may continue since it's a quick read, but I wish there was more description of the Amish history/background or how they can do everything without electricity. Lewis changes the point of view without warning, and since all the characters are sisters, at times I'm a page or 2 thinking it's the voice of a different sister. (copied review) Book 1 of Abram's Daughters series from bestselling a...more
This was a free ebook offering on Kobo. I am familiar with Beverly Lewis's work having thoroughly enjoyed her "Heritage of Lancaster County" books years ago. The Covenant is the first book in the Abram's Daughters series. " It's 1946 in Gobbler's Knob, Pa., and Sadie Ebersol and her sister, Leah, are exploring the joys of "rumschpringe" the period of relaxed rules and running around that Amish teens enjoy prior to their baptism into the church. Tomboy Leah's first love is Jonas Mast, but her fat...more
Not sure Amish fiction is my favorite, but I figured I should read one at some point...and this was free. I really enjoyed the use of Amish/German words; until I got acclimated, it felt like another world. But I think I probably would've preferred a "modern" Amish book...this takes place in the 1940s so it's a blend of historical and Amish fiction, and I'm not sure which parts of Amish life were old-fashioned because they were Amish, and what was because it was the 1940s.
The first portion of the...more
The first portion of the...more
Book 1 of Abram's Daughters series from bestselling author Beverly Lewis. Years of secrecy bind the tiny community of Gobbler's Knob together more than
the present inhabitants know, and the Plain folk who farm the land rarely interact with the fancy locals. So when Sadie is beguiled by a dark-haired English
boy, it is Sadie's younger sister, Leah, who suffers from her sister's shameful loss of innocence. And what of Leah's sweetheart, Jonas Mast, sent to Ohio
under the Bishop's command? Drawn into...more
the present inhabitants know, and the Plain folk who farm the land rarely interact with the fancy locals. So when Sadie is beguiled by a dark-haired English
boy, it is Sadie's younger sister, Leah, who suffers from her sister's shameful loss of innocence. And what of Leah's sweetheart, Jonas Mast, sent to Ohio
under the Bishop's command? Drawn into...more
I liked this series because it dealt with a taboo topic: children born out of wedlock in a strict Christian community. The story is mostly believable, and has unpredictable plot twists.
I like books by Beverly Lewis because they are a pleasant read. Lewis often writes books set in Amish country. I used to live close to several Amish settlements, so I had a little window into Amish life. I also enjoy her usage of Pennsylvania Dutch, which I like to pretend I understand, because it's derived from G...more
I like books by Beverly Lewis because they are a pleasant read. Lewis often writes books set in Amish country. I used to live close to several Amish settlements, so I had a little window into Amish life. I also enjoy her usage of Pennsylvania Dutch, which I like to pretend I understand, because it's derived from G...more
Jun 30, 2009
Megan
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
girlfriends
Recommended to Megan by:
Marie Burt
Shelves:
book-club-pick,
romance
"The Covenant" follows the lives of the four Ebersol sisters: Sadie, Leah, Hannah and Mary Ruth. Their secrets, joys, sorrows, and family life in Lancaster County Pennsylvania. Coming from a family of all sisters myself, I really related to this family. Oh, and did I mention they also happen to be devout Amish?
This was my first foray into the world of Amish or Christian Romance, and I was pleasantly surprised. The story meanders at it's own leisurely pace (much like the culture and Plain people...more
This was my first foray into the world of Amish or Christian Romance, and I was pleasantly surprised. The story meanders at it's own leisurely pace (much like the culture and Plain people...more
This book took me a long time to get into it. About halfway in I finally got to the point where I wanted to keep reading and stopped planning dinner and making shopping lists in my head while I read.
The story follows an Amish family as their two eldest daughters approach the age of courting and marriage. I don't know a whole lot about the Amish faith or their culture and this book doesn't really explain a lot of it, so I'm sure there were several references that were lost on me.
If you are want...more
The story follows an Amish family as their two eldest daughters approach the age of courting and marriage. I don't know a whole lot about the Amish faith or their culture and this book doesn't really explain a lot of it, so I'm sure there were several references that were lost on me.
If you are want...more
"The Covenant" is book one in the Abram's Daughters series by Beverly Lewis. This story takes us to the heart of Amish country and into the home of Abram and Ida Ebersol, the parents of four daughters. "The Covenant" focuses mainly on the two older girls, Sadie and Leah. Sadie is in her rumschpringe, the running around period for Amish youth, in which they may experience the "English" way of life without facing the consequences of the Elders or risk being shunned. It's during this time that she...more
While wandering through the library I stumbled upon book 4 in this series. It sounded very interesting so I decided I should start from the beginning and see what happened. I finished this book in 2 days, I found it that interesting. I loved how you got snippets of what all of the women characters were thinking and feeling. I found the explanations of Amish life to be fascinating. It makes me want to go to our Amish market and talk to the people who work there about where or not their life is si...more
I love reading Beverly Lewis book. I have read every book she's written about the Amish culture. I rated them at 3 just because they are easy readers, something light but very informative on how the Amish live in a fictional storyline.
Since I have read all the books, I will not write a review for each one. They are all Christain oriented, very informative, and entertaining. They are most likely writtern for teenagers, but hold the attention of my husband and I. We visit the Lancaster area every...more
Since I have read all the books, I will not write a review for each one. They are all Christain oriented, very informative, and entertaining. They are most likely writtern for teenagers, but hold the attention of my husband and I. We visit the Lancaster area every...more
I really, really liked this story. I am fascinated with other cultures/religions. This one is about the Amish people in Pennsylvania Dutch country. I love learning about how they live day to day, their faith, love and dedication to their lifestyle. They are just regular people living the best they know how. But, like everyone, they have their challenges and trials. Well written and interesting, I was sad to reach the end of this book. Thankfully, Beverly Lewis followed this one up with 4 more bo...more
I'm a snob about my reading, and I've avoided "Christian literature" of the more "popular" kind found in Christian bookstores for a long time. But when this was a freebie for my Kindle I thought it wouldn't hurt to give it a try. I've visited Lancaster, and I live in Amish country in Western PA, so I feel a bit of connection to the subject matter.
I was pleasantly surprised! This is a well-written little book with distinct characters and not-completely-predictable plot lines, as well as some mys...more
I was pleasantly surprised! This is a well-written little book with distinct characters and not-completely-predictable plot lines, as well as some mys...more
Beverly Lewis may be my all time favorite for historical fiction. She not only stays true to the heritage of the people she is writing about which is mainly the Amish but she weaves fiction and the hidden truth so well that she gets you thinking. Hmmm. Is this really fiction?
I took a trip back to Lancaster County and went to most of the places she talks about in this series along with the hospital her mother was in when she was a child, which is from her book "The Sunroom" and I felt like I had...more
I took a trip back to Lancaster County and went to most of the places she talks about in this series along with the hospital her mother was in when she was a child, which is from her book "The Sunroom" and I felt like I had...more
I read this Amish romance purely because I read an article about how Amish romances were the new 'thing' and I thought to myself "ho ho ho, that sounds terrible. LET'S DO IT." I can be a little masochistic. This one is apparently a big deal in this genre and, as the first in the saga was free on Kindle, I totally did it. I read it on my phone mostly at the gym. (There's a little shelf on the elliptical and I run and read and swipe the page and run and read. It's fun.) That was weird, actually. S...more
I'm a little ashamed to say that I now feel like Amish fiction is a genre that I totally love. Or perhaps Beverly Lewis is just a talented writer. I don't know. What I do know is that this book was very good. Lewis is a great writer - I was totally invested in the characters and she had some twists that I wasn't expecting. There were a few plot points that I picked up on right away, probably just because authors write in similar ways when they want to allude to something without giving part of t...more
Actually, I liked this book, although I'm not generally not one to read inspirational fiction. It wasn't really preachy, the writing wasn't horrible and the story deals with the same old issues that everyone deals with, Amish or not. What most appealed to me was actually the way that the women in the family were able to support each other while withholding judgment - I guess that's the draw of a lot of these books. Learning a little about the Amish didn't hurt, either, and gave me insight into s...more
This was the first book I had ever read by Beverly Lewis. I had seen so many good reviews of her books so I was expecting it to be really great. I have to say it was just okay. It couldn't keep my interest. I can usually read a book in 1-2 days. It took me 2 weeks. I had to make myself pick the book up to finish it. I liked the storyline okay but it just wasn't interesting enough for me I guess. I probably will read the rest of the series just to see what happens. I may try another one of her se...more
I was excited to read this book with all the wonderful reviews. But sadly, I just was not able to get into it, try as I might. The author switches viewpoints too quickly for my taste and that makes it a little tricky to follow. I'm sure it didn't help matters that I found the characters uninteresting (sorry!) and so it felt like a chore to continue reading. I made it about a third of the way through before I just put it down for good. Am I the only one in the world who didn't like it? I feel bad...more
I'm glad this book was free on Kindle because I'd be mad if I'd paid for it. The only reason I kept reading was because there was enough of an engaging story line with plenty of conflict to want me to see what happens, but a bit predictable. The writing was so horrible, I found myself editing the book in my mind as I read it. This book is book #1 in a series. I read it because all the reviews on amazon were positive. I am disappointed the book was not better. It is an easy read, but full of Amis...more
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Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
Beverly Lewis, raised in Pennsylvania Amish country and both a schoolteacher and an accomplished musician, has been an award-winning author for over a dozen years. Her acclaimed novel, The Preacher's Daughter, was a 2006 Quill Book Award finalist in the romance category. Her books have appeared on numerous best...more
More about Beverly Lewis...
Beverly Lewis, raised in Pennsylvania Amish country and both a schoolteacher and an accomplished musician, has been an award-winning author for over a dozen years. Her acclaimed novel, The Preacher's Daughter, was a 2006 Quill Book Award finalist in the romance category. Her books have appeared on numerous best...more
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Jul 03, 2009 07:19am