The Betrayal (Abram's Daughters #2) [Paperback]

Beverly Lewis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2003

Book 2 of Abram's Daughters. Spanning three generations, the Abram's Daughters series paints a powerful family portrait of four Amish sisters growing up in Gobbler's Knob, Lancaster County. In Book One, The Covenant, when oldest sister Sadie is beguiled by a handsome, dark-haired "Englischer," it is younger sister Leah who suffers from her sister's shameful behavior. In Book Two, The Betrayal, Leah and her beloved Jonas are separated for half the year when he accepts a long-desired carpenter's apprenticeship in Ohio. They are confident that by letter and heart-felt promises, their love is strong enough to survive the temporary separation. But never could they have foreseen the bitter test facing them and their families.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A wonderful continuance of THE COVENANT. Ms. Lewis does a magnificent job of creating genuinely, real characters in her books." -- Romance Junkies

About the Author

Beverly Lewis was born in the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch country. She fondly recalls her growing-up years, and due to a keen interest in her mother's Plain family heritage, many of Beverly's books are set in Lancaster County.

A former schoolteacher, Bev is a member of The National League of American Pen Women--the Pikes Peak Branch--and the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. Her bestselling books are among the C.S. Lewis Noteworthy List Books, and both The Postcard and Annika's Secret Wish have received Silver Angel Awards. Bev and her husband have three children and make their home in Colorado.

Product Details

• Paperback: 358 pages
• Publisher: Bethany House Publishers; Reprinted edition (September 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764223313
• ISBN-13: 978-0764223310
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #76,863 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I've had my nose in a book, for as long as I remember. When I was about 9 years old, I started writing my own stories. By sixth grade, I'd hand-written a 66-page semi-autobiographical book titled, "She Shall Have Music."

After I was married and our three children were in middle school, I began submitting articles and short fiction to various magazines.

My first book (Holly's First Love) was published in May 1993, the start of a 14-book series for pre-teen girls. Soon after, my first chapter book was published for 7-10-year-old readers ("Big Bad Beans") which later became part of my 24-book series, The Cul-de-Sac Kids. I wrote another long-running series for girls, titled "SummerHill Secrets," which was set very close to Neffsville, PA, where I grew up--near the heart of Amish country.

But it was the story of my grandmother Ada Buchwalter's shunning by her ultra-strict father and subsequently her old order Mennonite community that nudged me toward writing adult fiction. THE SHUNNING was published in 1997 by Bethany House Publishers, and along with its sequels, has touched a nerve in millions of readers intrigued by the Plain culture of Lancaster County, PA. The Hallmark Channel will air the movie, "Beverly Lewis's The Shunning" on April 16, 2011 at 9 EDT/8 Central.

My passion for Amish-related stories continues to keep me up at night, and I'm presently writing the third book in my new series: The Rose Trilogy, due out September '11.

When I'm between writing deadlines, I enjoy hiking in the Rocky Mountains with my husband. Cooking from scratch, playing Mozart at the piano, and making family memory albums, as well as traveling to meet my devoted readers during book tours, are some of my very favorite things. I also adore reading biographies and memoirs, as well as classic literature.

Book Two of my present series: THE JUDGMENT, will be released on April 5, 2011.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Experience mystery, suspense and romance ..., September 22, 2003

By 

Christian Bookshelf "Christian Bookworm Reviews" (usa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Betrayal (Abram's Daughters #2) (Paperback)

Leah Ebersol and her beloved, Jonas Mast, find themselves separated for six months, when Jonas agrees to take an apprenticeship in Ohio; a long way from where they grew up in Pennsylvania. Desperate to go to him, Leah instead stays home with her sister, Sadie, when Sadie gives birth to a baby boy she believes died at birth. Later, when Leah again gets the opportunity to go to Jonas, she sends Sadie instead, since Sadie is in such deep despair.

Confident in their love, Leah and Jonas happily plan their up-coming marriage by writing letters. Leah is busy trying to find suitable housing in Pennsylvania, and Jonas concentrates on fulfilling his apprenticeship. They write each other faithfully, each looking forward to the time they can be together.

But the Ebersol family is hiding some horrific secrets. Secrets, which if they should come out, would ruin lives. Rumors abound, and Leah doesn't know what to believe. When some of these rumors reach Jonas, he searches for the truth.

Will Jonas find the truth? Or will he reach out to his faithful Leah who must face the rumors and the horrible truth alone? Will Sadie repent of her sins or face a severe shunning?

THE BETRAYAL is book two in the Abram's Daughters' series. I recommend reading THE COVENANT, book one, before reading THE BETRAYAL, because the events in the books are so closely tied together. Leah, Sadie, and the other two sisters, Hannah and Mary are very well developed and pull at the reader's heartstrings. I couldn't believe anyone could have as many horrible things happen to them as Leah and Sadie and still survive. It seemed like things really should start looking up, but things kept going wrong, and you wonder if Jonas and Leah would ever find happiness. There are more books in this series; Beverly Lewis leaves a lot of ends untied in this book. I was hoping that some of the questions and problems in THE COVENANT would be answered in THE BETRAYAL, instead Beverly Lewis leaves even more unanswered. I am going to be anxiously awaiting the next book in this series, and hope I don't have to wait long! Beverly Lewis is one of my favorite authors. She has everything in her books; mystery, suspense, and romance.

--- reviewed by Laura V. Hilton for Christian Bookshelf

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An unusual book, compelling in a slow, quiet way..., March 26, 2004

By 

M. C. Crammer (Decatur, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Betrayal (Abram's Daughters #2) (Paperback)

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.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars --A complex and fascinating story--, November 26, 2003

By 

Judith Miller (Bluemont, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Betrayal (Abram's Daughters #2) (Paperback)

Having read THE COVENANT, I've been looking forward to reading THE BETRAYAL which is the second book in the Abram's Daughters stories. This book was well worth the wait.

Ida and Abram Ebersol live with their daughters in Gobbler's Knob, a small town that's located in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The Ebersol's are Amish and have five daughters, Sadie, Leah, Mary Ruth, Hannah and baby Lydiann.

The story begins with Sadie being unhappy because of something that happened to her during her rumschpringe. That's a brief period in the life of Amish teenagers where they experience a form of dating, and where they will hopefully meet the person they will eventually marry. Only Leah, and their Aunt Lizzie, know of Sadie's problem and have both promised not to ever tell anyone about what happened to Sadie during rumschpringe.

Leah is engaged to Jonas Mast, a charming young man that she's loved from the time she was a little girl. He's living in another area, where he's in training to be a carpenter. Unfortunately, Jonas is not the man that her father wishes her to marry. He prefers that she marries Gid Peachey, a good man who loves Leah, but someone she considers to be just a kind friend.

The twins, Mary Ruth and Hannah have their own secrets because Mary Ruth loves to read and in the Amish community, pleasure reading is not acceptable. Mary Ruth also hopes to go to high school and college to become a teacher. Shy Hannah is worried about her twin and is afraid that Mary Ruth might eventually leave the community to pursue her dreams.

There are a lot of stories going on in THE BETRAYAL and it's a book that is very difficult to put down. Learning about the Amish beliefs and their way of life is indeed fascinating.