Customer Reviews

The Betrayal

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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

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.

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.

"The Betrayal" picks up right where "The Covenant" left off and has all the characters I fell in love with in the first book. This book with all the turmoil and heartache made me long to find out what Leah would do on the next page. Leah is girl who struggles between what is expected, and what is desired. I can relate to Leah's struggle and yet I am completely fascinated by the strange customs of a 1947 Amish community. I was thankful for the bad weather the weekend I bought this book so I could spend the day reading the entire book. "The Betrayal" answers many of the questions at the end of "The Covenant" and leaves you with new questions. I can't wait for the next book to see where Mrs. Lewis takes Leah, Sadie, Hannah, and Mary. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interesting in romance, passion or suspense.

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!

Oh my gosh! I couldn't put this book down! I went through all
kinds of different emotions. I love how Beverly Lewis takes
you to the exact place of where the Amish live and their way of life. Such a beautiful series of books!!

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!

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.

Years ago, I lived in Lancaster, PA so I can testify to the realistic and positive way that Beverly Lewis depicts the Amish culture. "The Betrayal" is the second in the series of "Abram's Daughters", published by Bethany House;( ©2003, Beverly Lewis).

In the first book of this series, Lewis introduced Abram's four courting-age daughters, their family, relatives and friends. In that book, Sadie rebels against their community and lifestyle with tragic consequences - as have others before her. Although the Amish people live the "Plain" life that is considered old-fashioned in our complex world, Amish folk have all the normal human feelings, complexities and secrets in relationships.

Coninuing in "The Betrayal", some of those secrets reach out to affect Leah in her deepening friendship with Jonas and bring confusion. Meanwhile, Abram has other ideas about a husband for his second daughter, Leah. Read it and see for yourself. It is good reading. As an avid reader and published writer myself, I know you will enjoy Beverly Lewis' writing.

"The Betrayal" is the sequel to "The Covenant," and picks up right where the latter left off, which is wonderful. You feel a seamless time flow which is necessary when reading a series of books. It's also helpful to read them after they've all been published, as I am doing. The Amish way of life still intrigues me, and I think this book completely demonstrates the faults of the Plain way of life, while "The Convenient" demonstrates the good aspects of their lifestyle, so it's an interesting (and confusing) contrast between the two books. I can get past the soap opera-type story because of the character development and relations, although I had hoped there would be more family interaction, but the self-discovery the characters experienced was interesting. I look forward to the next book. I recommend.