Customer Reviews

The Englisher (Annie's People Series #2)

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In this second book in the series, Annie Zook is coming to terms with her promise to her father to give up her art and join the Amish church. Her best friend, Louisa, a childhood penpal, is still visiting, learning about herself just as much as Annie is. Mixed into their stories are Esther, whose husband Zeke is abusive and harboring a childhood memory that is torturing him; Ben Martin, the Englisher who steals Annie's heart; and Annie's father who is demanding more of her than he does her brothers.

Lewis gives us the details that make the lives of her characters vivid and engrossing, and she keeps you reading as you yearn for more information about these People you grow to love.Lewis does have a minor tendency to be a bit preachy at times, but this is easily overlooked as you find yourself drawn into the world of the Amish through her excellent storytelling. The book ends on several cliffhangers which will leave you waiting impatiently for the next installment. Once again, Lewis has written a gripping, involving story. Recommended!

I'm just so fascinated by the Amish people & enjoy Beverly Lewises
novels because they bring you right into the Amish communities & the stories are all exciting with questions that you can hardly wait for the next book to find out what happens. Another big plus for me is that the novels are showing how important God is in their lives and there is NO TRASH in her books. This book as all the others also shows human crosses and trials. Many times I feel that I would have made other choices. I bless Beverly for the enjoyment these books bring to me. Dolores Jules

Annie Zook, the preacher's young daughter, is still obeying her father's orders NOT to draw or paint even though it pains her greatly. However, Ben Martin, an Englisher, is another story. How can Annie ignore this man, or will she even try?

Who is this Ben Martin, and why is he here with the Amish when he is clearly NOT plain? What draws him here, and will he be able to calm his troubled heart as to his early years and his dreams and visions? Or are they real? Will he ever find out?

Lou, the modern Colorado pen pal is still with Annie, trying her best to also find her way in life. She did not consider that she might fall in love with an Amishman....what will SHE do with this new developement? She has currently run back to Colorado and her rich family....

Essie, Annie's best friend, has been taken into protection after her abusive husband, Zeke, refuses to stop the abuse even when she is about to give birth to their 4th child. Julia's home is Mennonite, and while harboring there, Essie has embraced the faith of the Mennonites, leading to a partial shunning....even after she makes a move back toward her husband-- will she denounce her new-found faith in God?

Zeke is one troubled man. He is tormented with the disappearance of his 4 year old brother Isaac, 16 years ago while in the company of Zeke. Bones have been found, uncovered and reburied. Will these bones have any answers? Can the police find answers when they are called in?

Preacher Zook's family is the central one in this book, and Jesse the dad, is losing his children to other ways and interests, but is he able to stop the departing? He is just about to give up on Annie after catching her in a terribly compromising situation for an Amish young lady.

Secrets are many throughout this book, as is the custom of Beverly Lewis. We, the readers, want answers, such as WHO AND WHERE IS ISAAC, REALLY, and what will Lou now do back in Denver while in love with an Amish man? Will Annie ever be able to really, truly embrace the Amish strictness if it means turning her back permanently on her gift of art? And forsaking Ben?

Beverly Lewis has, again, left us looking for book number 3. Thank you Mrs. Lewis.

Beverly Lewis, one of Christian fiction's most popular authors, will please her fans with THE ENGLISHER, the second installment in her series, Annie's People. It's filled with all the things her fans have come to expect: Amish cultural details, interesting characters, faith dilemmas, romance and intrigue.

In book one, THE PREACHER'S DAUGHTER, talented artist Annie Zook was torn between familial fidelity, a half-hearted engagement to a local Amish boy, and pursuing her passion for drawing and painting. Now, following a broken engagement, Annie has agreed to give up her art for six months in obedience to her father's wishes while she considers whether she will join the church or not. Her pen pal and best friend Louisa, who also fled a broken engagement in book one and flew out to visit her, is still enjoying her immersion in Amish life. Louisa is attracted to the handsome Samuel Glick, but realizes that if their romance is to be fully ignited, she must decide to join the Amish community. A visit from her friend Courtney Engelman from back home reminds her of what she has left behind, and leaves her more conflicted.

Annie has the opposite problem. Ben Martin, an Englisher who works in the local harness shop, has captured her heart. His kind and gentle ways attract her like a moth to a flame, and step by step she allows herself to open up to him. Soon, she is experimenting with the idea of discarding various parts of her Plain persona. But how can she continue seeing someone who is not of the Plain folks? What future could there be in the relationship? It's only a matter of time before there's a showdown between Annie and her father, which keeps the suspense building until late in the story.

Other plot lines are continued from book one, including the hushed-up death of Zeke Hochstetler's younger brother Isaac, which continues to torment him. The abusive Zeke pushes for reconciliation with his wife Esther and their young family, but his mental anguish continues to manifest itself in his harsh words and erratic behavior. Is he losing his mind?
Esther, resigned to her abusive, mostly loveless marriage, continues her quiet rebellion over her newfound assurance of salvation (something forbidden by the Plain people, who believe this is a manifestation of pride). Until she repents, she is shunned by her family and her community --- even having to eat at a separate table from her husband and children. Kudos to Lewis for tackling the difficult subject of abuse in religious communities; she addresses many of the emotions and wrongful views of those in leadership about the issue.

While THE PREACHER'S DAUGHTER focused on the dilemma of a woman caught between using her gifts and acceptance by her community of faith, THE ENGLISHER centers more on what happens when two people are attracted to each other but fail to share similar cultural and spiritual ties. There is also a nice subtheme about religion and gender perceptions, especially concerning the role of women in the Amish community. Annie forthrightly takes on her father's obvious relaxed treatment of her brother's relationship with a "modern" woman as biased. In one poignant passage, Annie's father reflects, "Women were fine for marrying or birthing babies, but men were elected by the Lord God to lead the community of mortal saints. For Annie to have questioned him at all on this point irked him some, yet he would not allow her to know it." Readers with a somewhat glamorized view of Amish life will be brought up short to see just how conservative about gender roles it can be.

Lewis does a great job letting those readers outside the Amish community get a glimpse of the interior workings of its faith and culture. The pace is improved from book one, and Lewis gets less bogged down in too many adjectives and details. The multiple storylines and points of view are smooth, evidence of Lewis's mastery of the genre.

This novel would be confusing if read as a stand-alone, so be sure to begin with THE PREACHER'S DAUGHTER. Devoted Lewis fans will be delighted to know that the story will be picked up in the third installment, THE BRETHREN, due out in October 2006.

--- Reviewed by Cindy Crosby (phrelanzer@aol.com)

Once again Ms Lewis keeps us enthralled with yet another chapter in the lives of Annie and her family and friends. And just when you think you know who is who and what is going to happen she throws in a twist. And not just one in this book - but several - and all intertwined together! Amazing! I can't wait for the final installment of Annie's People to come out in the fall now. What is going to happen to Annie and her Englisher friend? And what of her penpal of many years? Is she going to join the brethren too? The insights into such a different culture and the telling of such is pure joy to read.

From the first page, I was pulled into the lives of these characters.....Annie (can she give up the things she loves, including a forbidden man, and be happy among the People?), Lou (will she find answers to the problems she ran from...and what about this new Amish beau?), Esther (will her new faith sustain her in a troubled, abusive marriage?), Ben (who is he and will he ever find a place in Annie's life?), Zeke (can he ever find peace, and learn to love his family?), Jesse (how can he handle a son-gone-fancy, a daughter who won't join the church, and Zeke, who wants to bring the police into a matter where the church feels they have no business?).

Hmmm...this sounds a bit soap-opera-ish! Beverly Lewis excels in developing REAL people, pulling us into their lives so that we care about them. The backgound is so well researched that we feel we KNOW what it's like to live among the Amish. There are enough stories going on that I can't wait to turn each page, and her plots have enough twists and turns that I really do not know where it will all end! I can't wait for the sequel!!

In this sequel to the Preacher's Daughter, Annie has fallen madly in love with Ben, the english man. Of course along with her art, this poses a terrible problem as it is against the Amish rules. She sneaks out with Ben whenever she can but there is always a risk of being caught-which later happens when her Dad's carriage breaks down and Ben pulls over to help Preacher Jesse. Of course, Annie is in the car.

Louisa's friend Courtney comes for a visit. But that is only because she is trying to convince Louisa that her old boyfriend Michael wants her to return to Denver and get hooked up again. This is the last thing Louisa wants to do as she has begun falling in love with Sam, an Amish man. She wants to start teaching art at a school-applies for a job, but then suddenly as it approaches Easter time, decides maybe she ought to return to Denver to her modern life. She is afraid of hurting Sam by committing to a relationship with him. Annie is heartbroken to see her go, and becomes depressed for a long while.

Along with everything else is poor Esther and her abusive husband Zeke. Esther was put under the bann in her last book for taking Jesus as her savior, and so is shunned by everyone in her household when she finally returns from her stay with Julia. Zeke is better at first-but then goes back to his old ways. His brother Isaac 16 years before this time was murderesd, and Zeke caught the blame from his father his whole life. No one knew for sure where Isaac's body was, and when it was finally found, a lot of questions arise. In fact the police arrest Zeke when this finally is reported, and will keep him in jail until many questions are answered.

A great sequel, and I look forward to book 3, the last of this trilogy.

These are good books but it is like a chapter is missing when the end nears. I expect a book to have an ending and these books (Annies People) do not. Or I should say that the ending in both books leaves you hanging. They leave you waiting for the next book to see what happens in the rest of the story. I do not enjoy reading books like that. I want an end when I read the last line in a book.

The 2nd book in the 'Annie's People' series, I loved this one! I liked it a wee bit better than the first. There is more movement, more emotion, more drama going on in this quiet Amish community.

Beverly Lewis weaves the different storylines in and out beautifully. The characters are so well developed that you feel like you know them personally. I was intrigued following Annie as she struggled to do what was "right", in order to please her father and the community, to denying what her heart and soul desired - namely, her art and the honorable and appealing Ben (the Englisher).

I can identify with some of Annie's experiences as a young woman. Always trying to please others and short-changing yourself at the same time. The other characters were a mix bag. Some you embraced whole-heartedly, others you wanted to kick in the tushy. All-in-all an excellent read.

The 2nd book in this installment is a great and light read. Yes, some things are predictable ***Possible Spoiler*** Ben seems that he was or is Amish or maybe even the little boy that was "killed". ***End Spoiler*** I still enjoy Ms. Lewis' books anyway. They are uplifting and give a wonderful view into Amish life. This series is more of this year. In that, I mean that it's probably based around 2005 or so. I feel closer to the characters this way knowing that someone in Paradise may be going thru such things right now.