The Forbidden (The Courtship of Nellie Fisher, Book 2) [Hardcover]

Beverly Lewis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2008

New York Times best-selling author's continuing tale of a courting couple and the separation of families during an Amish split in Lancaster County. The Courtship of Nellie Fisher book 2.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Book two of Lewis's series is exactly the kind of predictable Amish novel her readers have come to expect: multiple character plot lines, romantic entanglements, tension within the religious community, and at least one tragedy. Here, Lewis continues the saga of Nellie Mae Fisher, whose Amish family embraces a "New Order" personal faith that defies the "Old Order" beliefs they've always held dear. Nellie hopes to marry Caleb Yoder, but because of her family's change of belief, Caleb's father forbids him to marry Nellie on pain of losing his inheritance. Lewis capably portrays the struggle Nellie feels between the attraction of her family's faith and the yearnings of her heart. Other plot threads continue: Nellie's sister Rhoda is drawn into the modern world and its promise of convenience, excitement and automobiles, while a couple who have been given a set of twins to raise discover that their burgeoning interest in the New Order faith causes the birth mother to have second thoughts about their fitness as adoptive parents. Lewis's readers seemingly can't get enough of her tales about Amish life, and this latest installment won't disappoint. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Review

"Lewis' readers can't get enough of her tales about Amish life, and this latest insatallment won't disappoint." -- Publishers Weekly

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Bethany House Publishers (May 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764205218
• ISBN-13: 978-0764205217
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,058,422 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

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Can't wait for more!, May 10, 2008

By 

Jeanne Pallos (Laguna Niguel, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Forbidden (The Courtship of Nellie Fisher, Book 2) (Paperback)

The Forbidden continues the life of Nellie Fisher that was started in book one, The Parting. Beverly Lewis once again masterfully creates a world of characters that come alive on the page. She takes us into the Amish world and shows the struggles, thoughts and emotions of a people most of us don't understand. Her characters become living, breathing people that the reader cares about deeply. I am only sorry that I must wait for book 3, the end of the Nellie Fisher series. I cannot wait to see the twists and turns that Bev will take us on. I highly recommend The Forbidden and all Beverly Lewis books! A faithful reader.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Sequel, June 24, 2008

By 

Tamela Mccann "taminator40" (Nashville, TN USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Forbidden (The Courtship of Nellie Fisher, Book 2) (Paperback)

The Forbidden picks up the story of Nellie Mae Fisher and her forbidden beau, Caleb Yoder. At the end of the first book, Caleb's father has told him that he must part from his beloved Nellie because of her family's split from the Old Order Amish Church. Here we see the separated pair trying to find ways in which to communicate and hopefully change Caleb's father's mind about their relationship. In addition, we follow Nellie's older sister Rhoda's struggle as she decides to leave the Plain life behind; the relationship between Christian and Zachary Yoder, Caleb's Mennonite cousins who were with Nellie's sister Suzy when she died; and Rosanna Lapp, whose cousin has recently given her the twins she'd borne so that childless Rosanna could become a mother. All of these stories are woven together through a sense of community and heartfelt conflict.

This book felt much more believable to me than its prequel, The Parting. I felt the religious issues were drawn more realistically, with fewer "out of the blue" conversions and less overt preachiness. The conflicts both within the community and characters showed the flaws of both convincingly, and Lewis has led us to care for the plight of our friends as they decide what will be the right path for them. Set in the 1960s, it's easy to see that the times are a-changin', not only for the Plain community but for the world at large as well. With her open endings, Lewis has set us up for changes in relationships that may not be what we are hoping for, but will make sense as they progress. I am eagerly looking forward to the final book in the series to see just how Nellie Mae and Caleb forge ahead with their lives in a world that's turned topsy-turvy.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Religious conflicts within the community, September 17, 2008

By 

Bonnie McKinzie (Garden Grove, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Forbidden (The Courtship of Nellie Fisher, Book 2) (Paperback)

Nellie and Caleb are madly in love, yet the obstacles are too large for them to see a way to be together. The Old Order Amish is beginning to splinter in several directions, separating lovers, families and friends. Nellie's personal family is going many directions after the untimely death of one of her sisters after she had changed religions. There is an interesting "adoption" of twins that turns out differently than expected. There were several interesting interactions between Amish families, but for the most part, the book was very, very slow to come alive, and I certainly hope book three in this series is more active, and interesting much faster than this one was. This was not one of Beverly's better books.