Customer Reviews

The Forbidden (The Courtship of Nellie Fisher, Book 2)

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

Nellie Fisher and Caleb Yoder are the Amish version of Romeo and Juliet. But instead of their families being at literal war with each other, it's their conflicting views in religion that are driving the two apart. Nellie's family has come to accept Christ and are eager to learn more about the scriptures to the point of breaking away from the Old Order church. Meanwhile, Caleb's father forbids him to have anything to do with Nellie's family or new faith to the point of kicking his own daughter out of his house. The couple finds themselves sneaking around, seeing each other in secret. However the price of secrecy is taking a toll on Nellie and she starts to wonder if she might have to one day make a final decision with a painful choice.

When you pick up a Beverly Lewis title, the reader should be aware that you are going to get lost in the story with characters you feel have become real. The Amish genre has become very popular in recent years, but Lewis has shown that she is the top name when it comes to this style of writing. It was a little tough at first to get back into the flow of the story. There are many characters with similar names so it is easy to get confused by the multiple story lines. Some of the other plots don't seem to fit in with the rest of the story. Rhoda and the automobile seem out of place, while the scenes involving the parental rights of the twins could be a whole other series in itself. These story lines help to make the community become more lively and familiar yet at the same time, it's easy for the reader to get distracted from Nellie and Caleb's story. Once again this book has really made me question about the belief of the Old Order Amish. It really seems like they are not Christians at all. If this is the case, then it is truly sad because they are denying themselves the true meaning of their faith. What good is it be living simple lives if they won't accept true salvation? Regardless, this book really makes one think about these sort of issues. This book is not a romance, it's instead a character study with lots of detail and historical fact weaved in. With a cliffhanger of an ending, one can hardly wait for the conclusion to this series. I know I'm definitely looking forward to it. Fans of Beverly Lewis will not be disappointed when reading this book.

As both an adoptive and a birth mother, I found the subplot of the babies "adoption" to just plain-out be TOO SAD. It was SO predictable that Kate (love the fact that the birth couples' names were "John and Kate, btw") would renege on the babygiving. AND that the adoptive couple would enter in to such an agreement with NO legalities whatsoever! I mean, yes these are the AMISH and they have different ways of doing things etc...but surely a woman who has been disappointed by miscarriages time and again would be more cautious? I was extremely frustrated with Kate's continued "Visits" to the home of the "adoptive parents' and wanted to scream as they continued to NOT put down boundaries. All the while just knowing what was bound to happen (and did)
I guess I am just too practical-minded or "worldly" for these books because my reveiws are becoming criticisms, yet I DO like the Amish fiction and will continue to read Lewis and other Amish/Christian fiction authors..I just find some of what goes on in these various books to be quite incredulous.

I love the development of the story lines and characters of this series. I am looking forward to seeing what happens in the conclusion. She introduces several sides to the issues, including the accompanying emotional impact on the families and on the Amish community as a whole. This series is based on an actual event, which makes it all the more interesting to read and contemplate.

I thought this was better than the first book. Beverly had better development of the characters and there were more plot twists. Cannot wait to the next book to be released.

I love this book. Very well written, and the author keeps it interesting. Can't wait until the next book.

This was a good amish fiction book. I found it interesting and entertaining. It is just as well written as book 1. I wish these series' would last longer.

The more I read the works of this author, the more her characters seem like friends and neighbors. As with every community there are those who you like more than others and there are those who are a bit of a pill to put up with! I now laugh at myself because I really hate to see the end of one book whilst chomping at the bits to get to the next one! That's how real this author makes her 'people'!