The Bridesmaid (Home to Hickory Hollow) [Paperback]

Beverly Lewis (Author)

Book Description

Release date: September 11, 2012 | Series: Home to Hickory Hollow (Book 2)

The Latest in Chart-Topping Amish Fiction from Beverly Lewis

Twenty-seven-year-old Joanna Kurtz has made several trips to the altar, but never as a bride. The single young Amishwoman is a closet writer with a longing to be published something practically unheard of in her Lancaster County community. Yet Joanna's stories aren't her only secret. She also has a beau who is courting her from afar, unbeknownst even to her sister, Cora, who, though younger, seems to have suitors to spare.

Eben Troyer is a responsible young Amishman who hopes to make Joanna Kurtz his bride--if he can ever leave his parents' farm in Shipshewana, Indiana. Yet with his only brother off in the English world, intent on a military career, Eben's hopes for building a life with his dear Joanna are dimming, and patience is wearing thin. Will Joanna ever be more than a bridesmaid?

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

Eben and I hurried again to the beach. There, we talked and waded into the ocean up to our knees--in our Plain clothes, of all things. And later, after the sun and wind dried us off some, we rented a bicycle built for two and rode up and down the boardwalk, the warm air on our faces.

That evening and the next, we met at sunset, laughing together and talking about whatever popped into our heads until, wonder of wonders, Eben reached for my hand! My heart beat so wildly, I wondered if he sensed it.

But all too soon, we had to part ways, our private time together at an end. Yet our meeting on the beach--as romantic and special as it was--birthed a renewed hope in me. After all, it was nearly a blight on any Amish girl to still be single at my age. Ach, but Eben Troyer had surely changed all of that. Surely he had... --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Back Cover

Come home to Hickory Hollow, Pennsylvania--the beloved setting where Beverly Lewis's celebrated Amish novels began--with new characters and new stories of drama, romance, and the ties that draw people together.

"Much of the credit [for the growth of Amish fiction] goes to Beverly Lewis, a Colorado author who gave birth to the genre in 1997 with The Shunning..."
--Associated Press


Joanna Kurtz has made several trips to the altar, but never as a bride. The young Amishwoman is a closet writer whose stories aren't her only secret.

Eben Troyer hopes to make Joanna his bride--if he can ever leave his parents' farm in Shipshewana, Indiana. Yet Eben's hopes to build a life with Joanna hinge on his brother's return from the English world...

"As with her other novels about the Amish, Lewis has created absorbing, realistic characters and situations, giving meaningful glimpses into their different way of living." - Congregational Libraries Today

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Bethany House Publishers (September 11, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764209787
• ISBN-13: 978-0764209789
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 1 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (212 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,249 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 tradition of Lancaster County, PA. The Hallmark Movie Channel will air the movie, "Beverly Lewis's The Confession" on January 19, 2013--the sequel to "The Shunning" movie.

My passion for Amish-related stories continues to keep me up at night, and I'm presently editing the 2nd book (The Bridesmaid) in my new series: "Home to Hickory Hollow," due out September 11, 2012.

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 One of my present series: The Fiddler, is available now.

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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#9 in Kindle eBooks > Religion & Spirituality

#16 in Books > Religion & Spirituality

#64 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction

#9 in Kindle eBooks > Religion & Spirituality

#16 in Books > Religion & Spirituality

#64 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Decent Read September 19, 2012

By A. Copulos

Format:Paperback

I know I have mentioned this before, but I am a fan of Amish fiction now- I think it is pure fascination of how an entire community lives near me, and yet I have no idea how they live and get by on a daily basis.

The first book in this series was The Fiddler, and I reviewed it here on the blog a few months ago- Beverly Lewis seems to an expert at cranking books out very quickly- she has a large fan base that buys all of her books, so I suppose that is a good reason to keep putting out many books a year.

I did love the first book in this series, but I struggled a bit with this one. I loved Joanna's character in the Fiddler- and her character didn't change, but I wasn't a fan of Eben. For as much as Joanna and Eben talked on the phone and in letters- they didn't seem to actually communicate with each other. I felt that Eben was lacking a bit in the story hero that I enjoy. This was a very short book compared to Lewis' other novels, and it felt a bit like a novella.

There was an entire second storyline of Joanna and her sister and Joanna's writing- I felt like this was never "tied up" at the end of the book. I have no idea what happened- was she still allowed to write? Did she and her sister get along better? All in all this was an enjoyable read, but this is not a Lewis book that I will revisit.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Bridesmaid September 30, 2012

By Cjk

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

This story captured my attention very quickly. I finished the book in record time and enjoyed it very much. I look forward to every new release from Beverly Lewis.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Not at all up to Beverly Lewis's usual standard. March 1, 2013

By Barbara Collins

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book barely held my interest. I have read all of Beverly Lewis' other books, and loved them. This one had a very simplistic plot by comparison.