The Thorn (The Rose Trilogy, Book 1) [Paperback]

Beverly Lewis (Author)

Book Description

Release date: September 7, 2010

Lancaster County, with its rolling meadows and secret byways, may seem idyllic, but it is not without its thorns. THE ROSE TRILOGY is the stirring saga of two Amish sisters on the fringes of the church, and the unforeseen discoveries that change their lives.

Rose Kauffman, a spirited young woman, has a close friendship with the bishop's foster son. Nick dresses Plain and works hard but stirs up plenty of trouble too. Rose's sister cautions her against becoming too involved, but Rose is being courted by a good, Amish fellow, so dismisses the warnings. Meanwhile, Rose keeps house for an English widower but is startled when he forbids her to ever go upstairs. What is the man hiding?

Rose's older sister, Hen, knows more than she should about falling for the wrong man. Unable to abandon her Amish ways, Hen is soon separated from her very modern husband. Mattie, their young daughter, must visit her father regularly, but Hen demands she wear Amish attire--and speak Pennsylvania Dutch, despite her husband's wishes. Will Hen be able to reestablish her place among the People she abandoned? And will she be able to convince Rose to steer clear of rogue neighbor Nick?

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Impulsive and self-absorbed Hen, who left her Old-Order Amish family to marry a man of the world, and sweetly obedient Rose Ann, the younger sister upon whose slim shoulders falls responsibility for their crippled mother’s care, are both troubled in spirit. Hen now has a four-year-old daughter and yearns for a romanticized version of the Plain life she left behind, thus forsaking her husband for her parents’ house. Rose Ann finds solace in currying and riding her father’s driving horses, accompanied only by her dear childhood friend Nick, the rebellious now-grown foster son of their bishop who refuses to join the church. Suspicion, melodrama, and misdirected passions are the order of the day in best-selling, Christy Award-winning Lewis’ newest Amish romance, the first in a trilogy set in 1985 Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and introducing the two Kauffman sisters, one struggling to reconcile her background and beliefs with her obligations, and the other innocently unaware that not one but two young men want to claim her. --Lynne Welch

About the Author

Beverly Lewis, raised in Pennsylvania Amish country, is a former schoolteacher, an accomplished musician, and an award-winning author of more than eighty books for adults and children, many of which have appeared on bestseller lists, including USA Today and the New York Times. Six of her blockbuster novels have received the Gold Book Award for sales over 500,000, and The Brethren won a 2007 Christy Award for excellence in Christian fiction. Beverly and her husband, David, live in Colorado, where they enjoy hiking, biking, making music, and spending time with their three grandchildren.

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Bethany House Publishers; Reprinted edition (September 7, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764205749
• ISBN-13: 978-0764205743
• Product Dimensions: 5.3 x 1 x 8.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (113 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #76,778 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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#10 in Kindle eBooks > Religion & Spirituality

#16 in Books > Religion & Spirituality

#71 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction

#10 in Kindle eBooks > Religion & Spirituality

#16 in Books > Religion & Spirituality

#71 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 35 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars The Thorn September 7, 2010

By Knowlton Nest

Format:Paperback

The Thorn by Beverly Lewis is the first novel in The Rose Trilogy, her newest Amish fiction series. Young Rose Ann's best friend is a young man named Nick who was adopted by the bishop's family nine years ago. They are neighbors and Nick employed by Rose's father, but Nick is not Amish and does not want to be. Rose Ann's sister, Hen, who married an English man now wants to be Amish again despite her husband's protests and their poor daughter Mattie Sue is caught between them. Rose Ann's employer is hiding something and Rose Ann is interested in being courted by Silas Good. Will Nick leave the Amish and will Hen return to her rightful place with her husband? How does Rose Ann handle all of these changes?

I was very intrigued by all of these forbidden situations among Rose Ann's family. I felt as I read through this novel that things were very unsettled and actually it didn't seem like there was a conclusion to many of these situations which is why I'm really looking forward to the next book. I thought Beverly Lewis did an excellent job developing characters and creating conflict. She really captures the spirit of the Amish and weaves a very entertaining novel with plenty of drama and a few surprises.

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Romance at It's Finest August 26, 2010

By JoesetteH

Format:Paperback

This is one of those books that grabs your interest and refuses to let it go!! More than once I thought "oh I know where this is going" only to be pleasantly surprised. I loved the insight into the Amish ways and loved reading about real life places that I've seen in my travels. I loved everything about this story!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars 1st in Rose Trilogy is engrossing and enjoyable October 3, 2010

By Christina Lockstein TOP 1000 REVIEWER

Format:Paperback

The Thorn by Beverly Lewis is the first book in the Rose series. Rose Ann Kauffman has always been the good daughter in her Amish family. The youngest of several children, at twenty-one, she' responsible for caring for her disabled mother since her brothers are all married with families of their own and elder sister Hen left the community to marry her Englischer husband. Rose's long friendship with the bishop's foster son, Nick, may be the only thing keeping him from leaving the Amish, but what she sees as good friends, Nick may see as something more. Hen, who now has a nearly five-year-old daughter Mattie Sue, suddenly sees all that she gave up when she married Brandon and turned her back on her family. Brandon doesn't understand her desire to begin dressing Plain and spend time with her family, and their fighting causes a fissure in their marriage that may be irreparable. Lewis who is well-known for her Amish novels, isn't resting on her laurels with this new series. I know that a book is engrossing when at night I find myself almost praying for the characters because I've been so completely pulled into their world. Her writing captures the beauty of Amish life, as well as the struggle its young people face to choose the Plain lifestyle. Hen's return to the life she left accurately renders the stark differences between modern culture and the values of the Amish. Rose, as a young woman who doesn't know her own heart, is fresh and thoroughly likable. I'm fascinated to see where the next book, The Judgment, takes these characters.