Book Review: The Secret Keeper by Beverly Lewis

Through Bethany Publishing House, I was very excited to review “The Secret Keeper” by Beverly Lewis. This book was part of the “Home to Hickory Hollow” series. I have read a handful of Amish novels and have always thoroughly enjoyed them. I know that Beverly Lewis is a very prolific author in this genre so I was excited to read this book and see if it matched up to her high standards. I am pleased to say that I was not disappointed.

This book was about a topic that I have actually thought about in my lifetime, as I spent much time as a child in Lancaster County and even spent the night at an Amish home when I was a child. This book addressed the subject of an outsider to the Amish community (or an “Englischer” as they refer to those outside the Amish faith) wanting to come in and be a part of the Amish world….not just for a time, but permanently. Jenny Burns, a “fancy” girl had a heart for the Amish since she was young and knew that the Lord was calling her to live out her dream in the Amish. But, in order to do that, she had to leave the only life she had ever known, including her family, friends and workplace, come live in an Amish home and fulfill an undetermined time of “Proving.” During this time she had to learn what it means to truly be Amish, from baking bread

, learning about horses, selling in the markets and the most difficult task of all, learning the Pennsylvanian Dutch language. But, perhaps the most daunting task of all for Jenny, and for any person trying to curb their own sinful nature, is the task of bending her own will and heart to put her selfish desires aside and live solely and purposefully for God.

I enjoyed many aspects of this book including the descriptive language and descriptions of life in the Amish world. This is a life that seems so romantic to those of us who feel we have been born in the wrong century. However, when you really sit down and think about how these people live, without any modern conveniences at all, it truly is a more difficult life than most would believe. This novel addresses many aspects of life such as learning God’s will for your life, when to keep and when to tell a secret, how to live in a way honoring to the Lord and even whom to marry. I loved the juxtaposition of the attitude of the women already in the Amish community, and one who was a seeker to the faith.

There was a little bit of romance in this novel, which was nice but it was not the main purpose of the book so I also enjoyed this. I liked the fact that this book was a fast read and one that I wanted to finish. It has a quick start and quickly engages the reader and during no part of the novel did I wish for it to be over. In fact, I was sad when the book was completed because it was very enjoyable.

Though I have not read any other books in the “Home to Hickory Hollow” series, I truly did enjoy this one and would love to now pick up the others in the series.