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    The Brethren
    The Brethren
    The Brethren
    Audiobook9 hours

    The Brethren

    Written by Beverly Lewis

    Narrated by Stina Nielsen

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    A recipient of numerous Gold Book and Silver Angel awards, Beverly Lewis provides an insider's view of Amish life that resonates with millions. In The Brethren-the New York Times best-selling sequel to The Englisher -Ben Martin and Annie Zook, sweethearts from two different worlds, try to cope with the separation imposed by her Amish father. But after Ben's Kentucky parents tell him startling secrets about his past, he must return to Paradise, Pennsylvania, to answer some troubling questions. When he approaches Paradise's covered bridge, he wonders who's re-hung the old rope swing. Drawing closer, he sees a young Amish woman sitting on the swing. When she turns, Ben is thrilled to see Annie. But as Ben tells her what his parents just revealed, he wonders why Annie smiles at him in shocked disbelief.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateApr 4, 2008
    ISBN9781436128988
    The Brethren
    Author

    Beverly Lewis

    Beverly Lewis (beverlylewis.com), born in the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch country, has more than 19 million books in print. Her stories have been published in 12 languages and have regularly appeared on numerous bestseller lists, including the New York Times and USA Today. Beverly and her husband, David, live in Colorado, where they enjoy hiking, biking, making music, and spending time with their family.

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    Reviews for The Brethren

    4/5

    98 ratings8 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Very realistic portrayal of the struggle Annie faces between pursuing art, and being accepted in her Amish family and community. Equally compelling his her "Englisher" friend Louisa's search for meaning as Annie's guest, her Amish friend Esther's pain at being shunned when she embraces Christian beliefs contrary to the Amish. An abusive husband is portrayed with realism and compassion. The mystery in the story keeps the pages turning. All three books in this series are excellent.
    • 4/5
      A beautiful look into the life of the Amish people, their beliefs and their culture, written from one who grew up in that atmosphere. At times, their ways were almost not believable. The friendship between Annie and Louisa was very real and gives good opportunity to see differing lifestyles side-by-side. Each character had situations that were identifiable to the reader.
    • 5/5
      Annie Zook has quite a dilemma. As the daughter of an old order Amish preacher, she is forbidden to pursue her talent in art. But she is driven to continue secretely, hiding her art studio and masterpieces at an art studio. The only one who knows this is Annie's worldly pen pal Louisa, who has problems of her own after breaking off her engagement with her materialistic boyfriend. Louisa feels that she needs a change of pace and asks to come visit Annie and her family. Louisa's designer jeans make quite a splash in Amish country, though she soon adapts to the native dress. Annie is thrilled to have a fellow artist (Annie is an art teacher) but soon her dilemma about choosing her art or the Amish church comes to a head. Style Characterisics: Pacing, clarity, structure, narrative devices, etc.Lewis does a wonderful job of creating realistic characters and drawing the reader into an empathy with their dilemmas. The contrast of Louisa's rich worldy background with Annie's created some good scenes, like when Louisa joins Annie at an Amish singing where couples usually pair up for courting. Subplots with an abused wife and a possible romance add even more tension to keep the reader turning the pages. How Good is it?Excellent
    • 5/5
      love her books and this was a good book
    • 3/5
      While I felt the character of Annie was well developed in her struggles with acceptance of the strictness of the Amish faith and her own questioning nature, I find Ms. Lewis's writing to be a bit "lightweight".
    • 5/5
      Nothing but praise for this series! It was one of the first series I had the pleasure of reading from this author and it just left me spellbound! I was always giving my mother-in-law grief for reading Amish novels, but boy did I change my mind! These are now some of the most treasured novels in my collection.
    • 5/5
      Wonderful series! These books keep you going until the very end! Wonderful story!
    • 4/5
      In the third book of the Annie's People series, The Brethren continues the story of Annie Zook and the people of the Amish community of Paradise. Annie has put away her paintings and is living with her friend Esther, who has been shunned for accepting Jesus and is worried about her husband Zeke who has accepted the responsibility of the death of his brother from long ago. Meanwhile Ben, the Englisher that stole Annie's heart, finds a secret about his past and goes back to Paradise to find answers. His discovery shakes up the entire community and brings new meaning to his and Annie's relationship.I really liked this book yet I felt the book was a little rushed at the end. I want to know what will happen to Louisa and Sam in the future. Her story didn't move that much in this book. It was interesting to find out about Ben's past, yet it felt somewhat predictable once you found out he was adopted. I did finding out more about the culture and the customs of the people. It's very interesting that the Amish can live in modern America and still have a completely different society. I've enjoyed reading all of Beverly Lewis' Amish books and I had been waiting for the conclusion of this series. The Amish lifestyle has always fascinated me. They had been sadly brought into the limelight after the shooting a few months ago.The thing that has always confused me about the Amish is what do they really believe in. After reading Lewis' books and especially this series, it seems that to have a personal relationship and admit that Jesus is your savior is considered vanity and grounds for being banned. They seem to only read from the Old Testament and even then only the bishops are allowed to really study it. Another series of Lewis' deals with a form of old medicine that can be considered as witchcraft. I understand most of their views about not conforming to the rest of the world and to keep life simple. What I don't understand is that it seems that the Amish are not really Christians if they don't believe in accepting Jesus into their lives.