It’s book review Friday again… Time to pick out a good weekend read. Today’s book is Beverly Lewis‘ The Covenant. It’s the first in a five part series called Abram’s Daughters. One of the most successful of the “Amish romance” writers, Lewis spins the tale of two sisters — one wild, one obedient. Sadie, the wild older sister is curious about the “English” boys and life outside of her Amish culture. She takes advantage of the freedom given to Amish teenagers before they take their vow to God and their community. Steady and reliable Leah is forced to hide her sister’s secrets. The relationship between the two sisters is like a finally choreographed dance. I enjoyed the tension between the two girls, the hint of secrets between their mother and aunt and the gentle teen romance between Leah and the boy of her young dreams.
This is my first experience with “Amish Romance.” In the past few years, Amish books have grown in popularity to the point of becoming their own genre. At an editor’s panel at the Mount Hermon Christian Writer’s Conference, I listened as the editors discussed what they called “Buggy Lit.” At first I thought they were talking about some type of strange insect books. When they finally explained the term, I ungracefully rolled my eyes. I was thinking that the shelves were being taken over by such books. One of the editors spotted my grimace (and the chuckles of other nearby writers) and called us on the carpet for them. “You roll your eyes, writers, but just ONE of those buggy books pay for all the rest of your books.” Buggy Lit — also sometimes called “Bonnet Lit” has been wildly successful.
I think one of the reasons for this is that these books are an odd combination of historical romance and contemporary romance. The books are contemporary (actually today’s is set in the 1940s), but they have a historical feeling to them. They are clean, chaste and inspirational. Faith affects the characters’ decisions in a way that we have trouble imagining.
So, if you’re ready to get a taste of the Amish lifestyle, or if you are a long-time fan– pick up The Covenant. Explore the “English” lifestyle with Sadie and the Amish lifestyle with Leah. And do it all from your own home.