Sent from Michigan to Pennsylvania following the tragic death of her Amish parents, Lena Rose Schwartz grieves her loss and the separation from her nine siblings. Beside the fact that Lena has never been so far from home, she hasn’t met the family she will now be living with. But worse than that is having to live apart from her close-knit brothers and sisters. How will they manage without her to … to care for them–especially six-year-old Chris? And will her new beau, Hans Bontrager, continue to court her despite the many miles between them?
Yet even as Lena Rose holds on to hope for a reunion with those she loves most, she discovers that Lancaster holds charms of its own. Is she willing to open her heart to new possibilities?
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Imagine being the oldest of nine children and losing your parents in a tragic accident. You are grown, but single, with no outside means of support. Imagine that the best, the ONLY, solution for the family is to spread out the younger children among local families and you go states away to stay and work with family you don’t know. Separating your close knit family, leaving behind the siblings you feel responsible for, you helped raise. Leaving the only home you’ve ever known in a state you have never left. Separating your family, separating your past, separating your boyfriend, possibly even separating your future. It’s not forever everyone says. It’s going to help your relatives out east every one says. But can it really help your heart? Can it really benefit your family? There seems no other options but it doesn’t feel beneficial at all. That is were we find Lena at the beginning of ‘The Road Home’. Leaving everything she knows, and loves, and just looking for the path that will, hopefully, bring her right back home.
I have yet to meet a Beverly Lewis book I didn’t enjoy. For the sake of full disclosure I haven’t read them all, yet, but she is just an amazing story teller. She gives me characters that live and breath and sets a scene I want to visit. Again, for full disclosure, Lena got on my nerves just a tidbit. I mean, yes, I should be patient with her as she did just lost literally everything in her life. Her parents are gone, her siblings separated, her home sold, and she’s living states away with family she’d never met but that her dat had spoken so highly of. She lost so much and she struggled to grieve through that. I mean, she kept a mostly upbeat outlook of hope blanketed in faith. I think her struggle was with missing home while still finding herself comfortable in her new environment. She went from not wanting to mingle with the locals her age as she was going home to her family and Hans, the man she was courting with, to finding herself falling into something more than a friendship with a local man without truly revealing her status. She wasn’t purposely obtuse or even deceptive but she was such a contrast between her thoughts and her actual interactions.
The thing is, if none of the first things had happened then none of the good could have come either. Going from Michigan to Lancaster County not only helped to heal her heart, it helped to heal the heart of Arden and Mimi. Her going to Lancaster helped to heal not only Leah’s family but also Mimi and Harley’s family. It was easy to forget that this book was set at a different time, the 1970s when Amish schools were only starting to become a thing and Amish children went to public school. When communication was so very much different than it is today, the mention of long distance charges for a phone call are almost ancient history now. However, the similarities between then and now are what lead this book forward. The idea that you can’t go ‘home’ again. you can return to where you came but it has changed and you have changed. What you left has grown as you have grown. And more often than not the Road Home doesn’t look anything like you thought it would when you left.
I was provided a complimentary copy of this book by Bethany House. I was not compensated for this review and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. I was not required to write a positive review.
Great book but I read all of her books
I love Beverly Lewis books and have most of them. She is an excellent writer and keeps your interest.
This is an absolutely fabulous Amish novel!
The characters are fantastic. They are so well developed and easy to relate to. From the beginning of the book there were many times that I wanted to just wrap my arms around a number of different ones as they went through difficult times.
The journey that God had Lena Rose on was such a heartbreaking story. But throughout it she had strong believers that kept pointing her to God and the fact that He had a plan for her life.
I loved the emphasis on prayer that is included in this wonderful book. They weren’t just praying at meal times either. Many of the characters spent time praying for God’s help in their lives.
There is a romance but it isn’t the main story. Family life within a community seemed to be the main focus. Working together and helping one another.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. I have chosen to write this review to express my personal opinions.
Disclaimer: *Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a copy of this book for free in the hope that I would mention/review it on my blog. I was not required to give a positive review, only my honest opinion – which I’ve done. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.*
Good book
I love Beverly Lewis books and this one was very good.
I really enjoyed this book, but I have enjoyed all of Beverly Lewis’s books . I felt happiness, sadness and inspired. Anxiously waiting for her next book.
The Road Home by Beverly Lewis takes us back to August of 1977. Lena Rose Schwartz is eighteen years old and has been courting Hans Bontrager for two months. She lives with her parents and ten siblings in Centreville, Michigan on their farm. Lena is surprised when two police officers arrive in the afternoon to tell her that parents died in an accident on their way home. There is no one relative or nearby family that can take in all of the children, and they are not allowed to stay in their home. Homes are found for everyone except Lena. Harley and Mimi Stolzfus, her father’s second cousin, writes that they can use Lena’s assistance. Lena has never been away from hometown and she has raised her youngest brother, Chris since he was born. It also means leaving her beau, Hans. Lena helps her siblings settle into their new homes and then departs for Leacock Township, Pennsylvania with the hopes that the move is temporary. Mimi and Harley are welcoming to Lena. Mimi has been lonely since their daughter, Tessa married and moved away after a quick courtship. Lena misses her family back home, but her new home has its own enticements. Which path is the right one for one for Lena? She will need to have faith and wait to see what the Lord has in store for her.
The Road Home contains good writing and lovely characters. Beverly Lewis is a descriptive writer. Her word imagery helps me to visualize the scenes and characters. There are good messages in the story. The importance of family, friendship and community for example. My favorite being that we must have faith in God and wait for him to reveal the path he has planned for our life (being patient can be difficult). Lena not only has to grieve for her parents but deal with leaving her siblings and the only home she has known. She then relocates to another state with people she has never met. When Lena is presented with a difficult choice, she must decide what to do (I do not want to say too much and spoil it for you). The Christian elements were nicely incorporated into the story (faith, prayer, God knows what is in your heart, trust in God, God’s will). I especially appreciate the message about using the talents/gifts God has given us to help others. The pace of the book was slow in places (those scenes would take me out of the story) and there is some repetitiveness (could have used editing to tighten up the story). The Road Home has an uplifting ending that put a smile on my face. I am giving The Road Home 4 out of 5 stars (I liked it).
I love this author’s books. Her characters pull you into the story and you feel close to them. One thing I especially like though, is that never have to skim over scenes with torrid sex in them
Kept my attention all the way through
Always enjoy Beverly Lewis’ writings.
Beverly Lewis is an author who knows the subject matter about which she writes. All of her characters, activities, and settings all ring true. I read any books she writes because I so enjoy everything I have read that she has written.
loved it