The River is the story of two sisters, formerly Amish, who now live in the Englisch world. Tilly is now married with children, but Ruth is still single. They grew up in Lancaster County with their parents and siblings, but left their community to start new lives. Their relationships with their family are now strained, Tilly's more so than Ruth as she was the first daughter to leave. Her parents blame her for convincing her sister Ruth to leave as well. The death of their baby sister Anna in a river many years ago still haunts Tilly, who feels responsible for her death.
When news travels of their father's declining health and an anniversary party for their parents, Tilly and Ruth make the difficult decision to return home to visit. Will they be accepted and welcomed by their family, or will their family turn their backs on them? Tilly especially struggles with many issues from her childhood, and just doesn't know if she can face her parents. Ruth, having been hurt by her former Amish beau, is having feelings for him stirred back up again when faced with the possibility of seeing him again.
Can this family work through their past and forgive and accept one another?
What I Thought: Beverly Lewis is a very talented author, and I have read many of her books. Once again, she has done an exceptional job of drawing the reader into a beautifully crafted story. I was riveted from the first page to the last! I've read many Amish novels, and found this story fascinating with the return of former Amish to their family. Their was so much emotion in these girls wanting to be accepted into their family, but Amish take members leaving very seriously. Often they are never spoken to again. Tilly has many unanswered questions from her past, never understanding why she was treated harshly by her father. There was so much pain from the past with the death of Anna and Ruth's broken relationship with her beau.
If you are a fan of Amish fiction, you'll love The River by Beverly Lewis. If you've never read Amish fiction before, The River will get you hooked!
Disclosure: I received this book free from Bethany House in exchange for an honest review.
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