Book Review: The Brethren by Beverly Lewis

In The Brethren, the third and final book in the Annie’s People series, Beverly Lewis continues to give her readers what they have found irresistible in her previous best-selling books.  Set amongst the Amish in Paradise, Pennsylvania , the book opens with main character, Annie Zook, at odds with her strict father, preacher Jesse Zook, and living away from home. The fact that she has chosen to stay with her banned friend Essie (Esther Hochstetler) to help look after Essie and Zeke’s four children while Zeke is being held in jail after confessing to a murder makes the rift all the more galling to the elder Zook.

As is typical in Lewis’s books, more than one serpent has found its way into the Amish paradise. Under the settlement’s idyllic surface are misunderstandings, grudges, and secrets that even strict rules and authoritarian leaders can’t keep hidden forever. The result is a twisty plot that raises questions like did Zeke actually commit that murder, who is Ben Martin really, and will Annie make peace with her father and remain a plain woman or follow her heart to pursue her beloved art and become the fancy wife of her English beau?

Characters play an important part in this story. (As someone who hasn’t read the first two books in the series, I must admit the large cast of them, many of whom were introduced in earlier volumes, had me a little confused, though with close attention I got them all straight.) Main character Annie is a vital young woman who doesn’t always understand herself, is impulsive and strong willed yet hard-working, thoughtful, and kind. Zeke in his mentally disturbed state is an interesting study. Preacher Jesse Zook seems the most complex character. While unyielding in his rigid stance toward Annie, he is demonstrably tender with his wife and shows a largeness of character at the end of the book that took me by surprise. Off-site characters Lou and Ben provide an interesting non-Amish viewpoint of Paradise.

Article Author: Violet Nesdoly

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