The Fiddler

Title: THE FIDDLER
Author: Beverly Lewis
Publisher: Bethany House
April 2012
ISBN: 978-0-7642-0977-2
Genre: Inspirational/Amish/contemporary

An English Fiddler meets an Amish boy – and interesting premise….

Michael Hostetler has one food in the world, and the other in his Amish community. He loves his home, loves his people, but he’s been bitten by the education bug and gotten his degrees. Still, he’s being pushed by the People to give up his worldly ways and return home, join the church, and stay.

Amelia Devries takes a wrong turn on her way home to Ohio after a fiddling event where she opened for a famous country musician. She is taken in by sweet Michael, who helps fix her flat tire, retrieves her things, and takes her home to his people, just so she can stay a spell.

But will Amelia return home, marry her fiancé and take her planned European tour? Or give it all up to stay in Hickory Hollow?

THE FIDDLER is set in Hickory Hollow, where Beverly Lewis first started her beloved Amish stories. I’m a long time fan of Beverly Lewis, and honestly never thought I’d meet a Beverly Lewis book I didn’t like… until THE FIDDLER. I found myself skimming and then going back and rereading, and I checked the back to see if this was supposed to be a romance because Michael and Amelia spent little time together.

The story is disjointed, confusing, boring, and not at all like I’ve come to expect from Beverly Lewis. She’s been my long-time hero, and I’ve inhaled all her books, and I am just overwhelmed that this one is so different than I’ve come to expect. I wanted to like this book. Really, I did. I never thought I would ever write less than a 5 star review for Beverly Lewis’ books. I never imagined a 3 star review…. $15.99. 326 pages.