Lewis, Beverly. (1997). The
Shunning. Bloomington, MN: Bethany House Publishers.
Synopsis
All her life, Katie Lapp has felt she was different – and
not just because of her striking red hair. She can’t help it, but Katie rebels
against the Amish way of life in the peaceful community of Hickory Hollow. A
love of music – given to her by her deceased true love, Daniel - symbolizes
that rebellion and Katie struggles with behaving the way an Amish woman is
supposed to. Just before she’s to marry the community’s bishop, Katie learns a
secret that flips her world upside down. More secrets follow and Hickory Hollow
might never be the same.
Gentle Reads
Characteristics
* The Amish setting is evocative of a gentler, less-hurried time.
* Set in a close-knit community in a small town or rural
setting
* There is no sex, violence, or strong language.
* The strength of the book is the relationships between
characters. Katie’s relationships with her mother, her best friend, and the
“wise woman” of Hickory Hollow – drive the book.
* The book has a happy ending. (Well…kind of.)
* The story appeals to the emotions and projects a comfortable sense
of well-being.
* Heartwarming and poignant.
Appeal Terms
Character: Authentic, Strong female, Sympathetic,
Well-developed
Storyline: Character-driven, Open-ended,
Pace: Fast-paced
Tone: Bittersweet, Chaste, Heartwarming, Homespun, Moving,
Suspenseful
Writing Style: Dialect-filled, Engaging, Richly detailed
Readalikes
* Plain Perfect –
Beth Wiseman
* A Gift of Grace –
Amy Clipston
* The Storekeeper’s
Daughter – Wanda Brunstetter
* When the Heart Cries
– Cindy Woodsmall
* The Confession &
The Reckoning – Beverly Lewis (books
2 & 3 in The Heritage of Lancaster
County series)
Fun Facts
* Book one of three in The
Heritage of Lancaster County series.
* The Hallmark Channel adapted the book into a movie in
2011. They also made movies for The
Confession (2013) and The Reckoning (2016).
* Hickory Hollow is a fictional location, but other cities
referenced in the book are, in fact, real.
Personal Note:
* Amish fiction is incredibly popular at the branch I work at. There were several patrons who were quite excited that I was reading my first Amish fiction book!
* I have to admit, I got hooked into Katie’s story. While I had a few qualms with gender roles in the book, Katie made for a compelling character. Imagine my horror when I discovered that The Shunning was only book one! Now I have to read books two and three to find out what happens!
Like you, a lot of our patrons read Amish fiction. We can barely keep them on the shelves! I do not read any Amish fiction because it feels like if you have read one, you have read them all. However, your synopsis makes me rethink my original opinion! It sounds like it is not the usual "bonnet-ripper" with the chaste kiss at the end, but way more intriguing! I might have to pick this up and give it a try! Thank you so much for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jennifer.
DeleteIt definitely was not what I was expecting!
Great job on your annotation! You included a lot of information in an engaging accessible way. My grandmother loves Amish themed books on audiobook, so I will have to suggest this series to her. I know Wanda Brunstetter is an author she's read and enjoyed before.
ReplyDeleteHave you seen the film Songcatcher? If you enjoyed this story you might like that movie. It's a bit grittier. I'm not sure why the description of the book made me think of that movie, maybe just the love of music and the primitive type societies.
I haven't seen the movie. It looks really interesting. Thanks for passing it on.
DeleteBeverly Lewis is very popular at the library where I work too. I haven't read any of hers yet, but you made this one sound good. You fit The Shunning in so well with the Gentle Reads characteristics, showing just how it is a Gentle Read book. You were also very thorough with appeal terms so someone could see if they find any of those aspects appealing. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jodi!
DeleteAmish fiction is very popular at my library as well. I have read some, but my mother is an avid reader of Amish fiction. I grew up in an area of Ohio surrounded by Amish so their way of life is very intriguing. Maybe it is as you list in one of your gentle read characteristics that it is a less-hurried time. I hope you enjoy reading books 2 and 3! Great annotation!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Anne.
DeleteRob, I like the extras you put into your annotation. The "fun facts" and "personal note" really livened it up. I'll be doing my first annotation for this class this week and I'm going to try to add those on mine as well. Thanks for the great example! I'm glad you like the book - isn't it fun when books are surprisingly good?
ReplyDeleteWonderful annotation! I partucaly enjoyed the fun facts and personal note. Full points!
ReplyDelete