Reviews for The Postcard (Amish Country Crossroads Series #1)

The average rating for The Postcard (Amish Country Crossroads Series #1) based on 2 reviews is 5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2010-10-06 00:00:00 Nicholas Tubb I have finished my 11th book in 2011. :) Today I finished The Postcard by Beverly Lewis The Postcard is the first book in Beverly Lewis's Amish Country Crossroads series. The Postcard is the story of a young journalist, Philip Bradley, who has come to Amish country to write a piece on Amish life. He stays at a quaint Amish Bed and Breakfast where he meets Rachel Yoder, a young Amish widow who several years lost her husband and her eldest child in a horrific accident at a dangerous crossroad in the area. To make a bad situation more dire, shortly after the accident Rachel lost her ability to see, and no doctor or specialist has been able to determine the cause of her lost sight. Ever since, Rachel has been living with her mother and father and helping to run the B&B while mourning for the loss of her husband and her son, and wishing that she could have her sight restored in order to watch her young daughter, Annie, who barely survived the accident, grow up. While staying at the B&B, Philip Bradley notices a beautiful piece of Amish furniture, a gorgeous rolltop desk, which is in the room he is staying in. While it is a great place for him to write his piece on the Amish, he finds that a drawer is stuck shut, and slowly wedges it open, finding that the cause of the stuck drawer is an old postcard, written in Pennsylvania Dutch from an Amish man, Gabe Esh, to a "fancy Englischer", his sweetheart, Adele Herr. Immediately, Philip is captivated with determining why the postcard was written, if it was ever delivered, and what the story behind the odd pairing was since an Amish man and a non-Amish women traditionally were not able to be together. As he investigates he finds that Gabe Esh was subjected the the shunning by the community because of his desire to preach, read the full Bible, and his refusal to accept the powers of the local "powwow" doctors, who he believes are doing the work of the devil, not the world of the Lord. He also finds that Gabe Esh was Rachel's great-uncle who she is curious to know more about. However, her mother, Mrs. Zook, is desperate to keep the secrets of Gabe Esh's past hidden and the secret of the postcard buried in the past... Will Rachel and Philip be able to discover the truth behind the postcard and what happened to Gabe & Adele, or is the community much more determined to keep the secrets buried? Read The Postcard to find out! I have always been a fan of an Amish fiction book that includes a bit of mystery to it. This, of course, is no exception. Lewis did a great job intriguing me, making me wonder about the past of the postcard. I have to admit, I did not see the ending coming, it was not, for me, too predictable. This may not be true for everyone, but I thought it had a nice twist at the end. Granted, the book kind of left off with some open questions which I look forward to having answered in the next book, The Crossroad. I thought it was an excellent story and I cannot wait to read the next installment! I definitely think Lewis is one of my more favorite Amish fiction authors! :) 5 out of 5 stars!

Review # 2 was written on 2015-09-28 00:00:00 Deborah Duphily The Postcard is an intriguing, but easy read. I love the mystery in the story, and the captivating way in which it is finally revealed. A great plot with interesting twists and subplots add depth to the overall story. I have read only a few Amish books, so can't really compare it to others, but I was fascinated by the Amish life and ways, especially the difference in beliefs and practices between the Old Order Amish and some of the Mennonites. I particularly appreciate the way the Amish are portrayed as real people with faults, as well as virtues. My favorite character is Philip Bradley, a warm and caring man. He is far more astute and introspective than I expected him to be. I'm was happy with his spiritual growth over the course of the novel. I didn't really warm up to Rachael, the main female character, until near the end of the book, when she allows her own personality and character to surface, regardless of her mother's overbearing and meddling ways. I found this book to be a very satisfying read, though I will soon be reading the sequel, The Crossroad, to find out the rest of the story. I recommend this book to those who enjoy an easy read with a heavy dose of mystery and a fair amount of spiritual investigation and growth in the characters.