A very thoughtful story of a woman's struggle with her creative side and with her religion. Several enjoyable side stories are intertwined.
You will become so invested in the characters that by the end of the book you want to start immediately on the next book in the series in order to follow the developments in their lives.
This is the first book I have read by this author but I want to read more. I am very glad that a friend suggested this book to me.

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The Preacher's Daughter begins the captivating new series ANNIE'S PEOPLE and introduces an Amish community in Paradise, Pennsylvania-a
heavenly sounding place, but one that has seen it's share of heartache and mystery. A moving story of friendship, secrets, and love.
Excellent book from start to finish.

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Part of the what's it like to explore the Amish series by Lewis. Interesting juxtaposition between the English and the AMish when a pen-pal comes to stay in the community. Glances at the advantages and disadvantages of the closed society built on Christian discipline.

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This book is the 1st of 3 in the series, "Annie's People". Beverly Lewis put so much dimension in her characters. If you liked her series, "The Heritage of Lancaster County", you will absolutely enjoy this book. There is suspense, friendship, loyalty and love mixed in throughout the story. I can't wait to read the 2nd in the series. GREAT READ!!!

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Once again Beverly Lewis has done it. This book also as a little mystey to it. Annie trys so hard to fit in and give up her secret. Can't wait to get the second book started.

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I loved Annie's People Series. It was very hard to put down.

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Annie's People, my favorite series from Beverly Lewis.

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good book-easy reading

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At first, I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I enjoyed the writing style. The i"creative lisence" nclusion of slang and somewhat poor grammar into the overall narrative (not just the dialog) gave the feel of the place and people of the story. Although many of the subjects and themes of the story were serious (wife and child abuse for one), the prose was warm and engaging. The characters were not to deep, but good and human. The conflicts faced by some of the characters seemed real.

The beginning page intregued me with an old mystery of a little boy who disappeared.

Then, years later, Annie, an Amish preacher's daughter with a talent for art begins a first-person account about her conflicts about wanting to paint, which was viewed as a sin in the conservative Amish community, causing her to hide her studio in a "English" friend's house, and wanting to please her family and her community. A visit by an "English" pen pal, an art instructor who is tired of her life that her wealthy family has arranged for her, including an arranged engagement and who wants some peace in her life, pushes the "art vs Amish rules" delima to a head.

Meanwhile, one of her best Amish girlfriends is finding out that her husband is a wife and child beater. (I could feel a bit of compassion for him occassionally. He was the older brother of the little boy who disappeared years ago, and his father blamed him for the tragedy. Unsolved issues and a need for healing...an understanding...but not an excuse!)

Everything pointed towards a decent, complex, perhaps thought-provoking story.

After the first chapter, the prose switched to third person.

But, towards the middle of the book, the homesy-folksy writing style was getting a bit tedious. The story itself seemed to be dragging.

But, the worse thing was that the major issue of the book was unsolved.

As a fine artist myself, I was drawn the the "art vs. sin" theme of the book. This issue was put on hold...or rather, "to be continued" in other books of this series. Annie promises her father to set aside her painting for six months in order not to be kicked out of her home and community. So, the art part of the story begins and ends with Annie's first-person struggles, which sandwiches the story with almost the same conflict beginning and end.

Oh, come on!

As for the old mystery of the missing child, well, the body was finally found, but, except for causing further problems for the disturbed husband/father mentioned earlier, causing his wife and children to flee, and Annie's father refusing to show him where they burried the remains (something I didn't understand at all. I cannot blame Zeke for being upset!), nothing was resolved (like, gee, who was the perprtrator?). There was no reason for the inclusion of this mystery.

Yes, I realize that this book is the beginning of a trilogy, by I hate it when authors do not finish the stories in their books. In other words, give me a stand-alone novel any day, whether or not it is part of a series. With unresolved issues and teasers, I, as a reader, feel cheated.

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Great book! I can't wait to read the 2nd one.

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A heartfelt read by the great Beverly Lewis!!

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