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    The Love Letters
    The Love Letters
    The Love Letters
    Audiobook18 hours

    The Love Letters

    Written by Beverly Lewis

    Narrated by Christina Moore and Rachel Botchan

    4.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    Poignant New Novel from Amish Genre's Top Author When her sister falls gravely ill, twenty-year-old Marlena Wenger takes on the responsibility of caring for her infant niece, Angel Rose. Worried that this turn of events portends a more complicated future than he is prepared for, her beau ends their relationship. Marlena is devastated, but is determined to give Angel Rose the best care possible. Though from the Beachy Amish herself, Marlena meets Ellie Bitner, an Old Order Amish mother who offers quilting and needlepoint classes. They soon form a bond, and Marlena is drawn into the circle of Ellie's family. Ellie's handsome cousin seems rather taken with Marlena, but after her recent breakup, she is cautious where her feelings are concerned. But things begin to change when Ellie's young son Jacob discovers an older homeless man camped out in the nearby abandoned mill. Suffering from some cognitive disorder, the man has few prospects and fewer possessions--among them a small clutch of letters apparently from his own courting days. Could these letters be the key to the old man's identity? And can they bring healing and hope to Marlena and Ellie as well?
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateMar 24, 2015
    ISBN9781490649344
    Author

    Beverly Lewis

    Beverly Lewis (beverlylewis.com), born in the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch country, has more than 19 million books in print. Her stories have been published in 12 languages and have regularly appeared on numerous bestseller lists, including the New York Times and USA Today. Beverly and her husband, David, live in Colorado, where they enjoy hiking, biking, making music, and spending time with their family.

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    Reviews for The Love Letters

    4.5/5

    54 ratings16 reviews

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    • 5/5
      This was such an absolutely touching story! I really enjoyed it!
    • 4/5
      There are a couple of major story-lines running through this novel as well as several themes. Family, friendships, life-changing decisions, and choosing which religion to embrace are all represented. Marlena is called upon to care for her baby niece when her sister is gravely injured and the sister’s husband is soldiering across the world. Marlena is practically engaged with an Old Order Amish man, who does not like her attending other church services. Her parents have left the Old Order, but Marlena knows she must remain Old Order in order to marry her beau. She is helping her grandmother during the summer months, and attending the Mennonite church with her. This church and its pastor speak to her in ways that touch her soul, and she is doubting the ways of the Old Order. Meanwhile, a neighboring teenager, called Small Jay for his stature, and who is a bit backward, meets and befriends an apparent homeless man who is even more forgetful than Small Jay. This growing friendship is almost more endearing than Marlena’s growing affecting for her niece, and serves as a lesson to Small Jay’s family and community. This is quite a well written story, with interesting characters, a strong religious theme, and an intriguing plot.
    • 5/5
      Another good book by Beverly Lewis. This one follows a young adult Amish girl and a summer that brought many changes to her life. I really enjoyed the development of the main character, Marlena, as she struggled with her spirituality.
    • 4/5
      A good book that deals with several deep issues. Death, special needs children, Alzheimer's, and religious differences are all tackled in a moving story of love and healing. Marlena's life is about to undergo some drastic changes. She leaves her home and her beau to spend the summer with her grandmother, whose husband has recently died. Mammi feels a bit lost and having Marlena there gives her a reason to get up in the mornings. A short time after Marlena arrives the family gets word that Marlena's older sister has been in an accident. Luella left the Amish church years ago and married a man who is a soldier and is away at war. Marlena's mother asks her to take charge of caring for Luella's infant daughter, Angela Rose.I liked Marlena. She is a caring young woman who is happy to care for her grandmother. She's a bit uncertain about her ability to care for a baby, but expects it will only be for a couple weeks. At the beginning of the book, Marlena is not as happy about being separated from her beau, Nat, for the summer. She is focused on leaving her parents' more progressive Amish church and joining Nat in his Old Order Amish community, and being apart may delay their chance to marry.Marlena's religious life becomes quite complicated. She grew up in the Old Order church, which is where her beau is, but her parents left the church to join the more progressive Beachy Amish. As an unmarried woman, she was still under her parents' roof, so she went also, though somewhat unwillingly. While staying with her grandmother, she is exposed to yet another church, as Mammi is Mennonite. The more time she spends with Mammi, the more drawn she is to the personal faith that Mammi expresses. As she questions her commitment to the Old Order church, she also has to deal with Nat's disapproval. I loved seeing her stand up for her own beliefs and ultimately do what was right for her.When Luella dies from her injuries, Marlena continues to care for Angela Rose. Though reluctant at first, Marlena quickly comes to love the little girl. I loved seeing the bond between the two grow so strong. I ached for Marlena, who frequently reminded herself that her custody was only temporary, until the baby's father returned from Vietnam and/or his parents were able to take the girl. She is also hurt and confused when Nat also expresses his disapproval of her intentions to take care of Angela Rose for as long as necessary. There are several twists and turns to the story of Marlena and Angela Rose, and the solution was unexpected and heartwarming.I loved seeing Marlena's world expand during her visit to Brownstown. She has extended time with Mammi, who shares her faith and her memories with Marlena. I especially enjoyed some of the stories of her grandfather and their effect on Marlena. She also meets a young woman and her brother, members of a New Order Amish church, with whom she becomes friends. Just down the road is an Old Order Amish family, the Bittners, who also provide help and support for Marlena.There is a secondary story involving the Bittner's son Jake or "Small Jay". Jake is fourteen, but very small for his age and what today would be called special needs. He is the only boy in the family and aches for his father to accept him the way he is. Instead he spends his days exploring the area around his home. One day he comes across an old man and his dog living in an old mill. Jake befriends Boston, who can't remember how he got there. I loved Jake's compassion as he endeavors to convince his parents to take Boston in. I loved the way that Boston treated Jake as an adult and the effect that it had on Jake's self-confidence. Jake is also determined to help reunite Boston with his family. One of the things in Boston's bag is a package of love letters that he asks Jake to read to him. Through those letters, Jake begins to assemble clues to who Boston is. I loved the resolution of Boston's story, as a bit of music unlocks the missing piece to his puzzle. It was also interesting to see the effect that Boston had on the rest of Jake's family, especially his parents.I loved the ending of this book as it shows Marlena's progress in finding a home for her faith and her heart. I really appreciated that it wasn't a sudden bolt of lightning, but a slow process of learning to listen to her heart. The epilogue catches us up on her life and that of the other characters several years later.
    • 5/5
      Like most books by Beverly Lewis this one was wonderful. There are a few story lines in this book that are all wound together by love letters written to a man with Alzheimer's that a young Amish boy finds and befriends. This has to do with people that are Mennonite and those that are Old Order Amish. Can they be friends?I had a hard time putting this book down and finished it very quickly. I had to know what would happen to each character. I received this book from Bethany House for a fair and honest opinion.
    • 5/5
      Marlena's life was already planned and her future appeared bright as she looked forward to her engagement. But, life brings tragedy to her family one summer and she agrees to live with and help care for her recently widowed grandmother Mammi. Little do they realize that tragedy will strike yet again as Marlena's estranged sister Luella experiences a car accident, forcing Marlena and Mammi to care for her infant daughter Angela Rose. What began as a daunting task turns into an act of love as Marlena, Mammi, and the entire Amish community learn the meaning of love and the value of family.This was a wonderful book and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. I especially liked the sideline story of the Bitner family and their coming together as a family to help the mysterious Boston regain his memory and connect with his long lost love Abigail. I look forward to discovering more about Beverly Lewis' stories, characters, and depictions of Amish life in future books.
    • 5/5
      I enjoy reading books by this author and finding out what it is like to be a part of the Amish community. I liked how she approached topics you would not normally find in this type of book and how these circumstances can affect all walks of life.
    • 5/5
      I am still reading this book and am intrigued by the story. The main character is Marlena who is an old order Amish at heart. Her parents have converted to Beachy Amish while her grandmother, Mammi, who she journeys to spend the summer with, is Mennonite. I wonder how common this type of thing is in the Amish community? I would think that this does reflect the modern community somewhat. Maybe not the majority, but a good number. It is an effective way to learn the differences in the beliefs between these groups. This story also features a lost stranger, Boston, who an Old Order 14 yr. old boy befriends. There is a delicious mystery surrounding Boston's origin. He has an aura of wealth and importance about him. We, as readers, know he is some sort of musician...
    • 4/5
      The Love Letters by Beverly Lewis is a sweet Amish Fiction set in 1966. Dawdi Tim has pass away and his wife, Mammi Janice needs some assistance. Marlena Wenger is sent to help her out for the summer. This will mean that Marlena misses out on baptism instruction classes for the Old Order Amish and will have to wait another year to marry Nathaniel (Nat) Zimmerman. Mammi Janice's neighbors are Ellie and Roman Bitner with their daughter's and son, Jake (aka Small Jay). Jake is mentally challenged but a very sweet boy. He has cat named Sassy that he walks around on a leash. Roman has never been close to his son. He will not let Jake help with any chores around the farm. Jake keeps trying with his father. Then one day Jake runs across a man named Boston. Boston has memory troubles. He does not know who he is or how he ended up staying at the old mill. Boston has a dog named Allegro who liked Jake’s cat, Sassy. Boston befriends Jake. Boston provides the male figure that Jake has desperately wanted in his life. Jake brings Boston home to the farm and asks Roman to allow Boston to stay in the empty Dawdi house. Roman allows Boston to stay (in the barn) and Boston does chores in exchange. Jake reads letters to Boston that Boston had in his pack. Jake is hoping that there will be clues in the letters to Boston’s identity and family. Shortly after Marlena arrives at her Mammi’s she receives word that her sister Luella has been in a car accident. Luella left the community several years ago and married Gordon Munroe, a soldier. Gordon is currently in Vietnam and his parents are on a cruise. Marlena is asked to look after Luella’s little girl, Angela Rose. Marlena is also attending Church with Mammi (Mennonite) as well as friends who are New Order Amish. Marlena is not sure on her decision to join the Old Order Amish which leads to conflict with her beau, Nat.To find out what happens to Angela Rose, Boston, and Marlena, read The Love Letters. I give The Love Letters 4 out of 5 stars. The book is hard to get into at the beginning, but I enjoyed it once I got a quarter of a way into the story. A few times I found myself yelling at Ellie while reading the book. If she said she would check with her husband one more time (for permission), I think I would have screamed (of course, maybe I am a little bit too independent). I did enjoy the ending of this book. It is one of those endings where you close the book and sigh.I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
    • 5/5
      I have never been disappointed in a Beverly Lewis book! And I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed this one, too! The characters come to life and the story captured my attention to the point where I let some household chores go undone for a few days! Plus stayed up late reading 'just one more chapter!' Just couldn't put it down! This is another great story about family, and love and community that I am sure all Beverly Lewis fans will love!
    • 4/5
      A Good Read But…...I’m a huge fan of author Beverly Lewis and have loved reading her Amish fiction books. I really got drawn into this book from page one. However, I felt the ending was rushed. I would have liked for the ending to have been drawn out a little longer.This book has a good mixture of Amish and English worlds entwined. The storyline was great. The best I have read in a long time.It was interesting to be able to relate to what some of the characters in this book went through and what some of them were feeling. Insecurities, family disapprovals and disappointments, unforgiveness, and feelings of not belonging, to name a few.Once again we see how God works things out. It’s all about trust, faith, and prayer.I won a copy of this book on LibraryThing to read and review. The opinions expressed are mine alone.
    • 5/5
      Ah, such a sweet interweaving of stories in "The Love Letters" by Beverly Lewis! I have come to expect great things of this author, and she has delivered again.There are multiple story lines of several couples and families, all expertly woven together, each line adding to the over all story. I enjoyed the revealing of the characters "Small Jay" and "Boston" especially, and the way the two interacted. I was also pleased at the author's writing of some of the many different variations of Amish & Mennonites groups, what makes them different and how they deal with one another. Many books address how the Amish deal with "Englishe" (non-Amish), but this is the first I've read that looked more deeply into how the variations of groups live together. I always look forward to a new Beverly Lewis book. This one did not disappoint in any way.
    • 5/5
      As usual, Beverly Lewis does not disappoint. This is a beautiful, heart-wrenching story of love and loss and finding one's own place in the world. Marlena starts the book planning to be baptized into the Old Order Amish church and marry her beau, but as she spends the summer caring for her Mennonite grandmother and visiting with New Order Amish neighbors, her heart begins to feel a tug in another direction. When her estranged sister is killed in an unfortunate accident, Marlena becomes caretaker of her sister's infant daughter, adding a whole new set of complications to her life ... and new chances for love.
    • 5/5
      Another Fantastic read.. Love wins. And in this particular case so does change. Characters are well developed and story line is very real.
    • 5/5
      Beverly Lewis has once again drawn us into the world of the Amish with The Love Letters. I truly enjoyed this book. However, this book does take a different turn than some of her others. I thought this one was one of her absolute best! A great read!
    • 5/5
      I enjoyed reading The Love Letters by Beverly Lewis. Marlena Wenger is staying with her grandmother to help her out after the passing of her grandfather, when her sister is hospitalized and her niece Angel Rose also comes to stay. Marlena quickly becomes connected to the baby, which her beau Nat is not happy about. The neighbor boy Jacob finds a homeless man, who is having problems with his memory, living in the old mill.I found myself quickly involved in their stories, disliking Nat and his parents for there judgemental ways, and absolutely loving 'Small Jay'. I love reading books about the Amish and Beverly Lewis has created another wonderful story with characters to love and dislike.I received an ARC (advanced readers copy) from Bethany House and NetGallery in exchange for my honest review rather it be good or bad. Thank you