Read Love Reviews: The Shunning

The Shunning by Beverly Lewis

Pub. Date: May 1997
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers
Format: Paperback, 283pp
Age Range: Adult
Series: Heritage of Lancaster County #1

ISBN-13: 9781556618666

Synopsis from BN.com:

When Katie Lapp finds the satin infant gown in the dusty leather trunk of her parents' attic, she knows it holds a secret she must discover. Why else would her Amish mother, a plain and simple woman who embraces the Old Order laws, hide the beautiful baby dress in the attic? But nothing could have prepared Katie for the startling news that stumbles out of her anguished parents on the eve of her wedding to Bishop John. Will Katie suddenly find herself a stranger in the community she has always called home?

My Review:

For years I have looked at and wondered about the Amish fiction of Beverly Lewis.  Presented with the opportunity to review the DVD for the Hallmark Channel movie version of The Shunning -- coming soon -- I decided that the time had finally come to read the book.  And I'm delighted to find that my reading experience was a pleasure!

Beverly Lewis was born in Pennsylvania Dutch country and dedicates The Shunning to her grandmother who left her Plain community.  Lewis' interest in and respect for her Amish heritage is demonstrated in the novel.  I enjoyed the author's smattering of Amish and German words and phrases throughout the text.  And I also appreciated that the novel explains some Amish rituals and customs but never feels encyclopedic.  Instead one feels transported to the small fictional community of Hickory Hollow in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

The novel is told in the third-person, but begins with a prologue written from the first-person perspective of the main character, Katie Lapp.  From the start, I found it easy to care about Katie, whose voice and independent spirit comes through almost immediately.  The community comes to life as we get to know Katie's family, her best-friend Mary, and several other friends, family members, and neighbors.  The relationship between Katie and Mary is sweet, and there are some touching scenes between the two.

Katie has never found it easy being Plain.  She loves Fancy things, color, and especially music, so she's always felt a little out of step with her friends and neighbors.  And though she is kind-hearted and good, following the rules and customs of her community sometimes is a struggle.  The Shunning allows the reader a chance to walk alongside Katie on her journey of self-discovery. We glimpse her wrestling with questions about her faith, her customs, her heart, and her destiny.

While the novel may not have a complex or unpredictable plot, it is an emotional book.  And I found it rewarding to watch how characters responded as circumstances unfolded.  As the title suggests, we learn about the practice of die Meinding or the Shunning.  Lewis handles the difficult subject well, managing to question and spotlight the practice without casting too long or dark a shadow.  This ensures that by the conclusion of the novel, readers are able to sympathize with both the outcast and the community who has averted its collective glance.

Unfortunately, the novel is incomplete in its resolution.  A cliffhanger ending leaves us unsatisfied and wondering what kind of answers Katie will find on her journey.  The ending does, however, motivate you to pick up the next installment in the series and read on! Though I'll have to wait on book two, I do look forward to viewing the film version of The Shunning starring Danielle Panabaker!

Please note:  I read a copy from the library, so the cover posted with my review may not be readily found on bookshelves at your local stores.  Instead, look for the updated cover art or the movie tie-in:

*DVD review of The Shunning* 

*Please note:  Read Love has a copy of the DVD to giveaway! Enter the Giveaway!*

Read Love Reviews: Nightshade

Nightshade by Andrea Cremer


Pub. Date: October 2010
Publisher: Penguin Group (USA), Inc.
Format: Hardcover, 454pp
Age Range: Young Adult
Series: Nightshade #1

ISBN-13:  9780399254826

Synopsis from BN.com:

Calla is the alpha female of a shape-shifting wolf pack. She is destined to marry Ren Laroche, the pack's alpha male. Together, they would rule their pack together, guarding sacred sites for the Keepers. But then, Calla saves a beautiful human boy, who captures her heart. Calla begins to question everything - her fate, her existence, and her world and the orders the Keepers have asked her to follow. She will have to make a choice. But will she follow her heart if it means losing everything, including her own life? 

My Review:

Okay, I'm starting to see an unfortunate trend:  Dawn finally reads a book or series that it seems everyone loves.  Dawn is underwhelmed.  Sorry folks.  I wanted to love it -- I really did.    

Let's look at what Andrea Cremer accomplishes with Nightshade.   Cremer sets up her own unique wolf mythology.  If you started the book thinking you were going to be reading about familiar werewolves, you'll find you were mistaken.  Although things like pack pecking order and other wolfish mannerisms are not new to anyone who knows a little about wolves and their behavior, the society and world that Cremer creates for her characters is believable and compelling.  Rather than spending a lot of time on exposition in order to explain the world her characters inhabit, the author begins by immediately advancing the plot, giving the reader pieces of information bit by bit throughout the opening chapters.  While initially a little disorienting, this technique successfully gains and sustains reader interest and curiosity.  And with each chapter, you'll find yourself shaking your head as the plot thickens as your understanding of the world deepens and the conflict broadens.

Unfortunately, for me, the growing complexity of the society of Keepers, Guardians, and Searchers was not the only thing that had me shaking my head.  While it served the author's interest to reveal her world piecemeal in order to advance the plot, she did herself a disservice by not spending more time establishing her characters, particularly Calla.  We never learn the reason why Calla felt compelled to risk her own life to save Shay, the human boy she knows nothing about.  As an alpha female, you'd expect Calla to have more self-awareness.  Sure, we see her struggle with issues like power, control, tradition, purity, and obedience.  We can appreciate the difficulties she faces as she navigates her changing role and ponders the emerging questions surrounding her place in a world which she thought she understood.  But without understanding why she is drawn to Shay, or how she really feels about Ren, the romantic elements of the book are nothing more than distractions from the larger storyline.  The dynamic between Calla, Shay, and Ren was not a satisfying love triangle.  The reader never fully understands her feelings for either boy.  And I'm not convinced Calla understands her feelings either.  Nighshade's romantic elements are built mainly on lust and physical attraction.  I found this hard to swallow, and my enjoyment of the novel slackened when the romance started to overshadow the plot.  When the mystery was explored and the characters were searching for answers, I was rapt.  But when the steamy moments interrupted, I checked out.  Especially when the characters pause while in mortal danger for a steamy interlude! Who gets romantic when their life is in peril? Only in the pages of Hollywood scripts, or apparently, torrid YA fiction!

As far as the writing goes, for the most part it was strong enough to support the story.  But, at times, the overuse of certain phrases or conventions became an annoyance.  I can't tell you the number of times a male character raises his eyebrows, or crooks his finger at someone.  And for heaven's sake, people don't blush as often in real life as they do in the pages of a story trying to create romantic tension!

While I enjoyed reading Nightshade and never struggled to turn the pages, I was never able to fully connect with Calla, the protagonist.  So while I kept reading to find out what happened, I found that I was more intellectually curious than emotionally invested in the outcome.

Sunday Inspiration (6)

"Do all the good you can,
By all the means you can,
In all the ways you can,
In all the places you can,
At all the times you can,
To all the people you can,
As long as ever you can."

John Wesley, John Wesley's Rule

Sunday Inspiration is a weekly feature hosted here @ Read Love.
It began from my desire to share a nugget of encouragement or wisdom.
I didn't intend for it to be a community thing, but due to positive feedback,
I'm giving it a try! (Thanks, Kate)

Participation is welcome!
Your quote need not be faith-based, but it should be positive and uplifting.