The Wish

I received a paperback copy of THE WISH by Beverly Lewis from Bethany House in exchange for an honest review.   I read a lot of Amish fiction and share them with my mother for discussion, and I am always afraid that the plots will start to repeat.  THE WISH, I am happy to report, stays fresh.

However, I really didn’t care for it.  I wish I could say otherwise, because the plot is different – Leona’s friend leaves the church and then writes to her years later asking for help.  I just couldn’t get into it, though. I normally enjoy books by Beverly Lewis, but this one felt almost different.

The beginning chapters are very rushed.  A lot happens and my head was spinning.  I never got a good grasp of the characters.  Suddenly, Gloria is gone.  The story slows down a little, but still felt rushed. 

A lot of the book is Telling rather than Showing.  At first I cringed, then I moaned.  I’m not trying to be mean, but that really ruined it for me.  For example, instead of using dialogue, the story went: Leona said that would be great, and maybe they should try it.  Why not use dialogue for that?

“That would be great.”  Leona beamed.  “We should try it!” 

It isn’t a bad book, just not for me.  If you enjoy Amish literature, give it a try.