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Leaving Lancaster (2012)

by Kate Lloyd(Favorite Author)

3.73 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

0781405084 (ISBN13: 9780781405089)

languge

English

genre

Romance

publisher

David C. Cook

series

Legacy of Lancaster

review 1: Review for Leaving Lancaster by Kate LloydKate Lloy takes us on a gentle journey through grace and forgiveness. Our story starts out with Ester receiving word that her mother is very ill and wants her to come home. Home is in Lancaster PA where her mother and siblings reside. Ester is a grown woman with a grown daughter of her own. Ester’s husband has been mia since he left for the war, before Holly, (Ester’s daughter) was even born. Ester’s kept her past well hidden, and has told Holly that her mother had died and her relatives moved on. All Holly wants is a big family and a father. Imagine Holly’s consternation when she finds out that her mom’s been lying to her all along, that her mother is not dead, and she has a huge family…. an Amish family waiting... more for her in Lancaster! My goodness what excitement she must feel… but what about the betrayal Holly feels from her mother lies? What must Holly feel about this and why did Ester withhold information about her family from her daughter? What happens when they go to Lancaster? I really liked the way the story flowed and loved the different points of view as the two main characters shared their thoughts and feelings by taking turns relaying their story in every other chapter. My thoughts do run to something that was rather unusual for an Amish fiction story. I thought there were too many subplots going on. It didn’t really take away from the story, but it appeared as though there were too many ideas going through the author head at the same time. I hesitated as to whether to write that last statement, but then I felt my review wouldn’t have been totally honest.I am glad to see there is another book out there (which thank you NetGalley for giving me access to it). I felt that the end of this book was a bit rushed and wanted the book to continue further.I would recommend this book to my friends that read Amish fiction.
review 2: I had the privilege of reading Leaving Lancaster, introducing a new author to me, Kate Lloyd. Her book combined all I love about the Amish lifestyle and traditions and showed me Biblical truths about deception (and its consequences) and why we need to show forgiveness toward not just others but also ourselves. Anyone who is a female realizes that mother-daughter relationships can be challenging at times. Ms. Lloyd does a great job taking those complications and adding additional pressure such as stubbornness, deception, lies, and guilt. She broadens the scope of those feelings by including multi-generations, showing how our actions not only affect ourselves but also our children, parents, and other relatives. I love how God will take Biblical truths and reveal them to me in various ways. While I was reading this book, my church was in the middle of a sermon series which discussed that very theme. When we sin, it affects multi-generations, not just us. When we choose to make the right choice, multi-generations are blessed. And, let’s not forget the most important truth: When we confess and turn away from our sin to obedience, God rewards those choices with blessings. I love how Ms. Lloyd answered the central questions in this book, but left it open-ended. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series, Pennsylvania Patchwork. I’m looking forward to seeing what happens with Holly, her mother Esther, and her grandmother “Mommy Anna.” I was challenged as a parent and a person to live a life of obedience so that future generations in my genealogical line will receive blessings rather than consequences of any sin I would commit. As a parent, you want the best for your children and it’s encouraging to know that through my actions and attitudes and choices, I’m leaving a legacy for them…and I can choose if it’s positive or negative. Thank you, Ms. Lloyd, for reminding me of the above truth as well as that forgiveness is a gift to be extended to all, not just for the one who committed the sin but also for yourself if you have sinned. It’s definitely harder to forgive ourselves when we fail than to extend that forgiveness to another. But God doesn’t want us to live in condemnation, especially self condemnation. He wants to set us free when we choose obedience. We will still have to live with the consequences of our actions at times, but God has so much more in store for us than living a life wrapped in self guilt.I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series to see what Biblical truths Ms. Lloyd is going to share next, all while surrounded in a great story with lots of twists and turns. less

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