Leaving Lancaster

loved the story line, so naturally had to get the this book. It

loved the story line, so naturally had to get the this book. It did not disappoint!

6 out of 6 people found this review helpful.

I was very happy with this book until the ending, I feel like we

I was very happy with this book until the ending, I feel like we got no closure. Maybe another book is coming. There were also some things that didn't set well with me.



Holly, down on her luck, is living at home with her mom. Her mom runs an Amish Shoppe complete with a buggy outside.

Holly arrives home (after losing her job) to find out that her grandmother, that her mother told her was dead all her life, is alive and ill.

Holly is devestrated and happy all at the same time to realize that she has an extended family. Her and her mom travel to Lancaster - this is their story and what happens while they are there.

4 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

Very well done!! A super new author of Amish Fiction!

"Leaving Lancaster" By Kate Lloyd I am always curious when new authors appear, writing my favorite genre, Amish fiction. Kate Lloyd became a Facebook friend before I even knew that she was a writer!! We discussed the Lancaster , PA area , places to go, things to see, etc. Then, low and behold, I discover that she is preparing to publish a book, entitled, "Leaving Lancaster" !! Surprise!! This is Kate's second book to hit the market, the first being, "A Portrait of Marguerite". Kate has done her research well. Her facts and information about the Amish are accurate and sensitive to their feelings. Synopsis of book: The main character, Holly Fisher, is in her thirties and longs for a family. She has grown up in Seattle without a dad, or extended family and her greatest longing is to belong- have a sense of a heritage. Suddenly, her mother, Esther, reveals what has been kept secret for many years. Holly does have a grandmother and uncles who are alive and have a great desire to meet her. They are begging Esther to return to her home- BUT here comes the great shock- it is in Lancaster PA on a farm in an AMISH community. Holly had had no idea of her Amish background that her mother chose to abandon before she was born. Esther is terrified to see her mother and siblings, although guilt ridden. She begs Holly to accompany her to see her before she dies. BUT, can this trip heal old wounds and fullfill secret longings?? Will Esther be forgiven for deserting her faith? Will the family become whole again?? Will Holly find that for which she has been longing? You MUST read this book to find out!! I loved the well described characters. I felt Holly's pain and desires. Her desires , confusion, happiness became part of me. The plot was well developed. There were many surprises along the way, which kept me reading way beyond bedtime!! I read this book in two days- I HAD to know how all of the challenges were met!! A great book , with great characters and a great plot!! What more can you ask for?? Well done, Kate! Looking forward to your next Amish book!! Book was provided by David C. Cook and the author in exchange for a review.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Review:Leaving Lancaster by Kate Lloyd 3 STARS It was a good st

Review:Leaving Lancaster by Kate Lloyd
3 STARS It was a good story but for some reason I just did not feel connected to the characters. This was clean read not swearing or sex scenes. Deals with real problems. Esther Fisher gets a letter from her mother whom she has not seen since she was 16, when her and Samuel ran away from home. Her mother is in her 80's and wants to see her. Esther needs to tell her daughter the truth she has hidden for all these years. Holly Samantha Fisher at 37 has just lost her job. Holly has never married. Esther tells Holly that her grandmother is still alive with her uncles and family. Esther wants Holly to travel with her from Seattle Washington back to her Amish relatives in Lancaster. Holly can not believe her that her mother has been hiding that her relatives were alive. She wonders at what other lies her mother has told her. Did her dad really die during Viatnam. Esther runs an Amish goods store in Seattle, but she buys her products mostly from Ohio not the area she grew up on. Esther has raised Holly all by herself. She was born after Samuel went MIA. She feels guilty for the death of her husband because if they would have stayed and been baptised than he would not have been drafted. Holly finally agrees to fly with her mom to Lancaster and meet all the relatives she did not know she had. She always wanted a grandmother. When they are in a rental car Holly finds out her grandmother has no idea that they are coming. Her grandmother does not have a phone but her menonite neighbor does so they call her and she invites them to stay the night with her. Holly feels really close to Beth and meets her single son who is a vet. Zach. Esther has been jealous of Beth and Beth has had bitter feelings toward Esther . Grandma Anna is so glad that they have come especially when in a little while the whole family is going to move to Montana to buy land. They have sold this farm if they accept the offer. It shows you a slim glimmer of what life is with Amish. Deals more with issues of family and thier secrets, forgiveness, love Christ. Just dealing with regular family problems that come up in life. I was given this ebook to read in exchange of honest review from Netgalley. 03/01/2012 PUB David C Cook

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Holly Fisher never knew her father. He died before she was born

Holly Fisher never knew her father. He died before she was born, in Vietnam As far as she knows, her mother Esther is her only living relative.
She is about to lose her job, a victim of the bad economy. Here relationship with her mother has always been strained. Now that she's living at home, even more than usual.
She has no idea how much worse things are about to get.
Her mother springs on her, with no warning, that her grandmother, who Holly thought was dead, is alive, sick, and wants them to come home to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.
What will Holly and Ester find when they visit "Mamm Anna's" House. What will Esther do when she is forced to confront her past? Will Holly find the large extended family she has always coveted? Will Holly be able to forgive all the lies her mother told her, and all the things she never told her?
This book is a bit different from many "Amish Fiction" stories. It lets us inside the heads of some who have not lived Amish for years and some who never even know what it is to live Amish. A very enjoyable read, with a dash of twists, turns and romance thrown in for good measure. I was a bit frustrated to not find out all the answers, I hope they will come in more books from Katy Lloyd

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Highly recommended

A fresh and warm-hearted story of women, set in Amish country. In this lovely portrait of family and friends, lives grow and change. And the reader has the pleasure of joining in and learning about the Amish at the same time. I really enjoyed it!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

I gave this book two stars because I thought the story line was

I gave this book two stars because I thought the story line was marginally plausible. The characters, on the other hand, were completely unlikeable from beginning to end. They spent the entire book squabbling with each other like teenagers, and both were so petty I actually wished I could give them a slap across the cheek to get them to snap out of it. The mother (nearly 50) was weak, cringing, fearful, suspicious, and the daughter (mid-30s) was snotty, vindictive, bitter, angry and childish. They had their reasons for being so, but there were no redeeming qualities about them that made me sympathetic toward either one. The "romances" in the story had no development, they just happened out of the blue, and the ending left too many questions unanswered, and it didn't really seem like the mother and daughter had grown much emotionally. I stuck with the story to see what would happen, but was disappointed all the way through. I hate to leave negative reviews, but I don't recommend this book at all.

Outstanding!

This is a wonderful book! Very realistic and this writer is remarkable how she pulls you into the story. I felt like I was there and part of the story. I enjoyed every page of this book and hated to see it end... Anxious for the sequel.

When Esther Gingerich left her Amish community in Lancaster, PA

When Esther Gingerich left her Amish community in Lancaster, PA during her rumspringa, with the love of her life Samuel Fisher, the rest of their family expected them to return. Yet they didn't. Instead, they headed for a completely new life in San Francisco and would later move to Seattle where life again would take an unexpected turn. In this case, Samuel would be drafted into the Vietnam War and would never be found again. He would remain forever Missing in Action, just like Esther and Samuel did when they left their families.

Now many years later, Esther receives word from her ailing mother, Anna to return home to help take care of her before the rest of the family sells the farm and moves to Montana to begin a new life all over again. If Esther can only find a way to tell her daughter, Holly, that everything she has believed up to this point has been a complete lie. How funny that she would fail to tell her about her Amish upbringing while running an Amish Shoppe? Or that her grandmother is still living when she was told she was dead? How can she ever find a way to return home and expect Holly to come with her?

In the novel, Leaving Lancaster by Kate Lloyd, Esther has to find a way to return home and face up to the past she's not only been lying about, but also running away from. Holly has a right to get to know the family she has hidden from her including many grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. But will it be as easy as believing that the Amish are so easy to forgive her, or will there be no place for Esther and Holly to return to. Just how sick is her mother anyway and why does she want them to come home now? This is truly a story about forgiveness and what the seeds of bitterness will grow if we allow them to continue uninterrupted in our lives. It is a wonderful story of starting new chapters in our lives and learning the importance of family, of putting aside grudges and accepting forgiveness.

I received Leaving Lancaster by Kate Lloyd compliments of David C Cook Publishers and Net Galley for my honest review. Too often we can't see beyond our anger and resentment to see what we are missing if we are willing to let go and forgive. This novel does the perfect job at that through the alternating chapters that Esther and Holly share in this Amish fiction, conveying for the reader just what each of them in going through as they work towards resolving their own issues. I rate this one a 4.5 out of 5 stars in my personal opinion and loved how the story finally ended.

Anonymous

Great read for about 1/3 of the way through the book but then my mind started to wander off. 269 pages.

A great read!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Finding Your Way Home

What a great, compelling page turner. I could not put it down, and loved it all! There a lot of regrets here, Holly Fisher grew up in Seattle WA. She had her Mom, and some friends, but no other family. She is now in her late 30's and suddenly finds out her Mom has lied to her all of her life...she has family...Amish family in PA.
We then travel to Lancaster PA to meet all of her Mom's relatives, and her Dad's [whom she never met]. Can you imagine meeting Grandparents, Aunts and Uncles, and Cousins? How marvelous!!! I loved it.
Although it is not all fun, there is a lot of heartache, and their needs to be a lot of forgiveness on all sides. There is also some romance thrown in!
Be ready to travel on this great adventure!


I received this book from the Publisher David C Cook through Netgalley, and was not required to give a positive review.

Review 1335206004649

This is a really nice book! 1335206004649

0 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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This is a really nice book!1334667011720

0 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

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