Can a splintered Amish family reconcile?
More than anything else, thirty-something Holly Fisher longs for family. Growing up in Seattle without a dad or grandparents, she wonders what it would be like to have a heritage, a place of belonging. Holly is furious when her mother, Esther, reveals a long-kept secret: Holly’s grandmother and uncles are still alive and begging Esther to return. And Holly is shocked when she learns that the family she’s never known lives on a Lancaster, Pennsylvania, farm—as part of an Amish community her mother once abandoned.
Guilt-ridden Esther, terrified to see her mother and siblings, begs Holly to accompany her on a visit to Esther’s mother before she dies. But can their journey to a conflicting world heal their emotional wounds and finally bring them home?
Set in the heart of contemporary Lancaster County, Leaving Lancaster explores the power of forgiveness, family reconciliation, and love where least expected.
My Comments: Unknown to her, Holly Fisher life has been a lie. She grew up thinking one thing about her family, and at the age of 37, she finds out none of that information was true. Her mother, Esther Fisher lived a lie. She could not bear to face the truth. The story develops a families relationship with each other. Forgiveness being a huge theme. The mother and daughter traveled across the USA to meet Holly’s real, hidden family because Esther’s mom is sick. Holly falls in love with her newly found extended family. Esther, however, is a little cautious. What will happen now? They own a shop back at Puget Sound – yet Esther’s mother needs them.
I enjoyed this book, although I found it hard to follow in spots. I couldn’t for the life of me relate to Esther nor understand why she left her family for years. She seemed to embrace the parts of being Amish she liked and left the rest in Lancaster County. She even chose a place to live where no other Amish live. I liked Holly, although I didn’t always understand her either. This is a good (maybe not great) book for fans of Amish fiction. I am glad I read it!
I received my copy from NetGalley, but soon afterward downloading that copy, I received a free copy from Kindle (which I read on my iPad Kindle app.)
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