19 May 2014
Under the Heavens Amish Horse Series by Thomas Nye Book Review
A teenage boy,
struggling with his identity, reluctantly leaves his modern, city-life behind
and enters the slow-paced, mysterious world of the Amish. Grandpa teaches Lenny
to farm with draft horses, a tranquil experience that seeps into his soul,
changing his perspective. A neighbor girl appears while he is working in the
fields, weaving a romance in the fabric of his summer. Lenny discovers that every
day on an Amish farm is an adventure. Thunderstorms rumble above, as a fragile
relationship, between an Amish family and their non-Amish visitor begins to
unravel. Daybreak in a cow pasture, plowing with horses, enchanting moonlit
buggy rides, and picturesque sunsets are all part of life, Under the Heavens.
My Thoughts:
What a delightful
read with such beautiful descriptive writing on the Amish and horses. This is
Thomas Nye first novel. This was a very interesting read. At first it was slow
to start but after you get into the story it was a hard one to put down.
This isn’t your typical
Amish fiction series. It was refreshing to have a different style of writing in
the Amish fiction genre.
The characters were
heart felt and felt so real. I was intrigued by Leonard’s character and
watching a young man transform into an angry young man who found himself and
God through his mentor and grandfather. He found that the horses became more
than just horses to him. He learned to see God’s creation and love in them. He
also learns a hard lesson on work ethics and what it takes to live and work on
a farm.
Grandpa Jesse was an
amazing character with a sense of purpose and didn’t give up on Lenny during
the hard times. All the characters were likable and fun in this novel. I can’t
wait to read book 2 in this series and I look forward to other books by Thomas
Nye. Under the Heavens Amish Horse Series is a wonderful book.
I received this book free from the publisher
through the BookCrash.com book review program, which requires an
honest, though not necessarily positive, review. The opinions I have expressed
are my own.
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SPD
I just finished this book, and I was really taken by it. It IS different than the multiple other books about the Amish that I have read, and I liked the difference. Growing up on the farm where Tom now lives, I could, in detail, picture some of the sights and places he talked about. Because of Tom's very descriptive phraseology, I was also able to take in the smells of the soil, the weeds, and the manure(!) that are a part of that area of the country's land. I also relived the methods of farming that I participated in as a small child, as Tom describes the process of haymaking and corn and soybean planting and cultivating and manure-hauling in the ways that we did it "back then" (with a tractor). I'm happy to know that those things are still done in ways that resemble "the good old days" by some. I am hopeful that these small farms, maintained by farmers who still take the time to "smell the roses", continue to thrive. For a first-time author, Tom did a tremendous job of telling a story that contains elements of surprise and nontraditional pieces of Amish history. In addition to Lenny, the main character, who by himself stands as an "outsider", there is also Truman, who represents the mentally disabled that are sometimes a part of Amish families, just as in the rest of the world, but whom we often do not mention. I was so taken by this book that I could not put it down until it was finished, and then dreamt that I was driving that biggest team of horses, Train and Tug! Thanks, Tom, for a great book. I can't wait until the next one!
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