The Heirloom: Prequel to The Shunning by Beverly Lewis

 This heartwarming prequel to The Shunning is a tender story of love, belonging, and the courage to move forward.

After her widowed father remarries, nineteen-year-old Clara Bender is no longer needed to help run his household. Marriage seems like her best hope of moving out, but there are few young men in her tiny Indiana Amish community. When she comes across letters from her mother's aunt Ella Mae Zook, she sets off to visit Lancaster County's Hickory Hollow to decide where her future lies.

Ella Mae is not quite ready to move from the farmhouse where she and her recently deceased husband spent over fifty happy years, but her children are eager to resettle her, making Clara's visit seem like an answer to prayer. The two women form a warm bond while restoring an heirloom wedding quilt and sharing their lives, with Ella Mae confiding about a tragedy from her courting years. Eventually, Ella Mae suggests Clara stay for the summer, allowing Ella Mae more time with her and giving Clara an opportunity to meet the area's eligible young men. But when the unexpected happens, will Clara find where her heart truly belongs?

My thoughts:

The prequel to The Shunning was even better than I expected it to be. Nineteen-year-old Clara Bender felt unneeded when her widowed father remarries and with few prospects for herself in her small Amish community, she feels lost and hopeless.  Until she finds letters her mother had kept which piqued her curiosity and gave her hope.

Clara showed bravery as she traveled to meet great Aunt Ella Mae who had written the letters to her mother, something I admired her for.  The relationship they formed was sweet, heartwarming and what they both needed in their lives. If you like Amish fiction, I suggest you get a copy of this book as soon as you can.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley. Opinions are my own.