Amish Fiction: Kate Lloyd

Leaving Lancaster by Kate Lloyd
Review by Mary Hake



This Amish novel with a different approach offers a heart-tugging read. During her teen running-around years, Esther left her Pennsylvania Amish community with Samuel Fisher, whom she married in California. Samuel was drafted and lost his life in Viet Nam. Their daughter, Holly, now 37, lives with her mother above their Amish Shoppe in Seattle, Washington. Esther had told Holly her parents were dead and she didn’t know where her siblings lived, so Holly grew up without the extended family she longs for.

Esther’s mother, Anna, has written her letters over the years and relates how her health has deteriorated, begging her only daughter to come home. Esther reluctantly agrees to return to her childhood home, dragging resentful Holly along on this redefining journey. What a contrast in lifestyles they encounter! And just when Holly is getting to know her relatives, she learns the clan intends to move to Montana, where farmland is plentiful.

Throughout the story, guilt and secrets are uncovered, aggravating painful wounds from the past but they also create opportunities for change and healing. Can all the lies and hurtful words and deeds be forgiven so reconciliation can occur? Esther believes Samuel’s mother hates her and there’s no hope for any relationship. Holly is determined to get to know her grandparents and find answers about the dad she never knew.

To all the turbulent emotions stirred among family, add a dash of romance. Anna’s Mennonite neighbor has a single son, Zach, a handsome, successful veterinarian who comes to Holly’s aid more than once. And widowed Nathaniel has been attracted to Esther since their school days.
Could these two distressed women find love in Lancaster? Would they be willing to leave their city lives and choose plainer ways?

I enjoyed this book with its authentic feel, and I couldn’t restrain my tears at a most powerful scene. It does go overboard with similes that shout “look at me” rather than move the reader deeper into the tale, but those are easily overlooked since the book calls you to keep reading. I hope the story will continue in a sequel.