The Parting

Winner of the Christy Award for The Brethren, New York Times best-selling author Beverly Lewis is acclaimed for her captivating novels of faith and inspiration. Set in 1966, The Parting begins an enthralling new series based on actual events that divided one Pennsylvania Amish community-and drove a wedge between heartbroken sweethearts. Her sister's untimely death profoundly affects 17-year-old Nellie Fisher and her Amish family. Finding no comfort in Old Order tradition, Nellie searches her sister's diary for answers to nagging questions while her father seeks solace beyond the few approved Bible passages. But as family members read the forbidden Gospel of John, they experience something both miraculous and heretical-the transforming grace of God. And just when Nellie believes she's found her soulmate, a brewing church split threatens her prospects for marriage. Rachel Bothcan's magnificent narration enhances the pathos and power of this tale of painful tragedy, spiritual awakening, and blossoming romance. "As in her other novels, Lewis creates a vividly imaged sensory world … And her well-drawn characters speak with authentic voices as they struggle to cope with grief and questions about their tradition and relationship with God."-Library Journal, starred review