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The Heritage of Lancaster County is a series of Christian Amish novels written by Beverly Lewis. The trilogy, which began publication in1997 tells the story of Katie Lapp and her journey to finding love, belonging and peace of mind.
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Order of The Heritage of Lancaster County Series
| # | Read | Title | Published | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Shunning | 1997 | Description / Buy | |
| 2 | The Confession | 1997 | Description / Buy | |
| 3 | The Reckoning | 1998 | Description / Buy | |
| 4 | The Heirloom | 2023 | Description / Buy |
Chronological Order of The Heritage of Lancaster County Series
| # | Read | Title | Published | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Heirloom | 2023 | Description / Buy | |
| 2 | The Shunning | 1997 | Description / Buy | |
| 3 | The Confession | 1997 | Description / Buy | |
| 4 | The Reckoning | 1998 | Description / Buy |
When Katie is first introduced in The Shunning, the first book in the series, she is 22-years-old and she doesn’t feel at home in Hickory Hollow, Pennsylvania. Katie grew up in a close Amish community.
Her parents taught her their faith from the moment she could understand. She went to church on a regular basis and, for the most part, lived a traditional Amish life. However, in The Shunning it is clear that Katie doesn’t feel like she belongs.
Her ideas and attitudes often clash with the conservative ideals of her community and it doesn’t help that Daniel, her first love died, leaving her feeling even more alone.
Things begin to make sense to Katie when she realizes that she was actually adopted. Suddenly her internal conflicts with the Amish lifestyle begin to make sense. And she wastes no time in rebelling against everything her adoptive parents taught her, packing her bags and going on the road to find her biological mother.
The Heritage of Lancaster County series was Beverly Lewis’ first adult fiction creation. The books are set in Lancaster because that is where Lewis can trace her roots. The author has a love for Lancaster County that permeates most of her fictional works.
And the Heritage of Lancaster County books are based loosely on the author’s maternal grandmother. Like Katie, Ada Ranck Buckwalter also left her Old Order Amish life to marry the love of her life.
Lewis has found that her family background is rich with tales that have inspired her to produce the multitudes of Amish novels in her bibliography. Like her peers, Lewis’ objective has always been to demystify the Amish.
The author’s Heritage of Lancaster County series has been criticized for the characterization of Katie Lapp. Because Katie was raised by Amish parents, the idea that she would completely rebel against their moral, social and ethical teachings just because she learns she was adopted attracts ridicule.
The protagonist seems to discard in mere hours what it took her family and her community more than two decades to instill in her, and that isn’t especially realistic.
The Heritage of Lancaster County Books into Movies
The first novel in the Heritage of Lancaster County series (The Shunning) became a Hallmark Channel movie in 2011. Its sequel (The Confession) eventually followed in 2013, also becoming a Hallmark Channel movie.
Best The Heritage of Lancaster County Books
The Heritage series might attract criticism for its pacing and characterization but the story told has a lot of fans who appreciate the effort made to explore Amish culture, with some of the best books in the series including:
The Shunning: Katie Lapp is a 22-year-old woman at a crossroad. After the death of her first love, Katie felt lost. But as an unmarried 22-year-old, she is convinced that the best course for her might be to marry a widowed bishop, a decision that will position her to care for his young children.
Katie’s plans take a drastic turn when she learns the truth about her origins. Learning that she has been lied to all her life shatters the protagonist’s already fragile worldview. With so many doubts and questions about her faith bombarding her from all sides, Katie wonders whether her destiny might lie in the English world.
The Confession: Katie Lapp was shunned by her Amish community. But she is determined to move forward with her new life. That means forgetting the strict upbringing of her parents and embracing her new identity as Katherine Mayfield.
Katie won’t stop until she finds her birth mother and carves out a new identity for herself. However, life at her destination isn’t without its challenges and it isn’t long before Katie begins to yearn for the solace of her Amish home.
Other Book Series You May Like
The “Home to Hickory Hollow” Series by Beverly Lewis is another beloved series. These books take readers to Hickory Hollow, a place where the lost and the desperate come to find love, purpose and a sense of belonging. Each book focuses on a different protagonist and the challenges that bring them to Hickory Hollow.
You may also enjoy “The Rose Trilogy” Series by Beverly Lewis. Rose and Hen are sisters living in the idyllic county of Lancaster. Rose is free-spirited and determined to pursue the wrong kind of boy. Hen married an outsider and she doesn’t know how to nurture her Amish culture without losing her husband.
What Is The Next Book in The Heritage Of Lancaster County Series?
There doesn't seem to be an upcoming book in The Heritage Of Lancaster County Series. The newest book is The Heirloom and was released on September, 12th 2023.