Tinderbox (udgave 2019)

The Tinderbox by Beverly Lewis

Sylvia Miller is an eighteen year old Amish girl. She discovers and old tinderbox in her Father's clock shop. She decides to open it, and what she finds inside holds a secret her Father has been hiding for decades. Soon the Millers life is turned upside down and life as they know (it) may never be the same.

The story moves at a fast pace with well developed characters. Set in Amish Country, I got the feel of what life was like for the Miller family. Ernest (her Father) and Rhoda (her Mother) are both likable as well as Sylvia. They are put through a lot, I wanted to see the family at peace and truly happy. Overall I enjoyed The Tinderbox and recommend to those who like Amish stories. ( )

Sylvia is a young Amish woman, anticipating her engagement and just generally enjoying life and her family. But then, like Pandora’s box, she opens a tinderbox belonging to her father that changes everything for herself and her family. Her father, Ernest, came from the English world twenty years ago to become Plain, and he married an Amish woman. But for all those years, he held a secret in his heart that was exposed when Sylvia snooped in the box. There were dire ramifications, not only for Earnest but also for his entire family. What happened with him while he was in the English world and what that meant for him and his family now is well told in this story. But what the future holds for them won’t be disclosed until the next book. This installment also has an unexpected occurrence, something surprising to them all. Interesting characters people this intricate plot, and as Beverly Lewis does so well, readers are soon drawn into the story and into the Amish community. ( )

“The Tinderbox” by Beverly Lewis dealt with past problems and events catching up with Earnest, a well-respected Amish husband and father. The consequences to himself and his family for withholding information presented a picture of how things can spin out of control for even the most humble and faith-filled people.
I liked the idea that the book portrayed the problems of a family, rather than a sugar-coated view of Amish life. I think the book described the church discipline well. The characters were well developed and realistic.
What bothered me the most about this book was the seeming cruelty of the shunning of this Amish man for events that had occurred before he became Amish. Most people make a lot of mistakes when they are young, and these mistakes sometimes return to haunt us later in life. However, I disagree with having to harshly pay for those mistakes when one is a mature adult. I have read other books by this author, but the treatment of Earnest by a community of brethren, to whom he came for solace and support during a difficult time of his life, was quite upsetting. Earnest himself had this thought at one point during his time of discipline.

I also thought that Earnest’s daughter Sylvia should have been held responsible for prying into her father’s private materials and continuing to probe and pester him until the entire situation exploded. All in all, it seemed that the situation described made a mountain out of a molehill in a cruel and unnecessary way. However, I am not Amish, so maybe I am being too critical here.
I would like to see how the story plays out in the next book that continues this family saga.

I received this book from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own. ( )

“Hard work puts meat on your bones...and builds strong character.” Ack, character: for sure and for certain the centerpiece of yet another Amish tale Beverly Lewis has brought us. A family and couple(s) are in crisis. The Tinderbox out in her father’s clockmaking workshop has tempted Sylvia ever since she was small. Little does Sylvia realize the Pandora’s Box she will be opening as she peeks inside.
While not a fast-moving book, The Tinderbox deals with some of the strongest human emotions possible: intense human love, lust, (very tastefully dealt with), anger, fear, deceit, betrayal, and despair. I have my suspicions about a few others that we may not realize until the sequel, The Timepiece, is out in September of this year.
It has been said that women are emotional creatures. I thought about this a lot as I read The Tinderbox. It was easy to put myself in either Rhoda or Sylvia’s place. I wondered if the stress and emotions would be unbearable.
God has said He will not give us more than we can bear. While Rhoda, Sylvia, Hannah, and Earnest all must have questioned this, God provided a special friend for the ladies as well as for Earnest in his time of need. It was fun to visit with the Wise Woman of Hickory Hollow, Ella Mae, yet again.
Everyone needs an Ella Mae in his/her life.
Five. That many months until the sequel comes out. I need it now. Lewis neatly sets us up for The Timepiece, and I, for one, don’t want to wait!
Quotable:
“Have you fallen so far that the Lord can’t reach down and pick you up?”
I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. I was not required to leave a positive review, and all opinions are my own. ( )

This is the story of an Old Order Amish family whose dad holds a secret. Sylvia Miller is the eighteen year old daughter who discovers something about the secret, but only partially.

Earnest and Rhoda Miller are her parents, her dad is a converted Englisher, and was accepted into the community years ago by the head Bishop at that time. Earnest makes a living building and repairing clocks, and does well at it, working in his shop for long hours sometimes. The Tinderbox, which holds keepsakes of Earnest, is kept on a shelf is in his clock shop, and Sylvia gives in to curiosity and temptation one day while dusting the shelves in there, looking through all the contents of her dad's Tinderbox.Eventually her dad finds out Sylvia has looked, and he doesn't tell her much, but really struggles with revealing his secret to his wife.

The story then concentrates itself on that struggle, and what the secret being revealed does to his family and himself. Several other stories are parallel to this one in the book, one about Rhoda's sister Hannah, and another about Sylvia and her beau.Personally, I did not really enjoy this book like I have enjoyed Beverly Lewis's past books. This one seemed to be aimed more at the teen audience, except for the one slightly amorous scene between husband and wife, I think it would have been suitable for teens.This was an easy read, although I didn't read every page, and did skip a few chapters. I just couldn't really get into it. Other fans of Beverly Lewis may find The Tinderbox to be a good, enjoyable read for them.I am received a copy of The Tinderbox from Bethany House in exchange for an honest review. I was under no obligation to provide a positive review, and received no monetary compensation.Romans 10:9-13; John 3:16-21 ( )