The Tinderbox by Beverly Lewis

About the Book: 

With her Amish parents' twentieth anniversary approaching, eighteen-year-old Sylvia Miller stumbles across a surprise--the old brass tinderbox her clockmaker father keeps in his Lancaster County shop has been left unlocked. Against her better judgment, Sylvia opens the cherished heirloom, not realizing that what she is about to discover will splinter apart her happy life. 

Sylvia's bewilderment grows when her father confronts her about snooping in the box. To her amazement, the respected convert to the Old Order reacts as if he has something to hide.

Burdened by the weight of his deception, Earnest Miller decides he must reveal the details about his past to his beloved wife, Rhoda. The long-kept secret alters everything for the close-knit family, jeopardizing Earnest and Rhoda's relationship, as well as threatening Sylvia's recent engagement to the preacher's grandson.

Can the Millers find a way forward through the turmoil to a place of forgiveness and acceptance?

My Review:

Off and on I have read this author's books. Breaking out of the more standardized "Amish Box", this book pulls in some real-life issues. This book feels much more like the ones that brought Lewis so much success. So many secrets and so many lives were altered in this story. Amidst the secrets, life, death, courting, and major events are happening with and to Sylvia. I was so glad to see the Wise Woman of Hickory Hollow again. I love her character! The major issues are well handled, even topics that are scandalous. I didn't like that we don't have the full conclusion till the next book, but I know that's a popular way to do things. 

4 Stars

Thank you to Bethany House for my copy of this book. My review is my own, left of my own free will. 

About the Author:

Beverly Lewis, raised in Pennsylvania Amish country and both a schoolteacher and an accomplished musician, has been an award-winning author for over a dozen years. Her acclaimed novel, The Preacher's Daughter, was a 2006 Quill Book Award finalist in the romance category. Her books have appeared on numerous bestseller lists, including USA Today and The New York Times. She and her husband, David, live in Colorado."