Review:Leaving Lancaster by Kate Lloyd

3 STARS It was a good story but for some reason I just did not feel connected to the characters. This was clean read not swearing or sex scenes. Deals with real problems. Esther Fisher gets a letter from her mother whom she has not seen since she was 16, when her and Samuel ran away from home. Her mother is in her 80's and wants to see her. Esther needs to tell her daughter the truth she has hidden for all these years. Holly Samantha Fisher at 37 has just lost her job. Holly has never married. Esther tells Holly that her grandmother is still alive with her uncles and family. Esther wants Holly to travel with her from Seattle Washington back to her Amish relatives in Lancaster. Holly can not believe her that her mother has been hiding that her relatives were alive. She wonders at what other lies her mother has told her. Did her dad really die during Viatnam. Esther runs an Amish goods store in Seattle, but she buys her products mostly from Ohio not the area she grew up on. Esther has raised Holly all by herself. She was born after Samuel went MIA. She feels guilty for the death of her husband because if they would have stayed and been baptised than he would not have been drafted. Holly finally agrees to fly with her mom to Lancaster and meet all the relatives she did not know she had. She always wanted a grandmother. When they are in a rental car Holly finds out her grandmother has no idea that they are coming. Her grandmother does not have a phone but her menonite neighbor does so they call her and she invites them to stay the night with her. Holly feels really close to Beth and meets her single son who is a vet. Zach. Esther has been jealous of Beth and Beth has had bitter feelings toward Esther . Grandma Anna is so glad that they have come especially when in a little while the whole family is going to move to Montana to buy land. They have sold this farm if they accept the offer. It shows you a slim glimmer of what life is with Amish. Deals more with issues of family and thier secrets, forgiveness, love Christ. Just dealing with regular family problems that come up in life. I was given this ebook to read in exchange of honest review from Netgalley. 03/01/2012 PUB David C Cook