Whispers Down the Lane

Summerhill Secrets #1

by Beverly Lewis, Tavia Gilbert (Narrator)

Join Merry Hanson, a very modern fifteen-year-old living in Pennsylvania's Amish country, as she faces the true-to-life struggles and heartfelt triumphs of growing up to be the best she can be in God's eyes. When Lissa Vyner shows up bruised and beaten, Merry enlists the help of her Amish friend Rachel Zook.

Genres: Christian, Christian Fiction, Amish, Fiction, Young Adult, Teen, Audiobook

3 pages, Audiobook

First published May 1, 1995

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

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."

Reviews

[Jenna O · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like this book!!
The only thing is I would have liked to know more about what happened to Lissa.

[Lindsey (Books for Christian Girls) · Rating 4 out of 5]

About this book:

"Merry Hanson, heroine of the SummerHill Secrets series, harbors a runaway friend, Lissa, whose father is physically abusing her. When the police arrive, Merry does not turn Lissa in; instead, she confides in an Amish girlfriend, who agrees to hide Lissa in the Amish community. This serene, homespun way of life is a balm for Lissa's wounds, and seeing Lissa's healing and spiritual awakening is a catalyst for Merry's dealing with the death of her twin sister years before. Merry is an appealing, intelligent teenager, compassionate, direct, and unpretentious, and her insights about herself give her character authenticity. Her life comes full circle when she allows herself to grieve for her sister."





Series: SummerHill Secrets, book 1.

Spiritual Content-

Merry reads her Bible and tries (very hard!) to get Lissa to; Merry has 3 cats named Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego.

Negative Content-
Lissa's father abused her, not in the time of this book, but before; Lissa has a lot of bruises from him.


-Merry Hanson

P.O.V. of Merry




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This was a clean tween/teen book, Lissa's dad is the only negative item in this book.

*BFCG recommends this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.

[Makayla Yoder · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Abby · Rating 4 out of 5]

I LOVED this book! can't wait to read book two!

[Jessalyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whispers Down The Lane

Whispers Down the Lane is about a girl who leaves her house because her dad is beating her. She goes to her friend Merry’s house , and Merry is wondering why she is crying. Lisa tells her that her dad beats her and her mom up and she didn’t want to get beaten up again. Merry saw all the bruises on her and didn’t know what to do since her parents weren’t there. She didn’t want to go to the police because Lisa’s dad was a police officer, and she didn’t want to go to her brother because he might call the police.
The police came to the school and to Merry’s house because they were wondering if anyone has seen Lisa, and asked her questions about if she saw Lisa or if Lisa has communicated with her. Merry’s aunt and uncle were coming over so Merry had to figure a way so nobody would see Lisa. Since Merry’s neighbors were Amish she thought nobody could find her there. They had to be careful because Old Hawk Eyes would be watching them. The police came over during that time when they were supposed to leave, so Lisa dressed in the Amish clothes that Rachel Zook gave them, and she went out the back and went past the officer without them knowing. Merry came later when the police left, and they went to the Zook’s house. Lisa had a blast there for the first day because there was nobody beating her up. Merry came over to spend the night and the next day Lisa said she became a Christian. The Zooks had to get ready for a wedding, and Merry and her brother came to the wedding. They thought her brother would notice Lisa with the Amish clothes so they went into the barn. Then they saw Old Hawk Eyes on her phone. Was she calling the police or was she calling a friend?
I would read the next book in the series because it had a good meaning to it. I would recommend this book because it could be what other people are dealing with. I don’t think everybody would like it because it might be a difficult topic to read about.

[Alix Lewandowsky · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing book, filled with the twists and toil of friendship, an always drunk father, deep secrets, and the power of God. It has taught me so much and kept me on the edge of my seat the 3 times I've read it.

[Jenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book was very exciting. The way Christ was in this story it moved my heart. I like the way Merry takes care of Lissa, we should all act that way. Fore Merry shows us a good example.

[✨ Gramy ✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to this audiobook on Hoopla, accessible through my local public library I don't know if it was the writing or the narrator's performance that disappointed me.

This is a short tale, based on the Christian faith, which is usually a big draw for me.
I usually enjoy the Amish culture. The plotline was directed toward children and I could understand some of the decisions made, since I experienced something similar to what Merry was faced with when I was younger. Although my experience did not result in the positive results hoped for here.

However, this is a very short book and the conclusion seemed very rushed. I appreciate the clean storyline, the ability to stand on its own, and the expected H.E.A. (although in reality, things don't always turn out the way you hope they will.)

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed it enough that I'd recommend it. I liked all the action and how the main character was "English" this time, but still had contact with the Amish.
I think that the reason why I can't give this a higher rating is because some of it seemed unrealistic or just kinda unfinished.
I'd really like to know more about Lissa, and what happened to her after all of the adventures.
Also, the Amish aspects seemed a little stereotypical, not completely accurate.

[Elizabeth Betta · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book I read in 5 hours. (I just forgot to post it as finished) It's just WOW, the balance of everything, and the characters just have my mind blown.

[Leah · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a depressing story. It does have a happy ending, though. It involves some heavy topics--death and abuse. These were handled well but not what I was looking for. I should have payed closer attention to the summary. There are a few lighter moments sprinkled throughout the story, though.

[Kat · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'll be honest: I have been really hesitant to read "Christian Fiction" because I was afraid it would be heavy handed and poorly written. But, I had a friend say that was basically all she read and a woman at church offered to lend me some and then I transferred to a library where Amish Romance is like THE thing that everyone is reading. And, since I'm TRYING to broaden my horizons a little, I thought: "You know what? I should stop being so judgemental and just try it out."

And I was really pleasantly surprised! There was slightly more going on that fit into my willing suspension of disbelief and parts WERE a little evangelically heavy handed and things wrapped up a little neater than I think is realistic. But, for the most part, I thought this book was engaging. It's tone kind of reminded me of Nancy Drew. You know, if Nancy Drew stopped to pray every couple pages and then obsessed over her Amish neighbors.

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very beautiful story, which is not surprising because Beverly Lewis is a truly gifted writer. As usual the Amish are a part of the story, but in the background, not the forefront like always. It's the story of a young girl (Merry) of 15, helping her friend (Lissa) runaway from an abusive situation. While she helps her friend, her friend starts a relationship with God and helps Merry open up and grieve for her twin who died when they were 7; in all those years since, she had not shed not a tear, until Lissa reminded her that God collected them.

[Christina Ortega · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very short and pure read. Clearly written for a younger audience, it tells of minor but important trials of faith and true friendship while gently addressing alcoholism and abusive relationships in the family, and the premature loss of a loved family member. The characters were well developed as sweet and sincere. Overall, this is a very enjoyable palette-cleansing book.

[Grandmadee Goodwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A refreshing change from what is usually offered to our young adult readers. No vampires. No wicca. No sex. A teen girl who turns to God, prayer and trusts her parents. I hope the rest of the series is as good.

[Makayla · Rating 2 out of 5]

While it was very well written, it lacked a solid ending. The story lasted 20 chapters, and resolved in just a handful of sentences in the last chapter.

[emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finished it in a day. One thing is for sure, it got you nervous! I liked how Merry lives very near/is great friends with the Amish- cant wait to read the rest of the series!

[Olivia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I forgot how good these books are...so good *sigh*

[Leash · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this work. This is the first Beverly Lewis book I listened to and absolutely am impressed by her writing. Great story line and very audience-engaging.

[blueygurl2016 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did enjoy this book (and kinda makes me wish for the simple life of the Amish hahaha) but honestly Merry should’ve told a trusted adult about Lissa’s situation. Though it seems like her trusted adults were nowhere to be found in this book? I get that they’re teens but why would any right minded parents go on a week long mission trip to a foreign country, leaving the ornery older brother in charge (who by the way isn’t even of age)? Shouldn’t they have had grandparents or aunt and uncle or even neighbors staying with them during this time? Imo, this is a bit too long of a time for teens to be alone. Idk just seems weird to me.

[Arjaye-Rose Brewer]

Wow what a story!!! A beautiful story about friendships, community, faith and how alcohol addictions to and effect families.

I loved how Merry and Rachel help Alissa until she can find her confidence and figure out what to about what has happened to Alissa. Alissa doesn’t feel safe telling the people she needs to and finds the comfort of God and eventually the confidence to do what she knows she must.

Can’t wait to read the next one in this series.

[Gaby Hernandez · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yeah this book is definitely for younger readers. I think that is why I could not get into it. I would not say it is a bad book, but it's just not for me. But I did like the inclusion of the Amish community.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This an excellent book and well written. it has a very mature theme but is appropriate for pre-teens to teens. As a former educator, I think this also could be used for older teens who have a lower reading or vocabulary level. It is hard to put down and is quite suspenseful.

[Woff · Rating 2 out of 5]

The fact that I read it to the end means it’s escaped a 1 star rating. Some aspects were vaguely interesting - the whole Amish thing was kind of cool, but I still feel like I was tricked into reading Christian Fiction. Hmmmm.

[Larissa Boyce]

I loved this book it was very suspense full.

[Sherri · Rating 4 out of 5]

A novella that packs a punch. 15-year old helps hide and take care of her friend Lissa with the help of her Amish "cousin". A domestic abuse situation.

[Vikki Vaught · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brought tears to my eyes several times.

[Louise King · Rating 3 out of 5]

YA

[Karina (Karina's Christian Reads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Number of pages: 139

Genre: Amish fiction (the main character is an Englischer; one of her friends is Amish)

Series: Book #1 in Summerhill Secrets (Should be read in order)

Age recommendation: 13/14+

Summary: Merry’s friend Lissa Vyner comes to her for help getting away from her abusive father. Lissa didn’t want adults involved though, because she thought that they wouldn’t believe her about her father’s actions. So Merry turns to her Plain friend, Rachel Zook, for help.

My thoughts: I was actually very pleasantly surprised by this book. I thought it would be more Amish, and therefore unrelatable for me. I guess I was thinking it might be more like the Rachel Yoder books (which I started reading when I was younger), however it is about an Englischer Christian girl, who’s trying to live in a way pleasing to God. I felt that I could really relate to Merry: wanting to do the right thing, trying to do what God wants, wanting to help my friend. She isn’t perfect, though, which I like because that can get really annoying. The plot was really good, and so were the characters. I also really liked how the help wasn’t all one-sided either. Merry wasn’t the perfect Christian with no problems who fixes everyone else’s lives. While Merry does help Lissa to escape her abusive father, Lissa gets to help Merry too, showing her that it’s okay, and it’s actually good to acknowledge emotions and cry once in a while. I’m not super fond of the romance, especially since it’s not really clear which guy Merry should date, but at the end of this book I’m thinking Levi – although I know Merry will not become Amish so Levi would have to leave his community. I just find Merry to be, how do I put it? more romantic with Levi, and Jon is more of just a good friend or brother. I do love the Alliteration Wizard though! 😉

My personal rating: 5/5 stars.

Link to blog: https://karinaschristianreads.wordpre...

[Megan Rang · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun book written for teens. It links common issues along with the Amish and Christian values.