October Song

by Beverly Lewis

From newlyweds Katie and Dan living in the shadow of the shunning, to Rachel and Philip embracing parenthood even as he acclimates to Amish life as an outsider... From the courtship of Lydia Cottrell and her betrothed, Levi King, to Sarah Cain, now a wife and mother struggling to bridge her own life with that of the People... October Song is overflowing with the simpler things of life that make a Lewis novel an unforgettable journey into the depths of the human heart.

Genres: Amish, Christian Fiction, Fiction, Christian, Amish Fiction, Romance, Adult Fiction

237 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2001

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

[Andrea · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a big disappointment. I enjoyed the other books I read by Beverly Lewis (not the best ever, but fun to read about Amish). This book was written in response to readers inquiring about the characters (like how their lives ended up after the books they'd been in ). The disappointing thing is that the book didn't really move on with anyone. Nothing major happened, and the little bit she gave you was just left hanging.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked Beverly Lewis' idea to continue storylines on three of her previous books into one handy compilation - but it left something wanting. You wanted to read MORE of each one, so in essence, it would've been a better idea to just pick one series and write another sequel to it, instead of three-in-one.

[Angie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would really give this 2 1/2 stars. It was good to read about the familiar characters, but it left me feeling like she started another story and just ended it with no real "ending". I also felt the first section about Katie & Dan was just too "preachy" for lack of a better word. Definitely not her best work, but readable if you keep in mind that each story will really lead to nothing.

[Charmaine · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't realize until I had finished that this book is a recap of the other previous books she has written. so one might want to read them first. The best part of the book is this quote from page 165.

Faith looks up -
Sorrow looks back to what might have been -
Worry looks around to gather more woe -
But Faith sees prospects for the future and moves ahead.

[Emily Boyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun follow up to the stories in the Shunning, Postcard and Redemption of Sarah Cain series, but I had a harder time connecting to the characters this time around, and found the interaction between Sarah Cain and Katie Lapp to be bizarre.

[Kelli Santistevan · Rating 3 out of 5]

My TBR Jar picked this book for me to read. This book is based on other books that Beverly Lewis has written. I didn’t know this before I started reading this book because I haven’t read anything else by this author. This was the first book I’ve read. I didn’t understand what was going on with any of the characters. They’re nice stories but I think I might be better off reading the books that this book is based off of because this was so confusing to me and the way it ended was confusing. I’m going to read the other books that this book is based off of but I’m not going to read this book again.

[Lily · Rating 2 out of 5]

I agree with another reviewer that said the stories kind of leave you hanging; they get to a point just to make you interested and don't proceed with the story. This is a book continuing the narrative of 3 of Beverly Lewis' other stories, evidently as requested by readers. As most of her stories play out, this one if full of home life and a lot about food, especially desserts. I talked to a friend about that, and she said she was from the area where a lot of Amish live; they are very active what with house work, from scratch cooking, farming, and walking a lot, they don't put on the pounds.

[Kati · Rating 4 out of 5]

October Song is a unique collection of novellas that act like sequels to a number of Beverly Lewis's books.

In the Author's Note, Lewis writes that "abundant pleas" have reached her asking her about the fate of a number of characters in her previous novels.

I was familiar only with characters from the Heritage of Lancaster county series, and it was neat to see what happened to them after the last book closed on 'happily ever after'.

Other stories and characters read as slow and steady as the Plain life itself.

[Gail · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intertwined Amish stories though at times I didn't realize it. The chapters often had a life lesson as they united the various characters. I really enjoyed this book and the cast of characters. It is a full-length book which most of the Amish books are not. Thank you Beverly Lewis for such wonderful reading.

[Fay Risner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Writing this book was a good idea. The book is updates on Amish families that Beverly Lewis wrote about. Readers get attached to characters in well-written books like Beverly Lewis writes and like to see more about their lives. She updates the readers about Katie and Dan, the Wise Woman, Bishop John and Mary, Rachel and Philip, Sarah Cain and Lydia Cottrell.

[Barbara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Don't read this book unless you have read the previous editions. This jumps around without warning to another person and it left me struggling to figure out where the story was going. Well, the stories don't go anywhere they just leave a series of questions.

[Lynn Weldon · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the first book I have read by Beverly Lewis. Amish is not my favorite genre. I really enjoyed part one of this book but then it just ended. The other parts were ok but not my favorite. The writing was good.

[Jan Scher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not one of her better books

Love reading this author but I think I missed something in the beginning. Book read like it was wrapping up three different books. Didn't see much to pull them all together.

[Chanover55 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three short stories revisiting some of the characters from Beverly Kewis' books. Each story shows a different aspect of Amish life from shunning to an "Englisch" aunt & uncle coming to care for their orphaned nieces & nephews. A nice read while flying home.

[Lola · Rating 2 out of 5]

Stories take place in three different areas.
"Publishers Weekly" states you will "catch
glimpses of how favorite characters are faring."
Each section is about characters from a different
book of the author's and is a way to sort of catch
up on how they are doing.

[Melina P. · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’m usually a huge Beverly Lewis fan. This book however was a disappointment. There was no resolution at the end. The book ended like there was chapters missing or something. There were entirely too many characters to keep up with also. I found this book very confusing. :(

[Gloria L. Kincer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved October Song!

I have yet to be disappointed in a Beverly Lewis book. This book brought back some well loved characters to let us "catch up" with them. If you haven't read previous books, never fear. You can jump in and grow to connect with the characters.

[Kimberly Purcell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd never been interested in the Amish stories, but I found this for a buck at Good Will and thought I'd try it. I see the appeal: a good clean, wholesome, easy read. If you just want a light story, this one is for you.

[L8blmr · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a collection of sweet short stories that acted as epilogues to some of Ms. Lewis' books. The content is exactly what you would expect from this author's novels about the Amish, so if you enjoyed books like The Shunning, you will probably like this one.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read most of Beverly Lewis's books and I have to say I enjoyed them all.
This was a continuing story of 3 of her previous books and it was so nice to see how these familiar character's lives have unfolded. However, now I want to hear more.... :)

[Toni · Rating 4 out of 5]

October Song
By: Beverly Lewis
This book is so wonderful in it's own way. Yet it also is better because it gives you more of books you have already read. So don't wait any more time and start reading this book asap.

[Beverly Strouth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amish community

If you love reading about the Amish, as I do, then you will love this book! You will get a peek into the lives of people who live by the unwritten rules of the Amish.

[Jackie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read several of Beverly's book but this one was by far my least favorite. It's a conglomeration of updates from three other books she's written. None of the short stories go anywhere and there were not as many fall vibes throughout the book as I had hoped. Just not for me.

[Tish Gee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favorite Bev book

[Amanda Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed reading 📚

Beverly Lewis books 📚are meant to be read and shared with friends and family. I have enjoyed reading 📚 hope to read many more in years to come.

[Ruthy Kersey moix · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the October Song I just may reread it again

[Libby Powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Follow-up to an earlier story of Lewis. One of my favorites.

[Debby Hallgren · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading more about characters in earlier books and how their loves intersected.

[Ceashark · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was another great book from Beverly Lewis. Although it was a continuation of other books, I had read them all, and thoroughly enjoyed to hear more about each family.