If there is one concession to make regarding this culture, I would say I admire that Katie never wavers from her beliefs. Perhaps not specifically in learning a secret that shatters, but in living through these, she struggles with her identity and learning who she wants to be. Katie has a dilemma most of us can relate to. What makes it even worse is that the “sins” depiction is something we should care about. Instead it’s one of the more judgmental forms of resentment. Watching this play out doesn’t come across as “helpful” or loving to the person being shunned. Katie’s shunning is appalling but fortunately, there is some rebuilding of her relationship with her family. This cinematic interpretation does soften the blow. Yet in the subgenre of Amish fiction, it’s increasingly troubling how little forgiveness there is in the culture. Sure there’s admirable traits, but I have to bluntly admit, I rarely “see” God in this genre.įorgiveness is a cornerstone of Christianity. Though this omission is refreshing, if you’re looking for faith that inspires, I fail to find any form of affirmation in this script. In cinema form, these adaptations are sweet (haven’t read the books, though my mother did) telling a kind of coming-of-age experience that isn’t done in the usual form of teenage rebellion. Instead of writing the reviews separately, I’m bundling them together. In a two-week timeframe, I finally got around to watching these Hallmark productions based on two novels by Lewis.

In the fiction market, Amish fiction is popular. ‘The Shunning’ (2009) / ‘The Confession’ (2013) #FWarchives Click To Tweet

Armed with her faith and the friendship of Justin (Michael Rupnow), Katie finds herself on a journey that leads to more confessions and finding her place in the world.

When Katie unearths secrets of her parentage, her fight to learn about herself solidifies when she learns her birth mother Laura (Sherry Stringfield) searches for Katie.Īgainst her parent’s better judgment but eventually with their blessing, Katie (Katie Leclerc) travels to New York to look for her mother. Still mourning the loss of her childhood sweetheart, Katie fights settling into expectations, and finding her own identity. Only now, her father, Samuel is expecting Katie to give up her fanciful musical passions – a passion that goes against the Amish faith, and marry the Bishop. Van Natta, Bill Oberst Jr.) who have raised her in love. Growing up in Amish country, Katie Lapp (Danielle Panabaker) has a loving, warm home by parents (Sandra W.

The shunning book series