Book Description: Jorie King has been waiting for Benjamin Zook to return home to Lancaster County so they can marry. When news arrives that Ben has been killed, Jorie finds comfort in the friendship of his brother Caleb. That friendship ripens into love, and it seems that they are meant to be together. But when the unexpected happens, their worlds are turned upside down once more. Will Jorie trust God to lead her into the arms of a new man? A multifaceted story about complex people living the simple life, The Waiting is the second book in the LANCASTER COUNTY SECRETS series. Readers will find themselves transported into the world of the Amish and deeply invested in these wonderful characters.
My Review: The Waiting is the second book in the Lancaster Secrets Series by Suzanne Woods Fisher. I didn't get to read The Choice the first book in the series so began reading The Waiting with some trepidation wondering if I had missed to much from the first book. As I began reading The Waiting, I knew from the first page that this was a "read within itself." There may be some history from book one but if so, I didn't seem to miss anything by reading the second book first.
Jorie King must have the patience of Job. She's been waiting for her true love, Ben Zook, to return from the Vietnam war. At 24 years old, Jorie isn't old but she should be married with children according to some Amish standards. People's opinions don't seem to bother Jorie. She knows whom she loves and is waiting for his return.
This story isn't just about Jorie but about Ben Zook's family too. I fell in love with the Zook family. I especially felt a kinship with Mary Ann, the mother of the tribe. Mary Ann is Caleb's (Cal) wife. Cal lost his parents and returned home at as a young man to run the farm and raise his young brothers. He then marries Mary Ann and together they have one daughter. So Mary Ann is raising her young daughter and Cal's brothers, Ben and Ephraim. Ben is called to the Vietnam war.
Mary Ann begins to notice extra-ordinary tiredness and bruises on her arms. Cal insists that they go see the doctor. Bad news! Mary Ann has leukemia...with no known cure Mary Ann goes home to live the best she can. This is where the story really begins!
I had to laugh when Mary Ann fainted when Cal was chosen as the preacher. If you've ever been in a pastor's family or married to a pastor then you can understand the added responsibility of presenting God's Word and living up to those unspoken expectations.
But then there's Ben! Jorie is like a sister to Mary Ann. Jorie helps Cal and they begin talking more as Mary Ann's illness takes over and Ben is proclaimed dead by the Army.
This story is like a mountain road in the Pennsylvania Dutch country on a dark and stormy night! Just not sure where the next bend in the road will lead you! This is a great-tastic read! No ordinary Amish tale!
I SO enjoyed reading this 10 star read! If you've read The Choice then don't miss The Waiting! And I'm looking forward to The Search due out in January 2011.
Jorie King must have the patience of Job. She's been waiting for her true love, Ben Zook, to return from the Vietnam war. At 24 years old, Jorie isn't old but she should be married with children according to some Amish standards. People's opinions don't seem to bother Jorie. She knows whom she loves and is waiting for his return.
This story isn't just about Jorie but about Ben Zook's family too. I fell in love with the Zook family. I especially felt a kinship with Mary Ann, the mother of the tribe. Mary Ann is Caleb's (Cal) wife. Cal lost his parents and returned home at as a young man to run the farm and raise his young brothers. He then marries Mary Ann and together they have one daughter. So Mary Ann is raising her young daughter and Cal's brothers, Ben and Ephraim. Ben is called to the Vietnam war.
Mary Ann begins to notice extra-ordinary tiredness and bruises on her arms. Cal insists that they go see the doctor. Bad news! Mary Ann has leukemia...with no known cure Mary Ann goes home to live the best she can. This is where the story really begins!
I had to laugh when Mary Ann fainted when Cal was chosen as the preacher. If you've ever been in a pastor's family or married to a pastor then you can understand the added responsibility of presenting God's Word and living up to those unspoken expectations.
But then there's Ben! Jorie is like a sister to Mary Ann. Jorie helps Cal and they begin talking more as Mary Ann's illness takes over and Ben is proclaimed dead by the Army.
This story is like a mountain road in the Pennsylvania Dutch country on a dark and stormy night! Just not sure where the next bend in the road will lead you! This is a great-tastic read! No ordinary Amish tale!
I SO enjoyed reading this 10 star read! If you've read The Choice then don't miss The Waiting! And I'm looking forward to The Search due out in January 2011.
**Click here to visit Suzanne Fisher's page and to enter Kindle giveaway!**
About the Author: In no particular order, Suzanne Woods Fisher is a wife, mother, writer, lifelong student of the Bible, raiser of puppies for Guide Dogs for the Blind, a gardener and a cook...the latter two with sporadic results.
Suzanne has loved to write since she was a young teen. After college, she started to write for magazines and became a contributing editor for Christian Parenting Today magazine. Her family moved to Hong Kong for four years, just as the internet was developing, and she continued to write articles in a 44-story high-rise apartment, sending manuscripts 7,000 miles away with a click of a key.
After returning from Hong Kong, Suzanne decided to give her first novel a try. For four and a half months, she worked on an antediluvian computer in a cramped laundry room. She didn't even tell her husband what she was up to. When the novel was completed, she told her family at dinner one night that she had written a book. "That's why there's no food in this house!" said her slightly insensitive sons.
Undaunted...Suzanne found a small royalty publisher for that book and wrote three more (all earned multiple). With help from an agent, she has five books currently under contract with Revell. On September 1st, Amish Peace: Simple Wisdom for a Complicated World, a non-fiction book of stories and examples about the Old Order Amish, will be released by Revell. The Choice, a novel about the Amish, will follow on January 1st.
Writing, for Suzanne, is a way to express a love of God and His word. With every book or article, she hopes readers get a sense of what faith really looks like in the daily grind. She hopes they realize that life can be hard, but God is good, and never to confuse the two.
Hi Tammy!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for your wonderful review of "The Waiting!" Really loved what aspects you pulled out of it! And I agree...those Zook boys stole the show. :)
Hope you can read "The Choice" sometime! If you like twists and turns, I think you'll enjoy it, too. ~Suzanne