Book Review: The Waiting by Suzanne Woods Fisher

(Be sure and read the bottom of this post to see how you can enter to win a FREE KINDLE!)

I remember a time when I thought I would have liked to be Amish. Think about it: simple, slow living, pacifistic, down-to-earth, and solid faith in God. Who wouldn't want to live like that?

Well, of course, there are many people who would go stir crazy living like the Amish. Because it would mean no cell phones, no electricity, no cars, no fancy clothes, etc. And I know my children couldn't imagine life without computers or movies! But I still think it would be nice (maybe for a week or two, anyway).

I do get a little wistful when I read books like The Waiting by Suzanne Woods Fisher. I tend to romanticize the Amish way of life and block out the hard work and sacrifices they make in order to live like they do. But, I suppose I am getting a little taste by reading books like this.

The Waiting is about Jorie King, who anticipates the homecoming of her friend, Ben Zook, who left with the promise to come back and marry her. And it is also about Caleb, Ben's brother, who realizes how much he loves Jorie and has decided he would like to ask her to be his wife. But when news arrives of Ben's death, everything that was once right seems to be very wrong. Jorie is torn between the two men she loves and Caleb's world is suddenly uncertain.

The setting of the novel is 1965 in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Mrs. Fisher paints a beautiful picture of the Amish life. However, she is also realistic in her writing when she tells of the Vietnam War, the hatred some people had for the blacks during that time, and the struggles the Amish sometimes have in living among "the English" people. There is a great sense of the time period in this book.

I liked this book. It was not "fluffy", nor was it all happiness. The conflict between good and evil were clearly shown and not treated lightly. I especially liked the way the author developed the romance between the characters and how she wrote about characters that seem very real. Anyone who likes to read Amish fiction would enjoy The Waiting.

I give The Waiting 4 1/2 out of 5 stars.

Available October 2010 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

Suzanne Woods Fisher is the CBA bestselling author of The Choice, The Waiting, Amish Peace, and Amish Proverbs. Her interest in the Anabaptist cultures can be directly traced to her grandfather, W. D. Benedict, who was raised in the Old Order German Baptist Brethren Church in Franklin County, Pennsylvania. Benedict eventually became publisher of Christianity Today magazine. Suzanne is the host of a radio show called Amish Wisdom and her work has appeared in many magazines. She lives in California. Find out more about Suzanne at http://www.suzannewoodsfisher.com/

Enter to win your very own KINDLE in Suzanne Woods Fisher’s KINDLE Giveaway! Enter at the link below and then be sure to attend Suzanne’s Lancaster Secrets Book Club Party on October 28th to see if you won (and to chat about books and win one of the MANY other prizes Suzanne is giving away)!http://www.litfusegroup.com/Blog-Tours/the-waiting-blog-tour.html

(I received this book from LitFuse and Revell Books for review purposes. I received no monetary compensation for this review. All opinions expressed are completely my own.)