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Jorie King's life is on hold. She has been waiting for Ben Zook to return to Lancaster County. Waiting for him to settle down and join the church. Waiting to marry him.
But when news arrives that Ben has been killed, Jorie is devastated. She finds unlikely comfort in the friendship of his brother Caleb. Friendship ripens into love, and two broken hearts plan for a life filled with the promise of a fresh beginning--until their worlds are turned upside down.
With her realistic characters whose weaknesses develop into strengthes, Suzanne Woods Fisher offers a reading experience that rises above the others. You will love growing in spirit with these complex people living the simple life as The Waiting transports you into a world where things aren't as simple as they seem.
"More than just a story of the Amish, The Waiting is the story of a woman, sometimes triumphant, sometimes struggling, carried through turbulent times by a plain faith."--Lisa Wingate, national bestselling author of Tending Roses and Never Say Never
"Fisher takes the sweet story expected in Amish fiction and adds a kick of realism. I treasured my time with Jorie King and the whole Zook family, sharing their grief and laughter--what a lovely read."--Sarah Sundin, author of Wings of Glory series
Suzanne Woods Fisher's interest in the Anabaptist culture 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. Suzanne is the author of The Choice, Amish Peace, and Amish Proverbs. She hosts an internet radio show called Amish Wisdom and lives with her family in California.
CoffeePlease
Posted January 24, 2011
The second in the Lancaster County Secrets series, which I have fallen in love with! I actually purchased this book after I read the first and received the third to review - I wanted to be on top of things and boy, did I make the right choice in purchasing this book!
We are brought back to the Zook family whom we met briefly in book 1, The Choice, and are knee deep in Amish life in the late1960's/early 1970s, the Vietnam War Era. Segregation abound. Many twists, plot turns, and interesting characters drive this story. Death, War, Post Traumatic Stress, Alzheimers, and most importantly LOVE and Faith in God. As pointed out, loss is prevalent in this story but faith in God is stronger and the healings of many hearts because of this strong faith is shown well again.
Ms. Woods Fisher portrays life in the Amish town in Pennsylvania well and with great detail. Without spoiling the book, I do have to tell you that I loved the twists and turns and could almost see through the window of the one-roomed schoolhouse or the beauty of the horses foaling.
Another fabulous read for any and all ages - I'd say from 7th grade up ... but in no means is this a "young adult" book. Excellent, again, for book groups looking to explore Amish, family dynamics and/or faith.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.In the second book of this series "Lancaster County Secrets" Suzanne once again write a great story about the Amish people. I have not got to read "The Choice" yet but this one picked up just fine on it's own.In this one Jorie King is living with her grandparents helping with their Percheron horses. Her parents had left and moved to Canada to set up a new Amish settlement up there, but Jorie didn't want to go as she was in love with a neighbor boy named Ben Zook, but he had signed up to go to Vietnam, but as the Amish do not believe in bearing arms toward another human, he was supposed to just be a helper, but was he? He left Jorie behind as he wanted to see more of the world, so she was going to be the school teacher the next year.
She was not sure about teaching so many large eighth grade boys and they were all behind in their studies, so she needed to do something done, so that when the school board came around the next May they would pass their exams, but could she control so many large boys?
In this book, a good friend passed away with Leukemia and left her husband and little girl. The lot was also coming up for a new preacher in their community, who would the lot fall on? This book is really good it is a little different than a lot of the Amish books I have read before, as it changed some of the ways, the older books wrote about.
This book was sent to me by Revell Publishing for review.
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Set during the mid sixties, when the county is immersed in the Vietnam war. Jorie King is waiting for Ben Zook to return for the war, he is serving as a conscientious objector and has been sent to Vietnam. She told him she wouldn't wait, but has been doing just that, even though she has been getting on with her life, taking the job as the schoolteacher and helping on her grandfathers farm, turning down all requests from suitors.
Caleb Zook, Ben's older brother has been thrust into the position as the caretaker of his family, he and his wife Mary Ann live on the family farm, taking care of the younger brothers and and their daughter Maggie, so when the news comes that Ben has been killed in action everyone is devastated. Soon after Caleb is faced with another tragedy that will shake his world even more. Just as Caleb and Jorie start the path toward healing, they are hit again with some life altering news that have them rethinking the choices they are making.
It was so easy to get totally immersed in this story. This book is so much more than just another Amish romance. The depth of these characters and the issues they face really give this story a very realistic flavor.The characters are very well developed, I really enjoyed the secondary characters in this novel, the kind nature of Ephraim shines thru in his compassion towards animals as well as how he treats young Maggie, it was so great to see how he started to outgrow his speech problem, you could really feel his confidence growing.
I also enjoyed the budding romance between Matthew and Lizzie and hope we get to read more about them in a future book.
Even though this book is the second in the Lancaster County Secrets series it can easily be read as a stand alone book. The Waiting is a beautiful story about love, loss, and forgiveness, not a sad story at all but instead a story that gives us hope and encouragement and once again shows us the importance of family. One of the best Amish stories that I have read this year!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.MarjorieVawter
Posted October 20, 2010
Author Suzanne Woods Fisher caught my attention with her first book in this series, The Choice. So I've been looking forward to reading The Waiting. Suzanne's compelling storytelling style makes it difficult for me to put the book down. Waiting is never a fun occupation, but much of life consists of waiting on the Lord for His perfect timing and solutions to life's issues. This theme, expressed in the title, is incorporated into the story on several levels. The characters face tough issues with family, friends, and faith. Learning to wait on God takes precedence when Jorie and Cal face the unexpected. Their growth throughout the book is realistic, and the lessons they learn speak to me in some of the situations I've faced or am facing. I highly recommend this book.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Jorie King, is a young Amish woman who is in a holding patterns of sorts. She has been waiting on Ben Zook to come home from the Vietnam War, where he is serving as a concientious objector, waiting on him to come home, settle down and to marry her.
However that all changes when several deaths happen very close together, first of all the Army declares Ben has been killed in the war and sends home his ashes, then Mary Ann Zook, Jorie's best friend dies, she is married to Ben's older brother Caleb. All has changed in Jorie's life and she is not sure what life will hold for her. She knows that she enjoys teaching at the little one room school, but the church elders and leaders are getting too many complaints about her methods. She sees the changes in her grandmother and they worry her, she worries about Caleb, and his daughter and younger brother.
Caleb asking her to marry him throws her off, she can see that he is only asking because he needs a wife, not because he loves her, and she feels for him too deeply to marry for that reason only.
Another wonderful story from Suzanne Woods Fisher, you will not want to put this book down. Jorie's faith is greatly tested, as is Caleb's faith. But they walk through it only with the help of God. Beautiful story, greatly written. 309 pages $14.99 US 5 stars.
Available October 2010 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.
This book was provided for review purposes only. No payment was received for this review.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.WolfFaerie17
Posted January 25, 2013
Jorie King isn't your typical Amish woman. Yet she seems to be waiting for Ben Zook to come home from Vietnam or at least that is what everyone thinks. Jorie believes that she's the keeper of her grandfather's song. Jorie's best friend is Mary Ann Zook. They believe the best of people even if they don't themselves. Ben Zook is away from his family serving in Vietnam yet he's never really been happy with his life. Caleb (Cal) Zook is hoping the members of Stoney Ridge don't vote for him to be a minister to his people. Cal wants to do what is best for his family and Amish community as a whole. Cal is looking for his two brothers Ephriam and Matthew since their parents death. Ephriam has a special way with animals. Matthew has been called to serve military at Veterans Hospital. Life seems to move thru Stoney Ridge in it's own way. Mary Ann learns that she has cancer and tries to set things for her family as best she can. Cal gives Jorie King teaching job for the scholars because she has a way with people. What changes will Matthew and Ben go thru? What does Mary Ann plan for her family? How does Cal do as minister? Where does Jorie King fit into all of this? How and where does God show his plan for us? Your answers await you in The Waiting.
Ms. Fisher has created a wonderful universe with Lancaster Secrets. She shows us the breadth of God's works and plans for our lives and souls. This book and The Choice have shown me many things I didn't even realize God does for our lives. Whether they be good or bad God's grace and love are upon us always we just have to look. As quote from this book describes it best:"God already knows what weather we will endure from one day to the nezt." This quote is shown thru out the whole book in many ways shapes and form. I will continue to read this series.
MaryMannersauthor
Posted July 31, 2012
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I really enjoyed this story of love, loos and redemption. The characters were a huge inspiration as their strong failth carried them through difficult times. I am looking forward to reading the rest of the books in this series.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted December 3, 2011
I cant stop reading it its the best book iv ever read c(: heehee
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Sales of Amish fiction continue to soar. The apparent simplicity of the Amish lifestyle is a welcome escape from our uncertain times. A new author in this genre is Suzanne Woods Fisher. The Waiting is her second in a series called Lancaster County Secrets. The Waiting is actually a prequel to her first book, The Choice, which she wrote secretly on an antiquated computer. Her interest in the Anabaptist faith stems from her grandfather who was raised in the Old Order German Baptist Brethren Church. This inspirational fiction novel is set during the 1960s in the Amish community of Lancaster County, PA. The country is embroiled in the Vietnam War. This courageous book, set apart from mainstream Amish fiction, steps away from emphasizing the simplistic, insular lifestyle of the Amish. In The Waiting, we are confronted with prejudice, vandalism and mental illness. Women have a voice. Outsiders enter the community and insiders leave. Surprises and dilemmas abound with spiritual relevance. I found the story somewhat predictable until the author gave us some unexpected events in the last third of the book. I questioned the wisdom of placing an important plot twist in the back cover description. However, Ms. Fisher's characters are endearing and kept me involved. Main character, Jorie King, is a creative teacher with an incisive understanding of children. "Animal tracks are the oldest writing on earth," she tells her students. I especially enjoyed insightful thirteen-year-old Ephraim and his dealings with the cougar. Many characters are expectant in The Waiting, but God makes everything right for them in His time.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.AAR
Posted October 16, 2010
THE WAITING by Suzanne Woods Fisher is a inspirational contemporary fiction set in 1965 Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. It is the second in her Lancaster County Secrets and can be read as a stand alone. It is well written with details, love,romance,depth, twists and turns. It has devotion, faith, hope, forgiveness, Amish, struggles, friendship, death,grief, laughter and a plain faith.The characters are charming, believable, will grip your heart,and have a strong plain faith. They struggle with grief, some struggle with their plain ways and their plain faith, while others strive to follow their faith and move on with their life. This is an amazing story of life and it's struggles. While, Jorie, believes Ben her friend and supposed to be boyfriend, as joined the Army and is sent to Vietnam, she waits for him.She is close to his brothers and his family. His oldest brother's wife dies, Ben is declared dead, Jorie and Caleb,Ben's oldest brother believing Ben is dead began close. Then they learn Ben is alive. Nothing is simple, they struggle to help Ben recover from his dramatic experience in Vietnam all the while Jorie and Caleb where planning go get married. Caleb backs off while Jorie explores her feelings for Ben. Ben is angry and has been his whole life, especially since his parents died and Caleb took over the family farm and raising his three younger siblings. This is truly a story of the Amish faith, their struggles, especially the story of the triumphant, struggles,laughter, of a young Amish school teacher, her students, and her friend/boyfriend's struggles, while this small Amish community is carried through the turbulent time of the 1960's. I would recommend this book for it is an inspirational in faith and the power of love. This book was received for review and details can be found at Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group and My Book Addiction and More.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.ChristysBookBlog
Posted October 14, 2010
The Waiting by Suzanne Woods Fisher is the second book in the Lancaster County Secrets series, but you don't need to have read it to enjoy this novel. The Zook family has a long history in Amish community of Lancaster County. Eldest son Caleb took over the family farm after the death of their parents in a tragic accident. Next brother Benjamin is in Vietnam as a conscientious objector. Matthew, the third son, is eighteen and starting to wonder if there's more to the world, and youngest Ephraim is just thirteen with a stuttering problem and a deep love for animals. After Caleb is elected minister of the small church, his wife Mary Ann is unsure how she feels about his new responsibilities, but those worries quickly fade into the background when she is given a terrible diagnosis. The family's trouble increases when they receive word that Matthew has been drafted and Benjamin has been killed while trying to help a wounded soldier. School teacher Jorie King has been waiting for Benjamin to come home and grow up for years so the news of his death is devastating. She is also fighting with the deacons who don't appreciate her teaching methods of keeping the children outside and giving them a love a nature. She and Caleb come together in their shared grief, but their wounds may be too much for either to overcome. I love Fisher's writing. It's always filled with realistic characters and moving plots. This book is no exception with intelligent and fiery heroine Jorie. I look forward to seeing what happens next in the series.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.The Waiting is not your average Amish novel! Talk about an emotional roller coaster ride! This book is fabulous! This story takes place during the Vietnam War. It's a time when tensions are very high here in the US, and here are a peaceful people trying to stay set apart but who are still living in this country and still have to be around the English and it causes turmoil. It's an issue that had honestly never occurred to me. I found it very interesting. And, at that same time there were also high racial tensions going on in this country,, and once again, these peaceful people find themselves in the midst of things on occasion.
This book had me hooked from start to finish and I loved the different historical aspects she used with the Amish community. I grew to love these characters and I felt their heartache and pain and joy and all the ups and downs. I very highly recommend this book anyone. It's truly not your average Amish story. If you enjoy Amish novels, you'll love it, but I would encourage you to give it a try anyway, especially if you enjoy historicals! It's beautifully written, it's got drama, romance, and a powerful message!
This is my favorite type of reading. No, I don't mean Amish stories. I mean stories that have a deep subject, real and hard like real life. I like the many characters and how their lives intertwine. I appreciate how Suzanne shows the virtues that we all can learn from these quiet people who put all their trust in God. Suzanne shows the very real pull that the world holds for the young, and how some fall for the world's alure and others realize they could never be happy in another lifestyle. Suzanne creates characters that I can root for. I almost hold my breath as Jorie waits for her bad boy, hoping he will return to the fold.
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Overview
Jorie King's life is on hold. She has been waiting for Ben Zook to return to Lancaster County. Waiting for him to settle down and join the church. Waiting to marry him.
But when news arrives that Ben has been killed, Jorie is devastated. She finds unlikely comfort in the friendship of his brother Caleb. Friendship ripens into love, and two ...