This is the 2nd book in the Lancaster County Secrets series. You don't
have to read the first one in the series, this book could be considered a
stand-alone. And as far as amish fiction goes, it was decent.
Jorie
King is quite content on her grandparent's Percheron farm. Her one
love, Ben, went off to war to be a conscientious objector and she hasn't
felt compelled to date anyone else. Her friend Maryanne lives near by
with Ben's brother Caleb and she enjoys the children that inhabit the
house there, so is especially pleased when she is selected to be the
schoolteacher. Not everyone is happy with this decision though and
Jorie must deal with the sharp insults and sting of disapproval from
some of the Amish.
Jorie is a strong character. She is still
very Amish, but with an independent streak. And I liked that she valued
education highly. She's the type of woman that knows what she wants
and is patient enough to get it. Caleb, the neighbor and minister, is a
little more confused. He has a good heart but is unable to focus with
everything going on in his life. I do think that he recovers from some
strong emotions a little too quickly, but it's hard to say if it's
authentic as different people feel things differently. There were a lot
of other characters, but I do have to say that I thought the character
of Sylvia was treated unfairly. She was clearly the "bad guy" in this
book and it just seemed as if all the negative aspects were pinned on
her.
The plot was ok. Since it takes place in the Vietnam war I
expected there to be a whole lot more mention of it and how it changed
the Amish's lives. Especially considering some of them were drafted for
it. But aside from the mentions of Ben, and the other brother working
in a hospital, there was surprising little of it. A cougar actually got
more book time. And there was a tiny plotline of a black man becoming
the veterinarian during such turbulent times, but it was so downplayed
I'm not even sure it really effected the book too much. I just don't
think with it being the time period that it was that a lot of the book
stuck true to what actually happened. It just didn't seem authentic.
Overall
though it was a quick read and I did like the small love story that
played out. I won't go rushing back to get more books by Fisher, but if
some happen to slide their way into my to-read pile, I wouldn't turn
them down.
The Waiting
Copyright 2010
Large Print 438 Pages
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