The Choice by Suzanne Woods Fisher

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

With a vibrant, fresh style Suzanne Woods Fisher brings readers into the world of a young Amish woman torn between following the man she loves--or joining the community of faith that sustains her, even as she questions some of the decisions of her elders. Her choice begins a torrent of change for her and her family, including a marriage of convenience to silent Daniel Miller. Both bring broken hearts into their arrangement--and secrets that have been held too long. Filled with gentle romance, The Choice opens the world of the Amish--their strong communities, their simple life, and their willingness to put each other first. Combined with Fisher's exceptional gift for character development, this novel, the first in a series, is a welcome reminder that it is never too late to find your way back to God.

MEET SUZANNE

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.

Suzanne can be found on-line at: www.suzannewoodsfisher.com

MY REVIEW

This was the first "Amish" novel I have had the opportunity to read. Along with learning a lot about the Amish way of life (and being intrigued to do some research on this fascinating lifestyle) and was reminded of God's true love for me. The Choice also reminded how thankful I am that God allowed me to privilege of marrying for love; not because of an arrangement, because I needed a place to live or because I needed to get out of my parents home. God's hand print is all over my marriage, in a way only God could have written our love story.

I met my husband while I was a junior in high school. We met on the world wide web... 11 years ago, before it was socially acceptable and so common. After 2 years of writing and phone calls, god brought us together and the rest is history.

Carrie goes through some struggles in her life that I can never imagine facing. The first part of the books is packed with so much, I felt so overwhelmed for Carrie as the story began to unfold.

The remainder of the book progressed somewhat slowly but still keep my attention. I felt as if I was sitting at the humble table with Carrie, Emma, Yonnie and Mattie sharing a cup of coffee and being let into their intriguing culture and simple lives.

I am hoping that Suzanne will continue telling us more of what comes in the future for all these ladies, and let us know of the men that may come or go in their lives.

I was a little nervous about reading an Amish novel, but now after finding that they are just humble people living to please God in the way they feel is right, I am more likely to go on more journeys with these amazing people. I look forward to more by Suzanne and will definitely be waiting for the rest in the Lancaster County Secret series.

This was a good and quick read; as new secrets are exposed and new twists are revealed you'll go through points where you just can't put the book down and other points where you want to put the book down so you can reflect on the love God has for you and the blessings He has given you.

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

*This book was provided by Baker Publishing Group free of charge in exchange for my honest review. This did not sway my review and opinion of this book in anyway.