When I see a new book by Ms. Fisher I know it will be good! This one was great!
Luke Schrock is an Amish bad boy. He has a loving family, community and strong roots to a simple and good life. He throws it away and finds himself in trouble with the law and in rehab for alcoholism. His Bishop, David and his rehab counselor feel the best way for Luke overcome his problems is return to home to Stoney Ridge and apologize to the people he has wronged. And there is more. He must offer to make amends and ask them how it affected their lives. His list of victims is quite long. This is his last chance and He to âmend fencesâ and start a new life. Amos and Fern Lapp have offered to bring him into their home, with meals and a place to stay in exchange for work. What a shocker when he finds out his room is in the barn!
Izzy has also been taken in by the Lapps a year ago; she gets to stay in the house of course! She lacks and craves all Luke took for granted; a secure home, a loving family and place to belong. She treasures having these blessings and sees how valuable they are. Luke is intrigued by Izzy. She is quite, even secretive and totally unimpressed by his charms that have always turned the girl's heads.
I loved this book. The title is so appropriate. I enjoyed watching Luke grow and change as he realized the damage what he considered âinnocent pranksâ did to so many. It was extremely interesting to look into the lives of those wronged and how it had changed them. I saw his years of selfishness and his attitude of entitlement fall away as he grows spiritually, truly loving and caring for his people.
Izzy is a beautiful soul trapped inside a shell of childhood hurt and resentment. It was painful to see her struggle with trusting even the Lapps and realizing she was loved. I just wanted to hug Amos and Fern. Their challenges and hardships could have easily caused them to abandon Luke and Izzy to focus on their needs but they didn't. They were so sweet and sincere in their sacrifices to help troubled youth. One of my favorite parts of the books was Luke's problems with a wily raccoon and Amos's beloved horse Bob. I was sorry for the book to end, it was that good! It did make me happy to see this is a series another book will be coming!
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell Publishing in exchange for an honest review. The opinions I have stated are my own.
Luke Schrock is an Amish bad boy. He has a loving family, community and strong roots to a simple and good life. He throws it away and finds himself in trouble with the law and in rehab for alcoholism. His Bishop, David and his rehab counselor feel the best way for Luke overcome his problems is return to home to Stoney Ridge and apologize to the people he has wronged. And there is more. He must offer to make amends and ask them how it affected their lives. His list of victims is quite long. This is his last chance and He to âmend fencesâ and start a new life. Amos and Fern Lapp have offered to bring him into their home, with meals and a place to stay in exchange for work. What a shocker when he finds out his room is in the barn!
Izzy has also been taken in by the Lapps a year ago; she gets to stay in the house of course! She lacks and craves all Luke took for granted; a secure home, a loving family and place to belong. She treasures having these blessings and sees how valuable they are. Luke is intrigued by Izzy. She is quite, even secretive and totally unimpressed by his charms that have always turned the girl's heads.
I loved this book. The title is so appropriate. I enjoyed watching Luke grow and change as he realized the damage what he considered âinnocent pranksâ did to so many. It was extremely interesting to look into the lives of those wronged and how it had changed them. I saw his years of selfishness and his attitude of entitlement fall away as he grows spiritually, truly loving and caring for his people.
Izzy is a beautiful soul trapped inside a shell of childhood hurt and resentment. It was painful to see her struggle with trusting even the Lapps and realizing she was loved. I just wanted to hug Amos and Fern. Their challenges and hardships could have easily caused them to abandon Luke and Izzy to focus on their needs but they didn't. They were so sweet and sincere in their sacrifices to help troubled youth. One of my favorite parts of the books was Luke's problems with a wily raccoon and Amos's beloved horse Bob. I was sorry for the book to end, it was that good! It did make me happy to see this is a series another book will be coming!
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell Publishing in exchange for an honest review. The opinions I have stated are my own.
Mending Fences by Suzanne Woods Fisher is an incredible book and I hardly know how to do it justice. Amish fiction fans will be thrilled with this story, but I've always said that Fisher's books have an appeal that reaches far beyond the Amish fiction audience, and that is certainly true with Mending Fences. The reason is simply that her novels are relationship/character driven and filled with complexity. Readers can connect with people just like them â flawed characters who struggle with the same things we do, and who inspire as they grow in their faith and maturity. The heartwarming and sometimes bittersweet Mending Fences entertains, often makes me smile, and challenges what we think about grace, forgiveness and trust. A âbest of the bestâ book for me!
My reading self is nowhere more at home than in Fisher's stories set in Lancaster. I first met the memorable Luke as a precocious child in The Letters and knew that he would have a fantastic story someday. Well, that day has arrived with this first book in The Deacon's Family series. Luke, haunted by the guilt of his past, is one of my all-time favorite fictional characters, and the cover art brings out the essence of his nature. And what a strong ensemble cast is found in David, Amos and Fern â people who lived their faith by their wisdom, insight into what could be, and willingness to extend the grace of second chances.
For the longest time, Izzy has a strong defensive wall around her â but oh, how I loved her! When it came to God, she refused to trust that which she didn't understand, and I could see some of my own reactions in her. And she was so good for Luke because she made him earn her respect.
Some of my favorite parts are the gentle words of wisdom that Amos shares at just the right time. One example is this conversation between Amos and Lukeâ¦
âHow can I stick around when no one is willing to trust me?â
âWell, Luke, the way I see it, if you don't stick around, you'll never find out the answer to that question... And it seems like a pretty important thing to figure out.â
There are a few tear-shedding moments in this story, both of joy and sadness. Mending Fences reflects life and faith in a realistic way, giving much to reflect on personally. If there's someone around you who needs a second chance, grace, someone who has eyes to see beyond a person's guilt, then this story just might help you see them through God's eyes.
Again, I really can't say enough about this story. While I've loved all that I've read by Suzanne Woods Fisher, there's something special and unique about Luke's story. Mending Fences begs to be read slowly, savoring each word.
Very highly recommended.
I received a copy of this book through Celebrate Lit. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
My reading self is nowhere more at home than in Fisher's stories set in Lancaster. I first met the memorable Luke as a precocious child in The Letters and knew that he would have a fantastic story someday. Well, that day has arrived with this first book in The Deacon's Family series. Luke, haunted by the guilt of his past, is one of my all-time favorite fictional characters, and the cover art brings out the essence of his nature. And what a strong ensemble cast is found in David, Amos and Fern â people who lived their faith by their wisdom, insight into what could be, and willingness to extend the grace of second chances.
For the longest time, Izzy has a strong defensive wall around her â but oh, how I loved her! When it came to God, she refused to trust that which she didn't understand, and I could see some of my own reactions in her. And she was so good for Luke because she made him earn her respect.
Some of my favorite parts are the gentle words of wisdom that Amos shares at just the right time. One example is this conversation between Amos and Lukeâ¦
âHow can I stick around when no one is willing to trust me?â
âWell, Luke, the way I see it, if you don't stick around, you'll never find out the answer to that question... And it seems like a pretty important thing to figure out.â
There are a few tear-shedding moments in this story, both of joy and sadness. Mending Fences reflects life and faith in a realistic way, giving much to reflect on personally. If there's someone around you who needs a second chance, grace, someone who has eyes to see beyond a person's guilt, then this story just might help you see them through God's eyes.
Again, I really can't say enough about this story. While I've loved all that I've read by Suzanne Woods Fisher, there's something special and unique about Luke's story. Mending Fences begs to be read slowly, savoring each word.
Very highly recommended.
I received a copy of this book through Celebrate Lit. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
A wonderful story with an uplifting redemptive theme!
The Amish community of Stoney Ridge warily welcomes back its local 'bad boy', fresh out of rehab. Luke has a lot of personal challenges to face in order to win back their trust and move on in his own life.
"Every saint has a past and every sinner has a future."
This well written story never lagged, and the character development was perfectly paced, with some humorous moments to balance out the serious side. Addiction, abandonment, dealing with grief and loss, forgiveness and learning to trust in God's love were some deeper themes. An added mystery rounded out the plot to finish Izzy and Luke's stories on a hopeful high note.
"...God does his best work with messes."
I loved Izzy and cheered her on as she had so much to overcome. She was a strong, focused, hard working young woman, determined to keep her life on a positive new path, one that leads her to real faith and healing. Luke's character went from the charming troublemaker given his last chance, to a sincere, contrite man of faith, finally reaching out to help others as prompted. I liked the wisdom and grace that Fern and others show the struggling young people she has taken in. Seeing ourselves as flawed and in need of forgiveness like Luke, and how God doesn't give up on us, was a great encouragement.
A good start to a new series, a story with faith, hope and a bit of humor, any reader of Christian fiction would enjoy. Some connections to other series are listed in the beginning for reference. This book easily reads as a stand alone.
(An e-book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.)
The Amish community of Stoney Ridge warily welcomes back its local 'bad boy', fresh out of rehab. Luke has a lot of personal challenges to face in order to win back their trust and move on in his own life.
"Every saint has a past and every sinner has a future."
This well written story never lagged, and the character development was perfectly paced, with some humorous moments to balance out the serious side. Addiction, abandonment, dealing with grief and loss, forgiveness and learning to trust in God's love were some deeper themes. An added mystery rounded out the plot to finish Izzy and Luke's stories on a hopeful high note.
"...God does his best work with messes."
I loved Izzy and cheered her on as she had so much to overcome. She was a strong, focused, hard working young woman, determined to keep her life on a positive new path, one that leads her to real faith and healing. Luke's character went from the charming troublemaker given his last chance, to a sincere, contrite man of faith, finally reaching out to help others as prompted. I liked the wisdom and grace that Fern and others show the struggling young people she has taken in. Seeing ourselves as flawed and in need of forgiveness like Luke, and how God doesn't give up on us, was a great encouragement.
A good start to a new series, a story with faith, hope and a bit of humor, any reader of Christian fiction would enjoy. Some connections to other series are listed in the beginning for reference. This book easily reads as a stand alone.
(An e-book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.)
Mending Fences is the first novel in The Deacon's Family series. While it is the first book in a new series, it is based on characters and setting from The Inn at Eagle Hill, Stoney Ridge Seasons and The Bishop's Family series. Personally, I found it helpful to have read The Inn at Eagle Hill series prior to picking up Mending Fences. I thought Mending Fences was well-written with good flow and steady pacing. It contains developed characters and a lovely setting (I especially liked Windmill Farm). I was drawn into the story right away and wanted to keep reading to see how Luke would fare with his âmending fencesâ list he received from Bishop Stoltzfus. Luke never realized that his pranks (as he called them) had a harmful outcome, but he soon learns that his actions had devastating consequences for some people. While Luke is outgoing and charming, Izzy is withdrawn and thoughtful. She is wary of Luke thanks to her upbringing in the foster care system and her time on the streets. Izzy came to Windmill Farm and reveled in the peace of the farm. Izzy enjoys the Plain lifestyle and wants to remain with the them. Luke and Izzy both have obstacles to overcome and growing up to do. With the help of Amos, Fern, David and God, they just might succeed (I do not want to spoil it for you). Suzanne Woods Fisher created wonderful characters. You cannot help but wanting to know more about them. Fern is a caring and compassionate woman who has faith that Luke will change. Amos is a hardworking farmer who wants to protect Izzy. It took them a long time to earn her trust and Amos does not want Luke messing up the progress Izzy has made. Amos is wary of Luke and not sure if he has the ability to change his ways. Bishop David Stoltzfus has endless patience and remains calm during trying times. There is humor in the story thanks to Bob, Amos' buggy horse and a peanut butter loving racoon. It was interesting how certain events and people can touch so many lives. Two of my favorite phrases in the book is âlove is not finiteâ and âGod is loveâ. I thought Mending Fences was a thoughtful, heartwarming and inspirational story. I am eager to read the next installment in The Deacon's Family series.
