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Monday, May 23, 2016

the quieting FB cover

Purchase your copy of The Quieting here.

About the Book

the quietingThe Stoltzfus family faces serious problems, both in the church and at home. Everyone in the community expects minister David Stoltzfus to fix things–fast. But David doesn’t work fast. He prefers to wait for God to work in individual hearts. However, even he is left wondering if the solution to their most pressing problem might be a Quieting.
When David’s mother arrives, uninvited, more upheaval is in store. She has matchmaking plans for everyone in the family, including David and her eligible granddaughters–and especially for David’s niece Abigail. When Abigail stumbles onto a curious connection during her genealogical research, it could help David solve one problem–but will it create another?
Bestselling author Suzanne Woods Fisher takes fans back to Stoney Ridge, delivering the twists, turns, and romance they adore.

About the Author

suzanne-croppedSuzanne Woods Fisher is an award-winning, bestselling author whose most recent novels include Anna’s Crossing and The Inn at Eagle Hill series, as well as nonfiction books about the Amish, including Amish Peace and The Heart of the Amish. She lives in California. Learn more at www.suzannewoodsfisher.com and follow Suzanne on Twitter @suzannewfisher.

Blog Stops

May 17: Heidi Reads…
May 18: Just Commonly
May 19: A Holland Reads
May 20: Quiet Quilter
May 21: cherylbbookblog
May 22: Giveaway Lady
May 23: Splashes of Joy
May 24: Lane Hill House
May 24: Book by Book
May 24: Mary Hake
May 29: Bukwurmzzz
May 29: Bigreadersite

Guest Post from Suzanne Woods Fisher

Twenty years ago, my husband and I attended a large church with a dynamic senior pastor. Each Sunday, we would sit spellbound during 40 minute sermons—he was that good a preacher. And then a terrible thing came to light—this very man had been taking advantage of vulnerable women during counseling sessions. Fourteen women, it turned out, and the pastor remained unrepentant. As issues were dealt with, our entire church suffered. We were a hurting community. The sins of one affected all.
As I plotted out ‘The Bishop’s Family,’ I wanted to borrow the theme of how a leader’s sins hurts the church community. (Now, I need to clarify that this is not a novel that addresses sexual sin. However, it does address unrepentant sin in an ordained leader.) First, I spoke to some Amish friends to see if my story idea had any merit. Was I was on the right track? To my amazement, a similar situation to my novels had occurred in one Amish friend’s church, and it resulted in a “quieting.” That’s an Amish phrase that means revoking the responsibilities of an unrepentant ordained leader. Just like it sounds–he is, essentially, “quieted.”
In this novel, you’ll see the behind-the-scenes of Amish church leadership, and get a sense of how a community is hurting. And how it begins to heal, too.
This series began in the Stoney Ridge, Pennsylvania community with The Imposter. More twists and turns are coming to Stoney Ridge after The Quieting—so stay tuned for The Devoted to hit bookshelves in early October. Just in time for autumn reading by a warm fireplace.
Warmly, Suzanne

Review.jpg


I have read a lot of Amish fiction books and thought I knew about most of their beliefs , but I was pleasantly surprised to learn something I have never read about them before. I know about shunning and how it distances the person from the community, but I have not heard the word quieting before. As explained in the book it is basically removing an Amish bishop that  has done something wrong and will not repent for it. This made for a very intense story that completely engrossed me. What did the bishop do that would cause quieting to be informed?

I can't imagine what turmoil the community was in as they faced this very hard decision to remove a bishop. The author does  a great job in sharing the characters feelings and how they anguish over this very seldom action being enforced . What will the decision be from the community? Can they repair the damage done to the community? Will it tarnish the trust in the community? The story was very intense and I couldn't stop reading it because I had to see how the characters would each deal with this. The characters are very well written and I admire the way the author wrote  such a moving story that showed deep rooted faith.

There is another part of the story that is so well written and made me really like Abigail. Her main focus is to finish her ill father's genealogy work for a client. On top of this is a cute little diversion for  Abigail from an admirer. She has a hard time communicating with others and sometimes is a bit shy. I loved the story and all the twists it took. We all have pasts we sometimes have a hard time letting go of. Will there be secrets revealed as Abigail digs deeper in the genealogy research she is doing for a client? Will she let someone into her life and find love?

The story is filled with intrigue, redemption and forgiveness. It gives a glance into a bishop's life as he juggles serving the community while meeting the needs of his own family. You will find many characters in the book that at first confused me, but as I really got into the story I understood the importance of each character. It is a well written book that shows the struggles of relationships and how a community comes together to support each other.

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit an honest review .

Giveaway

The Quieting giveaway
To celebrate her tour, Suzanne is giving away a grab bag of Amish-made gifts worth over $100! Click the link to enter: https://promosimple.com/ps/99a8

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1 comment:

  1. SuzanneMay 30, 2016 at 7:54 PM

    Hi Deana! Thanks so much for reading and reviewing "Quieting" on your blog (cool blog, too!). So glad you enjoyed the characters in this series--I think you're going to enjoy "The Devoted." Some familiar faces, some new. :) Grateful to have you on my blog tour! Warmly, Suzanne

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