As I’ve said before, Suzanne Woods Fisher is one of my absolute favorite authors….mostly because she weaves together stories that have all the ingredients of a “can’t put it down” book. The Keeper is no exception.
In this latest installment of the Stoney Ridge Seasons series, Suzanne takes us on a journey with the Lapp family…. a journey that will sometimes make you laugh and other times make you cry. The beginning of the book starts out with Paul Fisher once again breaking Julia’s heart by postponing or putting off their wedding altogether. Julia is crushed and laments for weeks over the situation. She blames both her Uncle Hank and the Bee Man, or Roman Troyer.
Julia’s father is very sick, in need of a heart transplant; her siblings, Sadie, Menno, and M.K., have all tried to do their part to help, but Julia feels like much of the work falls on her shoulders, and she just can’t keep up with it all. Their farm is seemingly falling to pieces, when Uncle Hank comes to the rescue by hiring a strict housekeeper named Fern…. a woman who also has ties to Roman Troyer’s past. Fern has no problem telling each member of the family how it is, but she has a soft spot when it comes to Menno.
One of my favorite parts of the story was when Sadie became so concerned about her growing waistline that she begged money from her little sister to go buy a body shaper at the local department store. I laughed out loud (so much so my husband wanted to know what I was laughing at) when Sadie, after wearing the body shaper all day long, became so exhausted that she ran upstairs, tore the girdle off, and threw it out the window…. of course, who else would have been there but her childhood crush, Roman Troyer…. and of course, it fell right on his head. The scene afterward was both hilarious…. and a bit sad for Sadie. I could imagine it all in a movie scene, quite honestly.
Onward with the story, though…. Julia feels that her nemesis is the Bee Man; after all, he is responsible for the ruin of her marriage plan. However, love may not be lost for Julia. In fact, it may be right in front of her very eyes. I’m not going to ruin the ending of the story for you, but I will say that you will cry. It’s a very touching story that is so real to life. I truly wish that Suzanne’s books could be made into movies. They are not your typical Amish stories. She makes the Amish lifestyle, which can sometimes seem so far removed from our own, very real and transparent. Her characters are so lively, animated, and full of true-to-life character.
You can purchase The Keeper for $10.19 on Amazon. I highly recommend this book.
Giveaway Alert: Enter to win your very own iPad2 Prize Package in Suzanne Woods Fisher’s The Keeper “Honey of a Giveaway”! Enter at this link and then be sure to check out the blog tour – many bloggers are giving away a copy of The Keeper! The winner will be announced on Tuesday, January 17 during Suzanne’s Facebook Party – RSVP today!
(Disclosure: I was provided 2 copies of this book, free of charge, from Litfuse, for the purposes of review. All views/opinions remain solely my own.)
