The Devoted - Book Review
Bright, curious, and restless, Ruthie Stoltzfus loves her family
but is stuck in a sea of indecision about her future:
Should she stay Amish?
Or should she leave?
She's done all she can to prepare to go-
passed the GED, saved her money-
but she can't quite set her journey into motion.
Patrick Kelly is a young man on a journey of his own.
He's come to Stoney Ridge to convert to the Amish
and has given himself thirty days to learn the language,
drive a buggy, and adapt to "everything Plain."
Time, to Patrick, is of the essence.
Every moment is to be cherished,
especially the hours he spends with Ruthie, his Penn Dutch tutor.
He's come to Stoney Ridge to convert to the Amish
and has given himself thirty days to learn the language,
drive a buggy, and adapt to "everything Plain."
Time, to Patrick, is of the essence.
Every moment is to be cherished,
especially the hours he spends with Ruthie, his Penn Dutch tutor.
Ruthie's next-door neighbor and cunning ex-boyfriend, Luke Schrock,
is drawn to trouble like a moth to a flame.
Rebellious, headstrong, defiant, Luke will do anything to win Ruthie back -anything-
and Patrick Kelly is getting in his way.
is drawn to trouble like a moth to a flame.
Rebellious, headstrong, defiant, Luke will do anything to win Ruthie back -anything-
and Patrick Kelly is getting in his way.
Bestselling author Suzanne Woods Fisher invites readers back to Stoney Ridge
for a story of dreams deferred and hopes fulfilled-
complete with Fisher's signature twists that never fail to leave readers delighted.
My Thoughts
The Devoted is the third book in The Bishop's Family series
and while I have found this series to be so-so
this third book charmed my heart - I absolutely loved it!
It starts with a scene that is completely unexpected
and it's sure to capture the readers attention.
From the moment you start reading the first line of the first chapter
you will be swept away into the world of the Amish.
I greatly appreciated the sound doctrine and faith presented in this book.
Reading The Devoted was a great encouragement to my faith and walk with the Lord
as I learned through the lives of several of the characters.
Suzanne Woods Fisher does a phenomenal job of presenting God's Word
with sincere truth and clarity.
I also appreciated the emphasis on how important our time on earth is. . .
" Time.
Time was precious, it was fleeting, it was not in her control.
She had been wasting time, treating it as infinite.
Not valuing the life she'd been given,
coveting what she didn't have.
Wasting time.
Wasting it!
Time should be cherished.
Every single day."
{The Devoted - pg. 280}
There is tender romance. . .
romance that is not be heart-pounding and over the top,
but rather soft and gentle, pure and sweet.
I also enjoyed the humor.
Jesse, Leroy, and Sammy especially had me smiling more than once. . .
"Jesse reached for a screwdriver and it slipped right out of his hands
and dropped on the ground with a thud.
He picked it up and sniffed it.
Every single tool had been polished with a thick, greasy coating of lard.
"I distinctly remember that you said to polish the tools,"
Leroy said, looking offended, when he and Sammy arrived at the buggy shop for work.
"I distinctly remember it.
Polish them until you can see your reflection in them.
So clean you can comb your hair from it.
That's what you said."
He reflected for a moment.
"We did think it was a peculiar custom."
Sammy nodded.
"We thought it was strange.
But we did what you asked."
"Clean and polish!
With mineral oil.
Not grease them with bacon fat."
"So that's where my can of lard went,"
came a certain voice, sharp as a pinch."
{The Devoted - pg. 86}
The "downside" of this book
{and I have said this with the other two books in this series}
is that there is a lot going on.
There are many characters that the reader needs to keep up with
and while I enjoy them all it can, at times,
be quite the task keeping up with their lives and activities.
During one chapter you will be reading about Ruthie and Patrick,
but then you don't hear from them again until several chapters down the road.
According to the back cover
Ruthie and Patrick come across as they main characters
yet I felt like there were more secondary simply because there are so many characters.
You have David, Birdy, Dok, Jesse, Ruthie, Patrick, Matt, and others
and they all have a story taking place.
The Devoted is a 4-star book in my eyes.
I would recommend reading the first two book in the series
before reading the third one.
** I was given a free copy of this book from Revell Publishers for an honest review.
All thoughts are my own. No other compensation was received. **
About the Author
Suzanne Woods Fisher is an award-winning,
bestselling author of more than a dozen novels, including The Imposter, The Quieting,
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
for a story of dreams deferred and hopes fulfilled-
complete with Fisher's signature twists that never fail to leave readers delighted.
My Thoughts
The Devoted is the third book in The Bishop's Family series
and while I have found this series to be so-so
this third book charmed my heart - I absolutely loved it!
It starts with a scene that is completely unexpected
and it's sure to capture the readers attention.
From the moment you start reading the first line of the first chapter
you will be swept away into the world of the Amish.
I greatly appreciated the sound doctrine and faith presented in this book.
Reading The Devoted was a great encouragement to my faith and walk with the Lord
as I learned through the lives of several of the characters.
Suzanne Woods Fisher does a phenomenal job of presenting God's Word
with sincere truth and clarity.
I also appreciated the emphasis on how important our time on earth is. . .
" Time.
Time was precious, it was fleeting, it was not in her control.
She had been wasting time, treating it as infinite.
Not valuing the life she'd been given,
coveting what she didn't have.
Wasting time.
Wasting it!
Time should be cherished.
Every single day."
{The Devoted - pg. 280}
There is tender romance. . .
romance that is not be heart-pounding and over the top,
but rather soft and gentle, pure and sweet.
I also enjoyed the humor.
Jesse, Leroy, and Sammy especially had me smiling more than once. . .
"Jesse reached for a screwdriver and it slipped right out of his hands
and dropped on the ground with a thud.
He picked it up and sniffed it.
Every single tool had been polished with a thick, greasy coating of lard.
"I distinctly remember that you said to polish the tools,"
Leroy said, looking offended, when he and Sammy arrived at the buggy shop for work.
"I distinctly remember it.
Polish them until you can see your reflection in them.
So clean you can comb your hair from it.
That's what you said."
He reflected for a moment.
"We did think it was a peculiar custom."
Sammy nodded.
"We thought it was strange.
But we did what you asked."
"Clean and polish!
With mineral oil.
Not grease them with bacon fat."
"So that's where my can of lard went,"
came a certain voice, sharp as a pinch."
{The Devoted - pg. 86}
The "downside" of this book
{and I have said this with the other two books in this series}
is that there is a lot going on.
There are many characters that the reader needs to keep up with
and while I enjoy them all it can, at times,
be quite the task keeping up with their lives and activities.
During one chapter you will be reading about Ruthie and Patrick,
but then you don't hear from them again until several chapters down the road.
According to the back cover
Ruthie and Patrick come across as they main characters
yet I felt like there were more secondary simply because there are so many characters.
You have David, Birdy, Dok, Jesse, Ruthie, Patrick, Matt, and others
and they all have a story taking place.
The Devoted is a 4-star book in my eyes.
I would recommend reading the first two book in the series
before reading the third one.
** I was given a free copy of this book from Revell Publishers for an honest review.
All thoughts are my own. No other compensation was received. **
About the Author
Suzanne Woods Fisher is an award-winning,
bestselling author of more than a dozen novels, including The Imposter, The Quieting,
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
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