The Longing by Beverly Lewis - My Review

Originally Posted at Bibliophile's Retreat by Melissa Meeks

Bethany House Publishers (September 23, 2008)
This final installment of the series brings things full circle for many of our characters and tribulation brings some miraculous conversions and changes of tune that seemed impossible to expect. Hearts stay true but Caleb still must try to appease his father if he can even when that means losing Nellie for the sake of hanging on to his inheritance. In the end he seems to have lost both and gained nothing by it. However when David is injured by a feisty mule and his family is uncertain as his ultimate fate, the family is drawn closer to each other and their patriarch. Despite the ties that are cinched tighter within his home, David still fights any association with those outside the Old Order including the community support offered to him and his family when it is most needed by all. Fearing his father’s wrath even now, Caleb walks a fine line in accepting help with the chores on the farm and around the house and in adhering to his father’s ultimatum. When his Mennonite cousin hears of the tragedy and appears to offer assistance with the chores that have fallen to Caleb’s responsibility, Caleb is torn between accepting much needed help which could incur this legendary wrath or struggling along without the offered aid. What will David’s reaction be when he learns his English cousin’s son has been working side by side with Caleb to keep the place running smoothly all this time despite his insistence that only Old Order Amish dare offer their time and other support to his family. All this time Reuben Fisher continues to make attempts at not only being helpful but also contacting David specifically despite all the rebuffs and closed doors he encounters.

Will Reuben’s persistence somehow bring his daughter and Caleb back together or melt David’s heart of stone? Read Lewis’ conclusion to the Fisher family story to discover the power God has to turn things around even at the last moment and how He draws even the most unlikely candidates to Himself at the appointed time. While I am sad to see this series end and have to say farewell to more beloved characters, I do have a new Lewis book waiting to be read so I can meet some new friends from her pen. (ISBN#9780764203121, 352pp, $13.99)

Codicil:
Visit the author’s website. Also don’t forget to click the bookcover above to purchase your own copy or read more about the book. Also get The Parting (The Courtship of Nellie Fisher #1) and The Forbidden (The Courtship of Nellie Fisher #2)