The Healing: An Amish Romance
By Linda Byler
3.5/5
()
Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this ebook
John is the youngest of seven boys and is constantly overshadowed by his big brothers who seem to all be stronger, smarter, and better looking than he is. As a teenager, he knows he’s overweight and is sure he’ll never be popular like his brothers are. But those struggles are nothing compared to the battle he is about to fight. After weeks of feeling exhausted, depressed, and achy, he has no idea what’s wrong with him and begins to wonder if he’ll be miserable for the rest of his life. By the time he is finally diagnosed with Lyme disease, his body is failing and his spirits are nearly at rock bottom.
John’s parents and brothers try to help him, but as weeks turn into months with no real sign of improvement, the illness begins to take its toll on all of them. Minor disagreements turn into angry fights and old hurts surface amidst uncertainty and exhaustion. The Amish family that was once so tightly knit is unraveling before John’s eyes.
When John’s older brother Samuel begins dating Lena Zook—John’s eighth grade teacher—he tries to be happy for them, but it’s hard not to feel jealous. With all his health issues, John figures he’ll be lucky if he makes it through rumschpringe at all; he doesn’t dare hope to date anyone as lovely and smart and fun as Lena is.
Determined not to continue burdening his family, John begins to discover a quiet inner strength, even as his body falters. Recovery seems far off, but he nurtures a glimmer of hope that God has not forgotten him. And is it his imagination, or is Lena starting to spend more time with him than she’s spending with Samuel? Torn between following his heart and the fear of tearing his family apart even more, John’s struggles seem to only get more complicated, even as that glimmer of hope fans into flame.
Linda Byler
Linda Byler grew up Amish and is an active member of the Amish church today. She is the author of five bestselling fiction series, all set in the Amish world: Hester Takes Charge, Lancaster Burning, Sadie’s Montana, Lizzie Searches for Love, and The Dakota Series. In addition, Byler has written five Christmas romances: The Little Amish Matchmaker, The Christmas Visitor, Mary’s Christmas Good-Bye, Becky Meets Her Match, A Dog for Christmas, and A Horse for Elsie. Linda is also well known within the Amish community as a columnist for a weekly Amish newspaper.
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Reviews for The Healing
4 ratings2 reviews
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Healing by Linda Byler takes readers to Jefferson County, Pennsylvania. John Stoltzfus comes from a large family of ten children with two loving parents, Mary and Elmer Stoltzfus. John is fourteen years old and currently attends Hickory Ridge School. John is at that awkward stage with acne, buck teeth, chubby and he wears glasses. Being the youngest in the family, he feels invisible and that his thoughts do not matter. When a new teacher takes over the classroom before Christmas, John is instantly smitten with her. Lena Zook’s smile is the bright spot in his day. The following fall, John beings to feel ill. Shoulder pain, headaches, chills and he is tired all the time. After several unsuccessful trips to the doctor, John begins to withdrawal into himself. The noise and pain become too much to bear at times and he only wishes to be alone. Mary hovers over John trying one home remedy after another. She becomes anxious, worried and tired as time goes on. The brothers begin bickering and the family becomes divided as the older boys feel that John is just being lazy, and the other brothers are worried for their younger sibling. When Samuel, the oldest brother, begins dating Lena, John has a mixture of feelings. He also wonders if he will ever be well enough to court a young woman. When a change of scenery fails to revive John’s spirits, he returns home. He begins to pray for help and looks to God for guidance. Just when things begin to look up for John, the unthinkable happens. Follow John’s journey in The Healing.The Healing caught my attention because I know what it is like to have an illness that people do not understand and is hard to diagnose. We get to watch John struggle through his illness and lack of faith. He has a large family where the brothers tease each other, and their mother loves to dote on each of them. We get to see the toll that an illness can take on a family. It wears you down physically and mentally. I thought the author gave readers a realistic portrayal of someone suffering with pain, loneliness, depression and so much more. Some of the Christian themes present are prayer, relying on God, God only gives us what we have the strength to handle (this is a hard one for me), God is in control, having faith, and remember that God loves us, and He sacrificed His only son for us. Other themes present in the story are love, family, forgiveness, understanding, and friendship. While The Healing has good writing, I struggled with the pace of the story. It also seemed the same information was being presented over and over. It would have been nice if the story epilogue. The story seemed incomplete (I wanted closure). My rating for The Healing is 3.5 out of 5 stars. The Healing is a good story for the younger readers (age thirteen and up). The Healing is a lovely, heartfelt and emotional novel that will appeal to fans of Linda Byler and Amish fiction.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Realistic trials we all could face. Excellent story line with a message!