The Imposter by Suzanne Woods Fisher – A Book Review

         

     The Imposter, the first book in Suzanne Woods Fisher’s The Bishop’s Family series is the real deal, no imposter here.  When I started reading the book, I was actually in the mood for a mystery, but within the first chapter I was pulled into the story of David Stoltzfus and his children. David, a widower and a pastor in the Amish community of Stony Ridge, is having his fair share of challenges raising six children on his own. In addition, he must cope with the growing tension between himself and the bishop of this Plain community. This book shows that our Amish brothers and sisters deal with many of the same temptations, family issues, and work concerns that we Englishers do. The author, through David, does a nice job of explaining why it is important to the Amish to keep their traditions in the midst of our modern society. It also explains why many of us wonder if we might better deal with stress if our lifestyle more closely resembled the Plain life.

     I would not classify The Imposter as a suspense book, but it kept me in suspense. I tell my students that questioning the text, the author, and oneself is part of being a good comprehender. This book constantly generated questions in my mind, some related to the text, some related to Amish traditions and faith, and some about my response to the manner in which characters related to one another. I appreciated knowing, from the back cover that Beth Wiseman, another author who has written Amish fiction, considers Suzanne Woods Fisher to be an authority on the Plain folk. To me that meant I didn’t need to ponder questions about authenticity.

     While beach season has drawn to an end, this book remains a great vacation read. If you can’t get away for a vacation, maybe you can just spend a weekend on the mossy hillside of Stony Ridge. I’d highly recommend it.
     I thank Revell Publishers and Christian Fiction Blog Alliance for providing The Imposter for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions expressed here are strictly my own.