The Search
Lancaster County Secrets, Book 3
by Suzanne Woods Fisher

List Price: $14.99
Pages: 320
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9780800733872
Publisher: Revell

When worlds collide, can the truth set two young women free?

As a child caught up in a crisis, Lainey O'Toole made a split-second decision with far-reaching effects. Fifteen years later, when her car breaks down in Stoney Ridge --- the very town in which that decision was made --- she is forced to face the past and discover how her decision has impacted so many.

Bess Reihl is less than thrilled to be spending the summer at Rose Hill Farm helping her intimidating grandmother Bertha recover from surgery. It doesn't take long for Bess to realize that her grandmother coaxed her to Stoney Ridge for an entirely different reason. But once Bess meets hired hand Billy Lapp, the summer starts to hold some promise. Lainey's and Bess's worlds are about to collide and the secrets that come to light will shock them both.

Beautifully written, The Search is a skillfully woven story that takes you through unexpected twists and turns on the long country road toward truth. Immerse yourself in this heartwarming---and surprising--- tale of young love, forgiveness, and healing.

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1. Conflict and reconciliation are central themes in The Search. Discuss the ways in which the characters come to peace with their past.

2. What kind of a woman was Bertha Riehl? As you were reading, what was your reaction to her? Did your opinion change over time?

3. As Jonah puts Bess on the bus to go to Stoney Ridge, he tells her, “Be careful because --- ” Bess teased him that each time he said goodbye to her, even as she hopped on the school bus, he would add the caution, “Be careful, because . . .” Because . . . I won’t be there to protect you. Because . . . accidents happen. What is Jonah really afraid of? How does he finally come to terms with that fear?

4. In one scene with her two visiting friends, Lainey defends her decision not to go to culinary school, as she had planned. “I’ve learned more about cooking in the last few months here than I ever could in a formal school. Here, food means more than nourishing a body. Sharing a meal nourishes a community.” What did she mean by that? In what ways is the Amish relationship to food and meals different from mainstream society’s?

5. Simon spent a lifetime trying to be “significant.” What finally spoke to his heart? Do you think his change was permanent?

6. What kind of future do you see for Bess and Billy? Do you think they will end up together? Or do you think Bess has outgrown Billy?

7. Do you think Bess will ever tell Simon that he is her biological father? Do you want her to tell him? Why or why not?

8. What did you learn about Amish life in reading this novel?

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