Still Life in Shadows By Alice J. Wisler
Still Life in shadowslicer
Born in Osaka Japan and lived in Japan for 18 years Went to Kyoto International School and Canadian Academy Majored in Social Work and graduated in 1983 from Eastern Mennonite University Worked at a group home for disadvantaged kids outside of Philadelphia Taught English and Culture Orientation at a refugee camp in the Philippines Taught English as a Second Language in Japan Speaks and teaches onWriting the Heartache Has three kids on earth and one in Heaven Recently got married to Carl on 2 7 09Alice J Wisler is a public speaker advocate fundraiser and the author of two contemporary novels How Sweet It Is and Rain Song a Christy Award finalist She has been a guest on several radio and TV programs to promote her self publ Born in Osaka Japan and lived in Japan for 18 years Went to Kyoto International School and Canadian Academy Majored in Social Work and graduated in 1983 from Eastern Mennonite University Worked at a group home for disadvantaged kids outside of Philadelphia Taught English and Culture Orientation at a refugee camp in the Philippines Taught English as a Second Language in Japan Speaks and teaches onWriting the Heartache Has three kids on earth and one in Heaven Recently got married to Carl on 2 7 09Alice J Wisler is a public speaker advocate fundraiser and the author of two contemporary novels How Sweet It Is and Rain Song a Christy Award finalist She has been a guest on several radio and TV programs to promote her self published cookbooks Slices of Sunlight and Down the Cereal Aisle She has a Bachelor of Science from Eastern Mennonite University and has traveled the world in jobs that minister to people Alice and her family live in Durham North Carolina site_link It s been fourteen years since Gideon Miller ran away from his Amish community in Carlisle Pennsylvania as a boy of sixteen Gideon arrives in the Smoky Mountains town of Twin Branches and settles in at the local auto mechanic s garage He meets a host of interesting characters the most recent acquaintances are Kiki an autistic teen and her sister Mari Known as the Getaway Savior he helps other Amish boys and girls relocate to life in modern America One day the phone rings On the other end is his brother Moriah calling from Florida Of course Gideon welcomes his brother to stay with him and offers him a job But Moriah is caught in a web which ends in his death and forces Gideon to return to the town of his youth with his brother s body in the back of a hearse and Mari and Kiki at his side He must face not only the community he ran away from years ago but also his own web of bitterness Will he be able to give his anger over to God and forgive his father Still Life in ShadowsThis is a quiet little story that leaves us with big questions to ponder The characters are ordinary people the kind you might know or run into during the course of your day They re well written likable and imperfect It s those imperfections that allow us to identify with them and like them and root for them and cry with them and for them. Still life in shadows book review Realistically written it s the story of Gideon who left his Amish life at the age of 15 and made his way to rural North Carolina where he makes a life for himself and also helps others escape the grip of their Amish life And it s the story of Kiki who is a 13 year old autistic girl who loves to work on bicycles and ends up working for Gideon in the auto shop he runs Their two paths join through an unfortunate mishap From that point on their lives influence each other than either knows There are other people in the story but the main characters are Gideon and Kiki They are the ones that teach us the big lessons that this book offers I can t recommend it enough It is powerfully written and although it has Christian values as a back drop it is not over done You don t have to be Christian to enjoy it or learn from it Literature Fiction Romance Okay THIS was a different Amish bookor maybe un Amish book Gideon escaped his Amish life years before and is now known as the go to guy for Amish people who want to start a new life after leaving their faith He has assimilated well into the Englisch life but never left his roots or values or faith in God. Still Life in Shadows kindle ebook lolI was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review Literature Fiction Romance I ve read Amish fiction by several authors and while it s well written I don t find I enjoy it The heroines are generally immature and it feels to me as though the novels romanticise the lifestyle in the same way as Pretty Woman romanticised prostitution I m wary of any religious community that values conformity to the rule of an individual over belief in and obedience to God Still Life in Shadows isn t the typical Amish story Gideon Miller ran away from his Amish family at the age of fifteen and now runs a motor garage Gideon was brought up to believe only the Amish are true Christians and believes that by leaving the Amish faith he has forfeited his opportunity for salvation But that doesn t stop him helping Amish teens who seek to do something with their lives than farming and manual labour He s known as the Getaway Saviour. EPub Still Life in shadows pdf Kiki is a teenage girl with autism and finds life in mainstream school difficult But she s great with bicycles and circumstances conspire to get her a job working for Gideon in his garage The two form a strange relationship especially when Gideon s younger brother arrives in town. Living still life meaning The novel is written in the third person from the viewpoints of Kiki and Gideon and my one complaint is that they sound too similar or perhaps that s meant to show us they are both damaged individuals or to remind us that the Amish are only educated to age twelve. Still Life in shadowsfall This novel really made me think If the Amish really believe they are the only way to God why do they stay in their insular communities rather than seeking to share their faith with others Literature Fiction Romance The story was interesting but I kept stumbling every time she referred to the girl as autistic Didn t seem well researched for autistic behavior perhaps Down Syndrome but not autistic Literature Fiction Romance Soothing to readThe story is sweet and simple forgiveness redemption grace love Gideon has left the legalistic religious culture of the Amish and basically resents anything dealing with God Through an encounter with a high functioning autistic young teen he begins to perceive life with a sense of the grace that he is actually living in This does not come easily for him and there are severe situations he will encounter on his journey to wholeness The irony is that while he is searching and slowly grasping at what grace is Gideon is a sort of saving grace for many escapees those young people from the Amish communities who are looking for help in transitioning to mainstream society This book is a nice read for a rainy day It is not profound although there are a few statements highlighted This is the kind of story that keeps the reader interested enough to finish but it is not a page turner I would have liked it if the author would have delved a bit into Kiki s autism and behavioral quirks and blended that into the story Literature Fiction Romance Note to self and anyone reading this do not read reviews on books mid novel Form your own opinions before you let others sway your opinion in the middle of the story I made this mistake and thought the ending was going to be a flop I was pleasantly surprised when the story was able to stand on its own feet So here s my take on the book What I Liked Moriah Yes he was a bit of a jerk sometimes and he ended up paying the price for his addiction But I still thought he was a good foil Kiki Although I wasn t the hugest fan of the autism subplot see below I thought Kiki was a fun character I liked reading her thoughts and she had a great personality that brought a new perspective to the story All the other good guy characters were great too Mari and Gideon make an adorable couple and I thought Gideon s boss his name escapes me as I write this reminded me of Mr Whittaker from Adventures in Odyssey The food One review said that the author talked way too much about food but I think it was fine In some spots talking about food was an acceptable way to keep the conversation going and in one spot helps the couple get to know each other That said I have to wonder if maybe the author of this book was hungry when she wrote it The One Thing I Didn t Like The autism subplot Because autism or any type of Asperger s Syndrome falls on such a wide spectrum it is very hard to write effectively and consistently I don t think the author portrayed the character well even if Kiki was only meant to be mildly autistic I would ve liked to have seen quirks or examples of Kiki s autism play out It just felt off for some reason Overall it was a good read and it kep me up all night to finish Recommended for anyone that likes Amish fiction and a good clean romance Literature Fiction Romance Gideon Miller doesn t have a lot of answers to life hard questions But one thing he s absolutely sure about is that the Amish life is not for him Fifteen years after leaving home he works at an auto shop and helps many young people make the transition from being Amish to the real world Wanting to get them away from the strict lifestyle and potentially bad home situations Gideon does everything in his power to get them on their feet. Still Life in shadowsjk When a autistic teenager come to the shop looking for work Gideon is at a loss for what to do with her Kiki seems to be a handful and despite Gideon s attraction to her older sister Mari he is reluctant to hire Kiki and take responsibility for her. Still Life in shadowscape Then his brother Moriah makes an appearance at the shop Gideon wants to help his brother but when things take a turn for the worse Gideon finds himself unable to help his brother Fighting the demons of the past Gideon has nowhere to turn Will he be able to resolve the hurt of the past or is it just too late The only thing I felt was missing from this book was resolution at the end It was a wonderful novel but the end felt rushed and unresolved There was lots of anticipation and tension between the characters but then the plot just fizzled out I enjoyed this novel a lot but I just wish there would have been instead of cutting it short While I enjoy a story that move along and doesn t drag realistically I don t want it to fly by after all the great buildup with the story and characters This book was provided by the publisher for free in exchange for an honest review Literature Fiction Romance My review is for the audiobook format I m a regular customer of the post apocalyptic sci fi and crime genres so Still Life was a real change of pace for me To be brief it s a slowly paced simple and sweet little story with a lot of heart. Still life light and shadow photography I found minor issues with how the characters and plot were written and with the wavering point of view but I tried not to let that detract from what I felt the author was ultimately trying to convey This story addressed some themes common to us all like acceptance and forgiveness without getting religious or preachy It s a feel good book that can interest even those of us who don t do feel good books Despite that this book s title makes zero sense to me it s a story that doesn t make apologies or excuses for the messiness inherent in all our lives to some degree and that is something I could relate to David Bosco gives a good performance that evokes the emotions of the characters and breathes life into the story Overall despite its imperfections I am glad that I gave this one a try I requested this free review copy audiobook and voluntarily posted this unbiased review Literature Fiction Romance Faith and Hope Narrator David Bosco has a warm quality to voice as he tells a story and quite a range of accents on which to draw as here he introduces us to the Pennsylvania Dutch while in the midst of the North Carolina mountains While disaffection with the rigidity of 18th century s and lifestyle of the Amish is not uncommon the sect continues to grow as with any strict belief system there are plusses and minuses which can be enhanced or exacerbated by the personalities of those in power But this novel is broader in scope than that looking at mental illness autism racial prejudice fear of outsiders and the very major issue of methamphetamine as a destroyer of lives Despite some of these rough topics the strongly Christian based but not preachy story overall has a feel good atmosphere and a happy ending while perhaps teaching you about some topics with which you may be unfamiliar Literature Fiction Romance 
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