The Healing Jar

Wanda E. Brunstetter

Aug 2019 · The Prayer Jars Book 3 · Barbour Publishing

About this ebook

What if you have waited to find love only to be rejected when it finally comes?
 
Lenore Lapp is an Amish schoolteacher in her late twenties still living at home with her parents and grandparents. She thought love had passed her by until she meets Jesse Smucker, a widower with a baby daughter. She quickly falls in love with them both and accepts Jesse’s proposal of marriage, but Jesse breaks off their engagement when he realizes he can’t marry only for convenience.
 
Resigned to living single, Lenore throws herself into caring for her elders. While working in her grandmother’s garden, she digs up an old jar. Will Lenore find healing for her broken heart and solve long-buried family secrets by reading the note contained inside?

Ratings and reviews

The Healing Jar is the third installment in The Prayer Jar series. You do need to read the books in order for the complete story. In this final book in the series, we get to know Lenore. Lenore is the local schoolteacher who dreams of having a happy marriage and a houseful of children. Unfortunately, the right man has not come along for Lenore. After Willis Lapp suffers a debilitating stroke, Lenore’s faith has weakened. She does not understand why bad things happen to good people like her grandparent’s. Jesse Smucker’s wife died giving birth to their daughter, Cindy. He left Kentucky to start anew away from the memories, but it is hard being a single parent. Jesse wants a marriage of convenience since he still loves his deceased wife, and he begins to court Lenore without telling her this little tidbit. I thought The Healing Jar was well-written with a gentle pace. It was lovely to revisit the Lapp family and catch up with them. Mary Ruth is a positive woman with strong faith which aids in her times of adversity. Michelle is shocked when Ezekiel wishes to move to New York. She wants her husband to find a job he loves, but Michelle does not want to be away from her family and friends. It is been a year and half since they married, and Michelle has yet to get pregnant which worries her. Sara and Brad are happily married, but Sara still wonders about the identity of her biological father. The Healing Jar is an emotional novel and you need to have a box of tissues nearby for some poignant scenes. I like the prayer jars and how each of our main characters find slips of paper that speak to them. There are scripture passages, prayers, and inspirational quotes inside the jar. Our characters pray for guidance and assistance. I admire their deep faith and how they can pray in front of others. They are good Christians and they live by example which is hard to do in this day and age. I did find some items repeated too often. An example is Jesse’s love for his wife, Esther and Michelle’s desire for children. There are discussion questions at the end of the book along with a recipe for Lenore’s Pineapple Philly Pie. The Healing Jar is a satisfying conclusion to this uplifting series.

I enjoyed this book, the conclusion to the series. I have read all of them, and would definitely recommend them. The whole series was interesting and kept me wondering what was gonna happen in the end. The main characters from the previous books are included in this book. It can be read as a stand alone but makes alot more sense when read as part of a series. There were some parts of the book that made me sad, but the author did a great job wrapping up the series. Some of my favorite characters from this series are Brad, Michelle, Sarah and Grandma. I can't say Lenore was a favorite but I did enjoy her story. I also really enjoyed the jars. In each book there are old jars that have verses or thoughts in them. When found these pieces of paper help each person who discovers and reads them. Such a great idea. The main thing I didn't like about these books was the way the characters dialogued. Something about it just didn't jive with me. I can't really put my finger on what it was, but it may have been just style of writing. It's still worth the read! I received a complimentary copy from the publisher - Barbour Publishing. I was not asked or required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.

THE HEALING JAR. Wanda Brunsetter Lenore is wondering when love will come for her, with two of her friends now married. At her grandparents home, still loved being there, now seeing that they were in need of love and assurance, unable to tend to the farm. She took a new teaching position this year, close by. In the barn, on a shelf, she noticed a canning jar that had papers inside. Michelle came in, and notice that Lenore had found her jar, It was when she was living there and pretending to be Sara, she wrote them. Sara knew about them also, and there were more jars with notes in them. They never asked about them to the grandmother for some were personal. Mishap outside the school yard and Lenore falls into an old well. Jesse happen to come by and noticed the children. He probably saved her life, and realized the love for her. A second chance at love if she would forgive him for what he had said before. Beautiful story and series of a love for the older, and the new love that comes in God’s time. Given an ARC for my voluntary review and my honest opinion by Net Galley and Barbour .

About the author

New York Times bestselling and award-winning author Wanda E. Brunstetter is one of the founders of the Amish fiction genre. She has written more than 100 books translated in four languages. With over 11 million copies sold, Wanda's stories consistently earn spots on the nation's most prestigious bestseller lists and have received numerous awards. Wanda’s ancestors were part of the Anabaptist faith, and her novels are based on personal research intended to accurately portray the Amish way of life. Her books are well-read and trusted by many Amish, who credit her for giving readers a deeper understanding of the people and their customs. When Wanda visits her Amish friends, she finds herself drawn to their peaceful lifestyle, sincerity, and close family ties. Wanda enjoys photography, ventriloquism, gardening, bird-watching, beachcombing, and spending time with her family. She and her husband, Richard, have been blessed with two grown children, six grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. To learn more about Wanda, visit her website at www.wandabrunstetter.com.