That End Of Lilac Lane

by Sharon Schuller Kiser

For an Orphan Girl, your Image Determines Who You Are. Orphan Sarah Emily's toes twitch ever time she sees handsome Timothy. The two have grown up in the orphan asylum together under the cruel hand of Miss Percy. As the years pass and they grow closer, Sarah Emily seeks to find her value from the small picture of her parents she hides in a mahogany box under her bed. But when she finds out the truth about her father - and herself - she must hide it from everyone, especially Timothy. The mystery of Sarah Emily's origin will shock the entire town of Lander, Illinois, especially the evil Miss Percy. Desperately, Sarah Emily determines to guard the secret about who she really is - even if it means following the dangerous demands from a twisted orphan named Marjorie. The gentle Mrs. Neal begins showing Sarah Emily that value isn't found in a man's image, but Sarah Emily won't believe it. Come find your true worth as you follow Sarah Emily's search as she faces her fears, her father and herself. About the Sharon Schuller Kiser lives in Florida on sixteen pastoral acres with her husband, Don, and their two dogs, Betsy and Ezekiel. She has two grown children and four grandchildren. After publishing hundreds of nonfiction articles, she listened to the characters and plots that continually swirled within her imagination and fashioned them into works of fiction. Sharon is a public speaker and loves to motivate and inspire women through humor and everyday examples to live the unique destiny that God has for each of them. Her desire is for women to see real Christianity in her stories and be able to apply what they read to enrich their personal lives.

304 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2003

Reviews

[Stella Potts · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderful book. The time is 1869 when things were much different than they are now. It’s a story of orphans, two particular ones, and their lives in an orphanage. It was really hard for me to read at first because of the way they were treated but when you see the dreams that Sarah Emily and Luke have and the way they deal with the cruelty of the Head Mistress it will warm your heart. As Sarah Emily searches to find out who she is it can be heartbreaking but in the end she finds out that Jesus can make a new person out of anyone. Get this book. It has a great message that everyone needs to hear. Thank you Sharon Schuller Kiser for the complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

[Elma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it

[Elaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

The shed is where bad orphans go. Miss Percy, the orphan headmistress calls the children "orphan brats." She treats them with disdain and frightens them with her harsh words and strap, wielding both with obvious malice. Otherwise when Mrs. Hancock and Her Ladies Aid Society are present she treats the orphan children as though they're "darlings." Although Cook and Mr. Wilbur are on the children's side, they can only do so much. Miss Percy contemptuously refers to the knotted rope the under sixteen-year olds must hold onto while outside, as "the leash."

The children's rations are getting more and more meager while Miss Percy doesn't seem to be suffering while she eats her fancy cakes and drinks her tea.

Sarah Emily is a prankster and some of the other children help her pull off her stunts against Miss Percy, preferring a little fun to the fear of the strap or "the shed."

Sarah Emily's friend Betsy gets the fever and Sarah Emily overhears Miss Percy telling the doctor there isn't any money for the necessary medicine, without which there isn't much hope for Betsy. In the course of Sarah Emily and her long-time friend, Timothy trying to obtain funds for the medicine for her friend, they meet wonderful loving people.

[Daphne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved this book. It was a sweet story of one orphan girls longing to find out who she really was, not realizing that she was loved completely by the Savior. I cried at the end when Sarah Emily's hopes and dreams are realized. A great read!