Ten-year-old Lydia's life is upended in 1915 when soldiers storm her village at the start of the Armenian Genocide. Separated from her parents and younger brother, Lydia is marched from her home in Zeitun, through the desert, and into Syria. She's sold into slavery, and endures years of captivity. When her orphanage arranges her marriage, she emigrates to England, only to find herself in London during the World War II bombing. Inspired by family history and supported by extensive research, Lydia' story is a harrowing but ultimately reassuring story of resilience, faith, and survival.
“A must-read for anyone interested in psychology and relationships” - Norma Patrick Meeting Lydia explores the very relevant topics of childhood bullying, midlife crises, the pros and cons of internet relationships, and how the psychological effects of these affect the main character and those around her. Readers will be gripped by the turbulent life of Marianne who navigates the onset of menopause, an empty nest, a suspected errant husband and a demanding new obsession that pulls her in deeper as the story unfolds. Those interested in the psychology of relationships will enjoy this novel, as well as those who delight in an enthralling story with relatable characters and the powerful question of what happens when the past catches up with the present. This second edition has reworked the early chapters of the first edition, making for a pacy and shorter version more in line with the audiobook. Marianne comes home from work one day to find her husband talking to a glamorous woman in their kitchen. Old childhood insecurities resurface, stemming from a time back at school when she was bullied. Jealousy rears its head and her happy marriage begins to crumble. Desperate for a solution - and introduced by her daughter to social networking - she tries to track down her first schoolgirl crush, the enigmatic Edward Harvey. But Marianne is unprepared for the power of email relationships ...
Visit Amish Country during the fall as Lydia King attempts to make Charm, Ohio, feel like home after losing her husband. But is her heart ready to open back up to love when gifts appear on her porch from a mystery source? Could it be from the widowed father of four energetic boys, or is it from the man who has rejected romance to be his family’s caregiver? Find the answers in this signature edition of a beloved title from a New York Times bestselling author that includes history of the Amish of Charm, recipes, photos, and a bookmark.
The story of Easter has been told for two thousand years. But less is known about it now than when it began in Roman occupied Palestine… Lydia is a Roman woman of noble ancestry, and the wife of Pontius Pilate, the procurator of Judea. She has a unique quality about her, unlike her contemporaries in Roman society, in that she finds herself very aware of the feelings and sensitivities of others, and it is this ability that will haunt her for years to come. When a local man is accused by his own people of crimes worthy of death, Pilate is asked to judge his innocence or guilt. The night before the trial, Lydia is visited by the accused figure in her dreams. He convinces her of his innocence in an unfamiliar voice that burns itself into her memory, warning her that disaster will surely follow if her husband is involved in this case. Ignoring his wife’s advice, the procurator decides the fate of the accused, and the prisoner is subsequently executed. Lydia is left haunted by the voice in her dreams, which follows her throughout her long life and confronts her in all of her affairs. It is only years later, when she comes face to face with Emperor Nero, that she eventually meets the owner of the voice she has come to know so well… Through Lydia’s eyes, one of the most famous stories in history is told, and the birth of Easter is seen from a different and new perspective. It will make an intriguing read for any fans of historical fiction.
After enduring a childhood in poverty with his alcoholic and extremely neglectful father, Jason Schultz is now a grown man suffering from depression. Between his strained relationship with his sister, a job as a cook that he despises, and his overwhelming feelings of hopelessness, he struggles to make it through each day. When he falls in love with a new waitress at his work named Lydia, he imagines a better life with her but believes he can never have her. As his depression escalates, he makes a decision that will dramatically alter the course of his life.
An Amish woman is shocked when she learns of the siblings she never knew existed in the first Lost Sisters of Pleasant Valley novel. With no memory of her birth parents, or the tragic accident that took their lives, Lydia Beachy has always been grateful for the aunt and uncle who took her in and raised her as their own. Now a married woman with two sons, Lydia finds her life turned upside down when she discovers that she has two younger sisters: Susanna, who was adopted by an Amish family in another community, and Chloe, who was raised by their grandmother among the Englisch. Angry and confused, Lydia first seeks out Susanna but stops short of telling her the truth. To track down Chloe, she enlists the help of a neighbor who has spent some years in the Englisch world. Meanwhile, Lydia’s husband, Adam, is keeping a secret of his own. Lydia yearns to be united with the sisters she has never known, but will revealing herself to them tear their lives apart...or enrich them beyond all imagining?
Leaning against the white pillar of the office building, she sees the woman standing near the far end of the long porch. Lydia has seen her before, and these frequent sightings are becoming a concern to her. The woman never approaches, just stares. During Lydia's twenty-six years of life, there has been doubt and puzzlement that has filtered in her private life for as long as she can remember. Her parents always seemed to have guarded looks, then would quickly look away. What was wrong? And now there seems to be a woman following her. Questions that pop into Lydia's head never get a solid answer. As a child, Lydia had happenings within the structure of her parents' lives. She just tried to accept them as they were and not cause trouble. She knew that she could always trust her dad but never had that same secure feeling about her mother. A child accepts family problems as just being the normal for them. Up until recently, Lydia has tried not to dwell on the strange feelings or questions within her mind, about the tension, just hoping it does not involve her. But a hint of uncomfortable doubt or uneasiness lingers. In America, we are made up of mixtures of diversities of culture and ways of life. Breeding and background rarely rears its ugly head as we become adults. Finding our own roots and knowing from whom we are descended is often just a passing interest. Such knowledge can be enlightening at times or can be a little fearful. Lydia comes face-to-face with a prejudice attitude, forcing her to see the damage that can be inflicted on another human being. Will she have to dig deep into her own beginnings for her own peace of mind?
Lydia was just trying to get her wealthy husband to stop cheating on her, when he upped and threw her out into the streets of Miami. She grabbed clothes, a hidden stash of money, her pistol and took off in her Blue Rolls Royce. The Rolls was a gift from her husband before they were married, but he wanted it back – at all costs. Lydia hid the Blue Rolls Royce at a farm in north Florida where she and her friends stashed the spoils of a caper many years ago. She then played hide and seek with the PI firm her husband hired to find her and the Rolls Royce. Lincoln Hightower was sitting on the beach on Marco Island when his penchant for attractive, rich women focused on a blond, svelte Lydia walking off the beach to the resort hotel where he was staying. Little did he realize that engaging this blond was going to change his life.
