Paradise Valley
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- $5.99
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- $5.99
Publisher Description
An Amish settlement in Ohio has run afoul of a law requiring their children to attend public school. Caleb Bender and his neighbors are arrested for neglect, with the state ordering the children be placed in an institution. Among them are Caleb's teenage daughter, Rachel, and the boy she has her eye on, Jake Weaver. Romance blooms between the two when Rachel helps Jake escape the children's home.
Searching for a place to relocate his family where no such laws apply, Caleb learns there's inexpensive land for sale in Mexico, a place called Paradise Valley. Despite rumors of instability in the wake of the Mexican revolution, the Amish community decides this is their answer. And since it was Caleb's idea, he and his family will be the pioneers. They will send for the others once he's established a foothold and assessed the situation.
Caleb's daughters are thrown into turmoil. Rachel doesn't want to leave Jake. Her sister, Emma, who has been courting Levi Mullet, fears her dreams of marriage will be dashed. Miriam has never had a beau and is acutely aware there will be no prospects in Mexico.
Once there, they meet Domingo, a young man and guide who takes a liking to Miriam, something her father would never approve. While Paradise Valley is everything they'd hoped it would be, it isn't long before the bandits start giving them trouble, threatening to upset the fledgling Amish settlement, even putting their lives in danger. Thankfully no one has been harmed so far, anyway.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Bestseller Cramer (Levi's Will) mines American and personal history (his Amish great-grandfather moved to Mexico) for the first in his new Daughters of Caleb Bender series. After five Amish fathers are jailed in 1922 for violating the Bing Act, which required school attendance for children up to age 16, Caleb Bender is the first to depart his Ohio Amish community for Mexico. Caleb brings his large family with him, including 15-year-old Rachel, who must leave behind Jake Weaver, the young man she loves. In Mexico, where bandits and thievery are common, the Benders face dangers unknown in Ohio, but the family perseveres, with help from farmhand Domingo. Interesting history compensates in part for writing that can plod like an Amish field horse. The series, however, is sure to draw fans eager to follow the Bender family.
Customer Reviews
Interesting and well written!
Lots of layers and stories to follow as you read this book. Characters are well developed. An overall great read!
Great Book!
I and my husband both really enjoyed this book and can't wait to delve into the two that follow this one. The characters are easy to get to know, we both shared tears and laughter that this author brought out in us.
AWESOME
I really enjoy cramers books. He describes things so beautifully and from the heart. It was a very good book!!