This is an Amish romance, and a very good one. I liked the believability and I'd give this five stars. The time of rumspringa (running around time) that the young adults in Amish and Mennonite communities go through must be very hard on both the young people and their parents. Parents have to "let go" and let the young ones (about age sixteen to early twentys) decide for themselves what they will do with their lives, even if it takes them away from their families and their faith. The youngsters aren't baptized into the Amish (or Mennonite) churches until they have decided they can abide by the strict regulations of those churches, many of which seem backward and primitive to "modern" young people.
Judith Hershberger is such a young woman. She loves being an Amish teacher. She only has an eighth grade education, the maximum allowed under Amish Ordnung (ordinances), but she yearns for more education. Her father, a widower, fears she will leave the faith and her home for more.
Jacob Weaver, a young man, has an attraction to Judith, but he also fears that the lure of more education will pull her away from the faith and from him. However--he also wants something his community disapproves of--a driver's license so he can earn more money. He wants to buy a piece of land--although if Judith leaves, what good will that do him.
And Judith finds she fears that driver's license will lead to more than just the purchase of land. You see, Jacob also finds he enjoys, far too much, going out with his coworkers for a beer after work.
I found myself wondering if the world's attractions would prove too much and pull the young people apart and away from their faith and families.
Available from Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
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