This week, the
is introducing
Bethany House (January 1, 2011)
He took on small construction projects at night to help make ends meet— "and to preserve the remainder of my sanity," he says. While building an office in the basement of a communications consultant, a debate over labor/management relations turned into an article on mutualism which found its way into an international business magazine. It was Dale's first published article, and he liked the feel of it. He bought books, studied technique, and began participating in an online writers' forum, writing during the boys' naps and after they went to bed at night. Before long he was publishing short stories in literary magazines and thinking about writing a book.
Three storylines vied for Dale's attention when he finally decided to write a novel. His first two choices were commercially viable secular stories, and a distant third appeared to be some kind of Christian saga about a broken-down biker. The process of determining which novel to write was settled by a remarkable encounter with his youngest son, a lost set of keys, and God. His sense of direction was suddenly clarified. In 1997, Dale began work on Sutter's Cross, which was eventually published in 2003.
His second novel, Bad Ground (July 2004), while it is not autobiographical, contains a great deal of material drawn from his own experience as a construction electrician.
He and his wife and two sons make their home in northern Georgia.
ABOUT THE BOOK
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.
My Thoughts
This is not your average Amish love story! I was delighted with Dale Cramers newest work of art! As you follow Caleb Bender to a remote part of Mexico, you find yourself truly wishing you had been born Amish. The Bender family loves God Gott with all their being and their faith is unshakeable as they venture into unknown land, an unknown country still reeling from a revolutionary war. With only one family settling in the beginning, it was up to the women, girls and the men to do all of the hard work required when setting up a homestead.
The Bender family is close knit but definitely human. The story is filled with human desires just like our own lives. They have strong desires to protect their families, provide for their families, desire to help others and of course desires of the heart.
In Paradise Valley, some will learn patience, some will learn invaluable skills and others will learn again the importance of trusting the Lord.
By the end of this book you will be hoping and praying that Cramer has a series up his sleeve with this one! I was not fortunate enough to read his previous book but am putting in on my wishlist!
This family will have you rethinking your internal dialog, teach you not to judge a person until you know who they are and that violence is most certainly not always the answer to tough problems.
My favorite quote in this book comes from Rachel’s thoughts. On page 120 “If you don’t like the way things are, just wait.” – Caleb Bender
This one is a MUST read whether you purchase it today or sign up for it at your local library at once!
If you would like to read the first chapter of Paradise Valley, go HERE.
*Reading material was provided courtesy of the publisher for review purposes
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