About the Book
The only other Amish people on the train are Calvin Weaver and his little sister, Katie. When their train breaks down outside of Cleveland, Calvin and Lucy band together to face the outside world. But Calvin also carries the weight of past hurts. When an altercation brings both their wounds to light, they question whether they can trust each other.
Once in Jacob's Crossing, Lucy is occupied with caring for Mattie, while Calvin does his best to run his family's farm. But they can't stop thinking about those special hours together. Will the bond they formed last? And will Lucy and Calvin be able to put away the pain in their pasts to recognize the happiness that is suddenly in their grasp?
This book was released in March 2011
This book is from my own personal collection.
My Review
“The Caregiver” by Shelley Shepard Gray is the first book in her series 'Families of Honor' and what a start to a series. I have to say that this is the second time around that I have read the series, and I have enjoyed it as much this time around as I did the first time. Even knowing what was going to happen didn't stop the learning of a few new things. I must admit that I love books that I can read time and time again all the while learning something new.
When I first realized that this was a
different type of Amish book for it was the first Amish book that I
have read that showed a darker side of life. It was the first book
that showed that Amish, though always portrayed as this idyllic
lifestyle where nothing bad really happens, this book showed that
Amish life can just be as dark as an Englischer life.
Of course there is good and an
happy ending (love romances for that happy ending) but it was not
easy.
Lucy is a young
woman who is doing what she can to move on by helping her cousin who
is going through something that every woman fears, Cancer and all
that goes along with. Lucy takes the time away from home to learn
some things about herself and rediscover a few things as well. There
are reasons why Lucy is the way she is that the reader is able to see
from the very start of the book, and one can't help but cheer for her
as the story unfolds.
Calvin is a young
man who has been dealt a blow and has done something that he was
encouraged to do so. By doing this things unfolded for him in a way
that he never expected. Through the story we see Calvin as a young
man who is completely human with all those faults, while at the same
time showing his true honorable character at the same time.
Things might seem
as if things move a little too easily but at the same time we don't
see everything that happened before the story starts. I have to say
that the thing that I learned this time around with this story is
that there is always hope. Hope for a better future once the
darkness moves into the past, and hope is there when things are at
their darkest when one is willing to search for it. Hope is a thing
that sometimes is hard to see as it is shown here in this story with
one character, yet it is there if one is willing to reach for it.
The realities that
were shown in this story, were at time hard to take, but yet those
just added to the story for it was if things were happening to a
friend or family member. This was truly a story that I loved the
first time around and now so glad that this series is part of my own
personal collection so that I can visit with these people time and
time again when I so desire. I wonder what I will learn from the
book the next time I read it for I have learned about the hope this
time. The first time was that dark things can indeed happen even
within the Amish lifestyle.
I have to say that
now that I have read the series once before, I can say that there are
little hints to the future books. Oh there is nothing that shouts
that this is going to be part of a future book, but there is enough
of a hint to wonder if there is something more going on, and then
just as quickly the story moves on and then that thought is moved to
the background.
I strongly
recommend this book to all who enjoy Amish stories not to mention
those who enjoy romances as well. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and
proud to have it as part of my collection at home.
Other "Families of Honor" books
The Caregiver
The Protector
The Survivor
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