Review of Return to Ruby Hope Valley

[Lorraine De Vos]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Return to Ruby Hope Valley" by Diane Williams Gordon.]

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2 out of 4 stars

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Return to Ruby Hope Valley by Diane Williams Gordon is the fictional story of the Amish community and townsfolk of Ruby Hope Valley. This is a story packed with faith, friendship, compassion, and courage.

When a young Amish boy has an accident with his horse that leaves him lying in a ditch, a well-to-do neighbour from the nearby town saves his life. Due to this event, a strong bond forms between the family of the boy and the townspeople. Young Samuel John spends months in the hospital undergoing therapies to try to heal his broken body. He goes through stages of depression, sadness, and eventually finds his strength in hope and faith. Joseph Levi, his brother, also finds himself at a crossroad when he discovers his longing to become a veterinarian. He finds his solace in volunteering at the local Vet’s office.

As the story unfolds, you are able to witness the pure friendship that has formed between the Amish community and the people that live in the town. There is also a clear feeling of community support and love. Even though the Amish community choose to live a simplistic life outside of the normal town, their lives are firmly intertwined with their neighbouring town.

The writing style is uncomplicated with firs-person dialogue being a predominant attribute. The author added in many Amish recipes and Bible quotes, as well as prayers, making this book more suitable for Christian readers or folks who do not mind this stance. The steadfast dialogue does somewhat slow down the story, but it also creates the feeling of calmness that you would expect from the Amish community. To a certain extent, I enjoyed the pace of the story, but I did not enjoy the constant repetition of everyone’s names. There are instances where the dialogue speaks for itself and it would not be necessary to keep adding their names to it. Sadly, the book is littered with errors, which leads me to believe that it has not undergone professional editing.

In light of my above-mentioned observations, I have decided to rate this book 2 out of 4 stars. Should the book undergo another round of editing to amend the errors, I would be happy to revise my rating to add an additional star.

I was not able to tell that this book was a sequel, and it can be read as a standalone. I would recommend this book to anyone that enjoy reading about the Amish culture, small town relationships, friendship, hope, and faith. It contains no profanity or explicit content, so it would be safe for readers of all ages. I would not recommend this book to readers looking for action or fast-paced living, nor would I recommend it to anyone that would take exception from reading religious text.

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Return to Ruby Hope Valley
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[Kingsley Emodi]

A book that explores the themes of faith, friendship, compassion, and courage will present a great read. Great review.

[Ekezie1998]

This looks like quite an intriguing plot. Would definitely love to have this book on my shelf. Great review.