I enjoyed the story but, like other reviewers, I wondered about some of the facets of the Amish lifestyle described in this book that don't seem to jibe with what I know about the Amish.

There are Amish and Mennonite settlements within the state. I've always been taught that the Amish do not use electricity--at least not in their homes--though some may for businesses these days. In fact, around here, many Amish have gas powered refrigerators etc. to avoid having electricity. To my understanding, Mennonites have a bit more freedoms in the use of modern things. I do also realize from reading that different communities can have different rules. This is set in Indiana and I don't know much about the Amish communities there.

So, having Amish businesses that are seeking approval for websites from their bishop and having a bishop who has electricity in his house just don't ring true to me for an Amish family.

I have heard of certain exceptions being made for additional schooling for professions that will benefit the community as a whole: vets, physicians, etc. but I can't recall if those were Amish or Mennonite communities that did this.

I do realize that shunning only happens to a member of the church. Those who haven't joined the church aren't officially shunned.

It seems Dr. Kathleen grew up in the Amish community but chose to go on to medical school before returning back home. It's unclear to me whether she'd at any point been a member of the church before doing so--I'm guessing not since she is allowed to treat Amish. If she was shunned (as probably would have happened if she'd been a church member) it's unlikely the Amish would do business with her or eat with her. I still have trouble believing she'd be able to join the Amish church once she returned without having to give up practicing medicine--so I'm unclear on whether she is supposed to be Amish or just a friend of the Amish.

I can understand Dori being allowed to do computer work and website work when she first returns to the community. She hasn't joined the church yet. But I find it hard to believe that they let her continue after joining the church--it just seems a little too worldly--or if they are going to let her continue, I would think they would put strict limits on it--i.e. you can make a website for an Amish business and check it etc., but you can't use the computer for x, y, and z. None of which is mentioned in this novel.

Dori starts out expecting her grandfather (the bishop) to be the one most critical of her. Instead, he's the one who welcomes her back and it is her father and oldest brother who are the most vocal in protesting her return. We see that her father eventually comes around, but we're never told if her oldest brother's attitude was at all influenced by his father's initial actions or whether the oldest brother ever gets over his attitude regarding his sister.

Dori has a journey to make. She starts out returning home because she has nowhere else safe to go--and she plans it to be a temporary thing. I think at this point, she's still expecting Craig to "come to his senses". (Craig seems like a jerk by the way. He apparently doesn't mind having sex with Dori outside of marriage and must know that a baby could result--we're not told if either of them was using birth control and I don't know how much Amish kids know of the birds and the bees to know whether Dori would have realized this as well. They've apparently never talked about what they'll do if she gets pregnant until she IS pregnant--and then he demands she have an abortion and when she refuses, he throws her out! He later apparently is more than willing to sign away his parental rights.)

I admire her grandfather for being willing to make changes to his house so that both she and the baby would have a room with him. He does this even though she's protesting the entire time that she plans to eventually leave again. I kind of feel like he was either getting a message from God or stepping out in faith. (And knowing this type of literature like I do, I knew it meant that eventually she'd be staying in the community.)

The suddenness of the relationship between Eli and Dori is tempered a bit by the fact that they apparently grew up together before Dori left the Amish. I'm a little put off by the fact that while Dori is still hoping that Craig will call her or come get her, she is admiring Eli's physique and wanting to spend time with him.

I like that in the end, Dori realizes that God is the reason she should make her choice--not Craig, not Eli, not which lifestyle she wants without either man, and not what's best for her daughter. I am glad that Eli was willing to see Dori's daughter as his own child and raise her. ( )