Through the Valley is the finale in Patricia Johns’ The Amish of Shephard’s Hill trilogy, bringing readers full circle with satisfying endings for new characters like Miri and old friends like Tabitha.
Main Themes
Through the Valley follows Miri, a tomboy who loves cows and doesn’t want to marry anyone who will force her to stop farming and do “women’s work” instead. Tabitha also makes frequent appearances as she struggles to get over her attraction to Jonas, since she is not allowed to marry again while her ex-husband is still alive. When Miri receives an unexpected inheritance, the entire Amish community is thrown into an uproar at Old Tom Yoder’s unexpected decision to appoint Miri his heir instead of one of his grandsons. For Miri, having a farm of her own is a dream come true and her only chance at living the life she truly loves. For Yoder’s grandsons, their dreams and expectations are shattered. Community tensions are running high, and Miri doesn’t see any easy decisions that will bring peace to the increasingly volatile situation.
There are main themes of breaking stereotypes to pursue careers you love, doing the right thing even when it’s hard, and the importance of humility and forgiveness.
Faith Elements
There is heavy emphasis on being right with God and forgiveness. Tabitha in particular experiences significance spiritual growth as she works to forgive her ex-husband and the woman who had an affair with him. The book emphasized that forgiveness is critical to an Amish lifestyle, as living in such tight community often causes tension. The irony of this, however, is that while Tabitha is given the clear command to forgive the people who hurt her the worst, Old Tom Yoder’s family spends the entire book scheming how to forcefully take the inheritance from Miri instead of forgiving her for Tom’s decision.
Family Friendly Considerations
This is a very clean, Christian novel suitable for teens or adults. No concerns!
Interested in Similar Reads?
If you enjoy Amish romances, you’ll want to check out the rest of the novels listed under our AMISH genre!
