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Hannah's Daughters #1
Courting Ruth
Amish widow Hannah Yoder prays her daughters will each find a husband someday. Still, sensible Ruth believes it's God's will that she stay home and help care for her younger sisters. But when a handsome young man comes to Kent County, Ruth starts to rethink her plans. Not yet part of the church, Eli Lapp is allowed to run wild. Yet something in Ruth's sweet smile and gentle manner makes him yearn to settle down--with her at his side. Can Eli convince her that their lives should be entwined together on God's path?
224 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
September 20, 2018
2 Stars
This Amish love story was sweet and unassuming, and I appreciated the writing quality a great deal.
Having said that, I was surprised by how judgemental and gossipy I found some of the characters, especially considering they all strived to be good, kind, god-fearing people of the Amish faith. I believe some of the attitudes expressed here were negatively presumptuous, with a lot of characters shunning Eli for perceived actions they knew nothing about. Where Eli’s “bad” past was concerned, no one ever asked what had actually happened; they laid judgement first, labeling him bad and gossiping about him at every opportunity. This didn’t convey these Amish in a positive light to me.
This leads me to my next issue: the total lack of communication/miscommunication that occurred between Eli and Ruth throughout the story. Every time Eli tried to explain his past to Ruth she shut him down, choosing to act petulant and disinterested when she was anything but. Why not just hear the guy out? So much of the immature drama – which is what it was – could have been avoided had they simply had a conversation that would have dispelled the bad rumours and put Ruth’s mind at ease. I became very frustrated with Ruth as the story unfolded, to the point that I started wishing Eli would end up with someone more kind-hearted and open-minded than her.
As for the ending, I didn’t buy Ruth’s abrupt turnaround for an instant. It was like I was suddenly reading about a whole different character – a character that was happy, excited, and in love, not to mention suddenly unprejudiced and tolerant where previously she was not. I wish the emotional gap had been bridged better. I wanted to actually witness Ruth coming to the realisation that her judgements and treatment of Eli had been wholly unfair up until that point, but no such reflections of self or personal revelations of wrongdoing occurred, much to my disappointment.
Ultimately, this story wasn’t for me, but as I said earlier, it was nicely written and that went a long way to hold my interest enough to finish.
This Amish love story was sweet and unassuming, and I appreciated the writing quality a great deal.
Having said that, I was surprised by how judgemental and gossipy I found some of the characters, especially considering they all strived to be good, kind, god-fearing people of the Amish faith. I believe some of the attitudes expressed here were negatively presumptuous, with a lot of characters shunning Eli for perceived actions they knew nothing about. Where Eli’s “bad” past was concerned, no one ever asked what had actually happened; they laid judgement first, labeling him bad and gossiping about him at every opportunity. This didn’t convey these Amish in a positive light to me.
This leads me to my next issue: the total lack of communication/miscommunication that occurred between Eli and Ruth throughout the story. Every time Eli tried to explain his past to Ruth she shut him down, choosing to act petulant and disinterested when she was anything but. Why not just hear the guy out? So much of the immature drama – which is what it was – could have been avoided had they simply had a conversation that would have dispelled the bad rumours and put Ruth’s mind at ease. I became very frustrated with Ruth as the story unfolded, to the point that I started wishing Eli would end up with someone more kind-hearted and open-minded than her.
As for the ending, I didn’t buy Ruth’s abrupt turnaround for an instant. It was like I was suddenly reading about a whole different character – a character that was happy, excited, and in love, not to mention suddenly unprejudiced and tolerant where previously she was not. I wish the emotional gap had been bridged better. I wanted to actually witness Ruth coming to the realisation that her judgements and treatment of Eli had been wholly unfair up until that point, but no such reflections of self or personal revelations of wrongdoing occurred, much to my disappointment.
Ultimately, this story wasn’t for me, but as I said earlier, it was nicely written and that went a long way to hold my interest enough to finish.
December 25, 2018
I enjoyed reading the story, loved the setting and the most of the characters, but felt that Ruth could've listened more instead of just ignoring Eli. Communication is very important, even if she didn't think she'd be interested in him romantically she should have heard him out to sort out her own emotions. Things wrapped up very quickly, but it was a good ending. I definitely want to continue with the series and read the other sisters stories.
October 31, 2015
This book was fairly good overall, but the ending just didn't gel for me. It felt a bit too rushed for my tastes, and suffers from a lot of miscommunication. I enjoyed meeting the entire family and liked how Ruth cared for her younger sisters. I am interested to see where the series goes as a whole, so I've went ahead and purchased the sequel to this book, as I am hoping for it to get better!
January 18, 2020
Ruth is certain she is meant to stay home and care for her widowed mother and disabled sister...why she determined this was never explained. Then too handsome for his own good Eli Lapp comes to town on rumors of an out of wedlock baby and red suspenders, romance ensues. There were some writing or formatting errors in the Kindle edition I read and it did not have real page numbers which for some reason I dislike. The characters seemed kind of judgy, the girls aside from Miriam were almost interchangeable and too many miscommunications occur for such a short romance. I will most likely read the second book in the hope that things improve but I am not sure I have very high hopes.
May 3, 2014
Courting Ruth was my follow up read to Monster In His Eyes. I always need a soul soothing story after a emotionally intense story.
The Hannah's Daughters series was exactly what I needed.
Sweet, clean, pure romance with no over the top drama, triangles, or shenanigans.
Delightful is the word that always pops in my head when I am reading these sweet stories.
Will be moving on to book 2 after my next traumatic read!
The Hannah's Daughters series was exactly what I needed.
Sweet, clean, pure romance with no over the top drama, triangles, or shenanigans.
Delightful is the word that always pops in my head when I am reading these sweet stories.
Will be moving on to book 2 after my next traumatic read!
July 14, 2014
This will be my first of many Emmma Miller books. I loved the story and can't wait to start the next in the series. The women in this series are strong yet very loving. Not your typical Amish family. A strong mother raising her daughters on her oen and each had their own special strengths.
December 30, 2021
Enjoyed this book in the Hannah's Daughter series. I fell in love with the characters immediatley. I can't wait to read the others ( if i can find them)in this series to read about the other daughters and their lives.
I recommend this book if you are a fan of amish books.
I recommend this book if you are a fan of amish books.
July 11, 2023
I think this is Emma Miller's first (or close to) published book. It is an easy and well-written (if very basic where word-crafting is concerned) effort.
The problem with this book is that it's 'bad boy' falls for 'straight-n-narrow' girl, and he just *wouldn't*. If he likes excitement, he wouldn't want someone NOT willing to go off on adventures with him. And yes, she's beautiful, sings like an angel, helps everyone, can't bake (well, she obviously needed one fault!)... but he wouldn't be interested.
And of course Eli is THE most handsome man around. So then... WHY were the mommas and single girls in Seven Poplars *NOT* throwing themselves in front of him, then? Because not even Miriam was interested, according to the author, and she's the daredevil beauty. It. Makes. No. Sense.
As other commenters have said, the Amish come off as gossipy bitches in this book - which I think they are IRL, so that fits. But their 'spirituality' is basically just platitudes about 'god', which could be anything/anyone. And it's worse than that in this book:
"Marry me, Ruth Yoder. And keep me on the path of godliness. Keep me Plain." !!!!! NOBODY can be responsible for your spirituality but you, hello! What is that?! And putting your behaviors on someone else's shoulders?!?! THAT'S inspirational??
That's *NOT* okay!!!
What really disappointed me the most, though, was that the movie they went to was 'Noah's Ark'. NOTHING like that would ever end up in a theatre - cinema syndicates wouldn't do it. The book was sadly written in 2011 (not 2015, after the 'Noah' movie came out). I REALLY wanted them to watch THAT one and learn something, discuss something, GROW from it...
There's no growth or true faith or inspiration in this book. It's... not something I enjoyed, sadly. But I know 'Anna's Gift' is MUCH better, so I wanted to read the series around it, since I found them.
The problem with this book is that it's 'bad boy' falls for 'straight-n-narrow' girl, and he just *wouldn't*. If he likes excitement, he wouldn't want someone NOT willing to go off on adventures with him. And yes, she's beautiful, sings like an angel, helps everyone, can't bake (well, she obviously needed one fault!)... but he wouldn't be interested.
And of course Eli is THE most handsome man around. So then... WHY were the mommas and single girls in Seven Poplars *NOT* throwing themselves in front of him, then? Because not even Miriam was interested, according to the author, and she's the daredevil beauty. It. Makes. No. Sense.
As other commenters have said, the Amish come off as gossipy bitches in this book - which I think they are IRL, so that fits. But their 'spirituality' is basically just platitudes about 'god', which could be anything/anyone. And it's worse than that in this book:
"Marry me, Ruth Yoder. And keep me on the path of godliness. Keep me Plain." !!!!! NOBODY can be responsible for your spirituality but you, hello! What is that?! And putting your behaviors on someone else's shoulders?!?! THAT'S inspirational??
That's *NOT* okay!!!
What really disappointed me the most, though, was that the movie they went to was 'Noah's Ark'. NOTHING like that would ever end up in a theatre - cinema syndicates wouldn't do it. The book was sadly written in 2011 (not 2015, after the 'Noah' movie came out). I REALLY wanted them to watch THAT one and learn something, discuss something, GROW from it...
There's no growth or true faith or inspiration in this book. It's... not something I enjoyed, sadly. But I know 'Anna's Gift' is MUCH better, so I wanted to read the series around it, since I found them.
February 13, 2018
Knowing and really understanding what is being said when it's not really being said is really hard. Hannah has a conversation with Ruth about Eli and Ruth totally misconstrues what is being said. Eli hangs in there and finally Hannah is direct enough with Ruth that she totally understands what is being said.
June 25, 2017
I, always, like a good romance story and, especially, ones without all the foul language and graphic sex scenes. This one fits the bill quite nicely. It's an interesting look into the Amish community. A very nice read!
December 17, 2017
I really love this Book...it is a really cute family heartwarming story.
I give this book 5/5 Stars.....
I am going to be reading Book #2 next.
I highly recommend this book
Happy Reading :)
I give this book 5/5 Stars.....
I am going to be reading Book #2 next.
I highly recommend this book
Happy Reading :)
January 19, 2018
I am not religious at all and when a friend loaned this to me, I was very hesitant on reading it. For it being a religious fiction book, it was a really good book. It is not at all boring, very respectful towards the Amish, and very accurate.
May 5, 2018
Great book. Ruth was being a jerk about not wanting to get married to no man;but that changed when her mom gave her some good advice on top of falling in love with Eli Lapp. she denied it at first til Eli left for awhile to figure some personal stuff. overall great read.
October 21, 2018
I read the last book in this series first. It was so good that I had to go back and start @ #1. This book is about an Amish family with a female Hannah as the head and heart.I enjoy good full length Amish and this is a wonderful one.
July 30, 2017
Good, sweet read. Love her books. Highly recommend this book
September 20, 2017
excellent read
November 6, 2019
did not read. do not want to read
May 9, 2021
Another very good book.
Read
October 22, 2023I give Courting Ruth 2.7 stars. It was easy to read, but it lacked some depth. However, I loved the romance between Ruth and Eli.
February 7, 2017
I'll look forward to reading more books in this series.
January 29, 2011
Ruth Yoder, a member of the Seven Poplars community in Delaware, says she'll never marry -- she will take care of her widowed mother, Hannah, and her younger sister, Susanna, who has Down syndrome. Then she's swept off her feet, in more ways than one, by bad boy Eli Lapp, from Belleville, who's rumspringa.
What's Ruth to think of this wild, motor scooter driving, handsome young man who hasn't joined the church and are the rumors of his unsavory past true? What drives Eli to believe that he isn't worthy of a religious girl like Ruth and yet continues to pursue her against his better judgement? And why are there so many fires starting since little trouble-maker Irwin Beachy came from Ohio to live with his cousins after his parents died?
I loved the family activity and banter in Ruth's house. I was touched by how Ruth's Dat said that Susanna "was one of the Lord's gifts and that they should fell blessed every day the He entrusted her to their family." None of the characters seemed out of place -- from the excitement seeking Miriam, to the dutiful wife Johanna, to the stern Aunt Martha, to the almost obnoxious Charley, to Samuel, the widower next door -- they were all very real. I liked how Irwin kept popping into the story and adding tension in Ruth's household.
I recommend that the Amish fiction fans out there read Courting Ruth and see if you don't say "Oh no!" here and there, or smile when Eli's teasing Ruth, or think "get a life Aunt Martha" a couple of times. I know I did. I'm looking forward to "Miriam's Heart" in April.
What's Ruth to think of this wild, motor scooter driving, handsome young man who hasn't joined the church and are the rumors of his unsavory past true? What drives Eli to believe that he isn't worthy of a religious girl like Ruth and yet continues to pursue her against his better judgement? And why are there so many fires starting since little trouble-maker Irwin Beachy came from Ohio to live with his cousins after his parents died?
I loved the family activity and banter in Ruth's house. I was touched by how Ruth's Dat said that Susanna "was one of the Lord's gifts and that they should fell blessed every day the He entrusted her to their family." None of the characters seemed out of place -- from the excitement seeking Miriam, to the dutiful wife Johanna, to the stern Aunt Martha, to the almost obnoxious Charley, to Samuel, the widower next door -- they were all very real. I liked how Irwin kept popping into the story and adding tension in Ruth's household.
I recommend that the Amish fiction fans out there read Courting Ruth and see if you don't say "Oh no!" here and there, or smile when Eli's teasing Ruth, or think "get a life Aunt Martha" a couple of times. I know I did. I'm looking forward to "Miriam's Heart" in April.
May 2, 2011
Love this book. It's from the Love Inspired series and even though I'm not very religious, I still enjoy it because it focuses more on the story than preaching to the reader. Overall, the book is a great read, even though it is not very long. I recommend this for anyone who enjoys Christian novels and even those who, like me, are not very religious but enjoy a glimpse into another world (Amish).
Ruth Yoder is a well-behaved "proper" Plain young woman who is more content with staying home with her mother and younger sister (who has Down's Syndrome) than to marry. Eli Lapp moves to town from another Amish community and is in his Rumspringa (running around years). He's wild and not a member of the church, which Ruth joined a few years previous. Eli is intent on making Ruth like him just as much as she is determined to not like him. After hearing that Eli got a girl pregnant and refused to marry her, Ruth is even more convinced she should avoid him, but he makes it almost impossible.
Ruth Yoder is a well-behaved "proper" Plain young woman who is more content with staying home with her mother and younger sister (who has Down's Syndrome) than to marry. Eli Lapp moves to town from another Amish community and is in his Rumspringa (running around years). He's wild and not a member of the church, which Ruth joined a few years previous. Eli is intent on making Ruth like him just as much as she is determined to not like him. After hearing that Eli got a girl pregnant and refused to marry her, Ruth is even more convinced she should avoid him, but he makes it almost impossible.
April 22, 2012
I love the enchanting Amish community Emma Miller has created with Hannah's daughters. I started reading this series out of sequence and missed Ruth's story. I'm glad I back tracked and read this one too.
"When I find a boy I want to be with, I'll let him hold my hand. I might even let him kiss me. Once. After he asks me to be his wife, when I know he is serious. But before I gave him my answer." She looked at Ruth with great sincerity on her pretty face. "What if he's a bad kisser? Would you want a husband who is a bad kisser?"
Amish widow Hannah Yoder prays her daughters will each find a husband someday. Still, sensible Ruth believes it's God's will that she stay home and help care for her younger sisters. But when a handsome young man comes to Kent County, Ruth starts to rethink her plans. Not yet part of the church, Eli Lapp is allowed to run wild. Yet something in Ruth's sweet smile and gentle manner makes him yearn to settle down--with her at his side.
"When I find a boy I want to be with, I'll let him hold my hand. I might even let him kiss me. Once. After he asks me to be his wife, when I know he is serious. But before I gave him my answer." She looked at Ruth with great sincerity on her pretty face. "What if he's a bad kisser? Would you want a husband who is a bad kisser?"
Amish widow Hannah Yoder prays her daughters will each find a husband someday. Still, sensible Ruth believes it's God's will that she stay home and help care for her younger sisters. But when a handsome young man comes to Kent County, Ruth starts to rethink her plans. Not yet part of the church, Eli Lapp is allowed to run wild. Yet something in Ruth's sweet smile and gentle manner makes him yearn to settle down--with her at his side.
July 5, 2014
Emma does a superb job making her characters so true-to-life. As I read, I felt like I knew Ruth and her family. I got a very clear picture in my head of how they looked, talked, dressed, and the way they took care of one another.
Ruth and Eli will entertain you... they are so funny. Eli chases and Ruth runs! Although she is attracted to him, she doesn't feel that she can trust her heart to him. But Emma does such as wonderful job of drawing them towards each other, you just know it's all going to work out - at least the way it should, although it might not be the way everyone expects.
Read about how Eli overcomes problems from his past and tries to win Ruth's heart.
I would encourage you to find each of the novels and read them in sequence... I think you'll agree with me that they are an amazing series!
Courting Ruth (Hannah’s Daughters series) by Emma Miller, published under Love Inspired.
February 18, 2012
Hannah Yoder is an Amish widow who prays that each of her daughters will find a husband someday, but Ruth believes it's God's will that she stay home to help her mother, especially with the care of her youngest sister who has Down's Sydnrome. But when Eli Lapp comes to Kent County, she starts to rethink her plans. Eli is not yet part of the church and had a reputation in his former community, but Ruth doesn't believe all of that is true, yet she has a few doubts.
This book is the first in a series called Hannah's Daughters, and I really enjoyed this one and getting to know the Lapp family and their friends, all the characters back stories are set up nicely to be continued in the future books. The relationships and the dialogue between the characters felt real. Even though this is a romance, it's not a "mushy" one.
This book is the first in a series called Hannah's Daughters, and I really enjoyed this one and getting to know the Lapp family and their friends, all the characters back stories are set up nicely to be continued in the future books. The relationships and the dialogue between the characters felt real. Even though this is a romance, it's not a "mushy" one.
May 1, 2015
Courting Ruth presented a picture of what it meant to live Plain and the conflict young people of the Amish faith face when they are exploring the world and deciding to keep the faith as a member of the Amish Church.
Eli Lapp, a young man from Pennsylvania is visiting his Uncle Ruben and working with him in his cabinet shop when he meets Ruth Jacob. Ruth has joined the Amish Church and knows she can only make a life with a man who will join her in her faith and live Plain. Eli Lapp is considered a wild young man that has a motor scooter and sometimes dresses English. This is a story of the conflict of both Ruth and Eli, as they find they like each other but have too many differences to become a courting couple. The best part of reading Courting Ruth was the human personal struggles and how important community and family is to Amish people.
Eli Lapp, a young man from Pennsylvania is visiting his Uncle Ruben and working with him in his cabinet shop when he meets Ruth Jacob. Ruth has joined the Amish Church and knows she can only make a life with a man who will join her in her faith and live Plain. Eli Lapp is considered a wild young man that has a motor scooter and sometimes dresses English. This is a story of the conflict of both Ruth and Eli, as they find they like each other but have too many differences to become a courting couple. The best part of reading Courting Ruth was the human personal struggles and how important community and family is to Amish people.
August 14, 2011
I ended up completely adoring this book, all of the characters were unique and realistic and I'm fairly certain I was grinning my head off when I finished reading it today on the bus. A simple plot for the people who live the simple life, but not entirely predictable. Ruth seemed a bit young for her age in places and some problems could have been resolved with a conversation, but I did love the setting, the family and all of the secondary characters. Definitely going to be reading the other books in the series. 9/10
October 28, 2013
Nice story - I enjoy Emma Miller's style of writing and the Hannah's Daughters series. Ruth has a hard time chosing between staying at home to help her mother or having a life of her own. I like the characters and you become part of the family as you read the story. Just wish I could sit down to one of the family meals with all the good Amish cooking that is described. I reccomend this as a good read.
January 18, 2015
this is the 3rd in the Amish mystery series. A girl that left the Amish comes back and is found dead in a local quarry. Rachel and her cousin have to find out who killed her and why before other girls who have left the Amish are killed. Rachel had been Amish and left, she nows runs a B&B in Amish country and has a police detective boyfriend.
May 5, 2014
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This is the 1st in a series I really enjoyed this i read this in a day
It was well written & a good story will look forward to reading the rest of the series
i can recommend this book & i am sure if you read this you will want to read the series
This is the 1st in a series I really enjoyed this i read this in a day
It was well written & a good story will look forward to reading the rest of the series
i can recommend this book & i am sure if you read this you will want to read the series
Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews