Amish melodrama set in 1880s Pennsylvania.
Convinced by his beard twirling brother that Rachel, the love of his life, was going to marry him instead, Jacob abandoned his Amish family on the day of his mother’s funeral. He returns with twin children to rebuild his life and re-enter the insular farming community. His evil brother, Simon, succeeded in his nefarious plan and is married to Jacob’s childhood love and doing his best to break her spirit. Rachel is a barren and heartbroken bundle of perfection. Simon is petty, sanctimonious, and prideful. It’s not very Amish of him, really. I suspect it’s not very Amish for people to have looked away from Rachel’s suffering either. No doubt, many aspects of Jacob’s Return are not very Amish in the way that Regency romances are often not very historical.
There isn’t really a romance in Jacob’s Return. With a love defying distance and time, but not a nasty brother’s illogical machinations, Jacob and Rachel go straight back to being wild for each other while sharing a house and attempting to maintain an honourable distance. In a moment of mutual comfort, about page 40, they consummate their relationship. Using standard romance novel bait-and-switch infertility, Rachel becomes pregnant. With twins. Other things happen as well. A lot of other things. More pregnancies. Christmas. Micro-diaspora. Childbirths. Barn raising. Dynamite. Unappealing facial hair. Printing press purchases. Late pregnancy coitus. German words in italics. Printing press destructions. Death. Life. Boredom. Although, that last one was just me.
After Jacob’s Return, I will not be buying any more Annette Blair books, nor will I buy a book just because I enjoyed the scandalized reviews of offended “Christians” on Amazon, no matter how much I delighted in their shock and discomfort.
I love your reasons for purchasing.
Ah, Mrs. J – you would’ve been the perfect customer for my mom’s Book Nook – she sold the books (mostly Harlequin romances) for a quarter, and also did book exchanges. And no, I don’t think she made any money (I’m pretty sure it was a hobby she loved and also a front to use the back for the packing/shipping work we did).
Was the packing/shipping work of dubious ethics? Paperback used romances are a huge online business. You can get almost any book for a penny, but you have to pay $3.99 for shipping.
It was not. It was for random things – my parents ran a newsletter business, and paid us kids half a penny per label and a penny per envelope stuffed. And we were paid to ship a record collectors’ magazine called Fanfare, among other things.
I just remember women coming in with paper bags full of books, and leaving with a bag full of books, and like $2 would be exchanged.
My mom mentioned years ago trying to get one of us to ebay her books, but since they live a few hours away from all of us, and she makes way more money daytrading in retirement, there hasn’t been much motivation.
I love your reasons for buying it, too.
I’ve read one or two Amish romances. They’re… dull. Dull dull dull.
And you’re right: not very Amish.
But was there pining?????
Mostly from me for it to end.
I must admit, Amish romance has never really seemed tempting to me. After your review, it still doesn’t. At least now you have your first candidate for worst of the year. :)