Hopeful (Return to Sugarcreek Series #1)

by Shelley Shepard Gray

Overview

In the Amish town of Sugarcreek, love comes in many forms. But will it come at all for Miriam?

Miriam Zehr has worked at the Sugarcreek Inn longer than she cares to admit. The restaurant is a favorite of town residents as well as the many tourists who come to taste the famous Amish fare. Though she always tries to have a smile for every customer, deep down Miriam knows something's missing: a family of her own.

Miriam has never felt particularly beautiful, especially because she's always been a bit heavier than other girls her age. When Junior, the man she's pined for all her life, suddenly seeks her out, she's thrilled to be noticed . . . until she realizes he's only asking her to help get the attention of Mary Kathryn Hershberger, her pretty friend.

If Miriam helps Junior court Mary Kathryn, she'll get to spend a lot of time with him, but she might lose him in the process. Are these few stolen moments worth a lifetime of sacrifice? Is Miriam right to even hope for the life she dreams of?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062204462
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	02/04/2014
Series:	Markt Und Konsum , #1
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	275,404
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.80(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Shelley Shepard Gray is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, a finalist for the American Christian Fiction Writers prestigious Carol Award, and a two-time HOLT Medallion winner. She lives in southern Ohio, where she writes full-time, bakes too much, and can often be found walking her dachshunds on her town’s bike trail.

Table of Contents

1
Contents 5
Foreword 9
Introduction 11
Rules and roles 39
Racial grammar and the green menace 43
The ambiguity of law and Muslim debates about the contextualisation of Islam in France 63
'Muslim women' marking debates on Islam 81
Formatting Islam versus mobilising Islam in prison: Evidence from the Swiss case 99
The politics of Sikh Islamophobia 119
The one facing the many 137
Celtic ancestors and Muhammad's legacy: Types of narratives in a convert's construction of religiosity 141
The imagining of Muslim converts in Britain by themselves and others 165
"I have become a stranger in my homeland": An analysis of the public performance of converts to Islam in Switzerland 181
Islamic fields and Muslim techniques of the self in a German context 203
The many facing the 'other' (within) 223
Institutionalised Austrian Islam: One institution representing the many 227
'We are in this together': How the cartoon crisis changed relations between the Danish state and Muslim Danes 243
Basel's 'swimming refuseniks': A systemic study on how politics observe Muslim claims to diversity in state schools 263
'Against Islam, but not against Muslims': Actors and attitudes in the Swiss minaret vote 285
Protecting democracy, misrecognising Muslims? An assessment of Swiss integration policy 313
On relating religion to society and society to religion 333
Index 357
Contributors 369

Editorial Reviews

With her endearing and delightful characters, written in her trademark descriptive style, author Shelley Shepard Gray has once again crafted a story that will capture readers’ hearts from the first page.

Suzanne Woods Fisher

A story of love, grace, and yes—hope. I loved Miriam Zehr from page one. Shelley Shepard Gray has once again written a story that will captivate readers.

Vannetta Chapman

Once I began reading it, I couldn’t set it aside until I had read every page...a delightful story.

Cindy Woodsmall

Yet another stark reminder that Shelley is a wonderful storyteller who creates one of kind characters. She paints a very vivid picture of real life and keeps readers fully engaged…

Destination Amish blog

Something for everyone...Gray writes about Amish life with charm and respect.

Romantic Times BOOKclub

A beautiful story of faith, hope, and second chances. Her characters are so real that they feel like old friends. Once you open the book, you won’t put it down until you’ve reached the last page.

Amy Clipston