Customer Reviews

Love Finds You in Homestead, Iowa

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Just finished reading this book - probably one of my favorite Melanie books yet - I had never heard of the Amana Colonies before, and loved being introduced to them and their way of life. I loved seeing their kindness in caring for others, and working together.
I am definitely a bit of a romantic, and I loved that side of the story too.
For those of you who love Beverly Lewis stories about the Amish, you will LOVE this book. Melanie is like the Beverly Lewis for the Amana people in this book :)
Thank you Melanie for sharing your gift with us!

Jacob Hirsch worked as a banker in Chicago, but when the banks started being run broke by depositors demanding their money, Jacob lost his job. With nothing but $1.95 to his name and the Pullman cars under strike, Jacob is forced to hop onboard a freight train with his four year old daughter, Cassie, in hopes of finding a job out west.

Cassie is getting sick though, and a fellow hobo on the train booted Jacob and Cassie off the train in Homestead, Iowa to find a doctor. There they find beautiful Liesel, a member of the Amana Communities, who took them to the local doctor. When Cassie is diagnosed with a life-threatening illness, the doctor puts Jacob, Cassie and Liesel under quarantine.

But worries still plague Jacob. How will he pay the mounting doctor bills? What will become of him and Cassie? And where will he go from Homestead? Or could he, an outsider, possibly be welcomed there?

I enjoy reading the Love Finds You series, and LOVE FINDS YOU IN HOMESTEAD, IOWA is no different. I enjoyed reading about this very real community, a religious group that worked together to survive.

Liesel is a very sweet heroine, kind and sweet, though the world outside the communities frightens her. Jacob is desperate for a place to belong, both to work and live, so he can provide for his daughter. I couldn't help but fall in love with these characters.

If you enjoy reading historical romances, then LOVE FINDS YOU IN HOMESTEAD, IOWA is a book to consider. Included in the book are a couple pages about the Amana Communities.

I LOVED this book! It has a very sweetly developed romance with a nice suspenseful mystery as a side story. It was a page-turner and I hope to read more by this author.

I also found the author's note at the end of the book,about the Amana Colonies,very interesting,and I love Amana(now owned by Whirlpool) Appliances.Quietest fridge out there back in'90 when I bought mine.

I lost myself in this book, it was a good clean story. I just couldn't wait to see what would happen next. I fell in love with Jacob and Liesel, and Cassie. I hope there is a sequel....great read.

This was a very good story, and my first experience with author Melanie Dobson. It was also my first time reading a story that shared some history about the Amana Society. As with all the books in the Love Finds You series, this story focuses on a real town in the US as well as some of the history of that town.

I loved the gradual relationship that formed between Jacob and Liesel. At the beginning of the book, Liesel is engaged to another man, and is advised several times that she must guard her heart and not become to attached to Jacob and his precious daughter, Cassie. Jacob and Cassie first arrive in the town of Homestead with Cassie sick with diphtheria. The three of them are quarantined at the local doctor's house for several weeks while Cassie recovers, and they gradually get to know each other. Liesel is confused at first as to why Cassie's mother is not there to care for her sick child, but Jacob has not shared with her yet that he lost his wife in childbirth the year before. The more Liesel gets to know Jacob, the more she realizes that no one is giving him a fair chance. All he wants to do is to find work and care for his daughter. When the Elders first learn that Jacob knows how to swim, they realize that maybe they should give him a chance after all because he can be a huge help to the rest of the community. Once Jacob is cleared from the quarantine, he begins to work on a dredge boat with some of the other locals, and Liesel continues to care for Cassie while he is away. During this time, Liesel becomes very attached to Cassie, and wonders what the future holds in her relationship with Cassie's father.

The Amana Society seemed very similar to the Amish lifestyle, which was one of the reasons I was intrigued to read this book. The Amanas have Elders that oversee the entire community and make sure that everyone is contributing and following the rules, whereas the Amish have Bishops that lead the church services and make sure that their community is following the guidelines of their Ordnung. In both communities, everyone looks out for each other, and they all do their best to maintain a lifestyle that is set apart from the outside world. The biggest difference between the two was that theAmanas lived in a communal society with everyone contributing to the community. The members do not have to worry with money because all of their resources are shared with one another.

The only thing that I would've liked to have seen more of was the history of the Amana people and their Society. I wished there had been more of it sprinkled throughout the story because there were a couple of scenes where certain things didn't make sense. To give the author credit, there was a footnote at the end that explained what happened to their Society in the years following 1894 (the year this story took place).

All in all, I think Ms. Dobson is a very good storyteller, and is very good at invoking emotions in her stories. If you haven't had the opportunity to read anything in the Love Finds You series or anything by Melanie Dobson, this story would get a high recommendation from me. I'm surprised that this is only the first book that I've read by her, but I can promise you this...it most certainly will not be my last!

So this is Brian's wife Becca leaving this comment, just in case the account name scared you... anyway, Love Finds You In Homestead was a marvelous read, I was truly transported back in history... I really felt the allegiance that Liesel had toward her community but also her inner wrestling and curiosity towards Jacob... this book was a page turner for sure! I am one sadly of those people who try to figure out the way the book is going to go before I finish, but this one totally surprised me at the end! I won't spoil it by saying what, but it was unexpected. (wink) This book definitely needs a part 2!! I am glad she included the Author's Note at the end about what happened to the Amanas.

Melanie Dobson is a gifted storyteller and she doesn't disappoint in her latest book, Love Finds You In Homestead, Iowa. Dobson artfully weaves history, romance, and suspense together to create a story you won't want to put down. From the first paragraph to the final sentence, you'll be transported to the peaceful Amana colonies of 1894 where life for Liesel is comfortable and predictable until a fateful day in July when a handsome outsider turns her life upside down. You won't want to miss this wonderful story of faith and love.

I just finished "Love Finds You in Homestead, Iowa and it was an excellent book. I so enjoyed reading about the Amana Colonies, much like the Amish but still different. It made me want to visit the colonies of the Amana's. This book was interesting, has a good romance, predictable yes but enjoyable as well. This is the first book I have read by this author but I can assure you it won't be the last. Great read for a rainy afternoon! BJ

I just finished Love Finds You in Homestead, Iowa. It was an enjoyable read. Not too long. Nice story line.God's Little Miracle Book

This book was very entertaining. I liked the characters and it had a good story. It wasn't excellent, but it was worth reading. I like reading about the Amish and this was an interesting plot. In the Kindle version, the formatting wasn't right with the chapter dividers - There were names and dates and I finally figured out they must be quotes at the end of every chapter! It was so confusing before I figured that out, I thought the story was taking place at different times.