Ride the Sky — Murray Pura

David Lapp had been courting Tabitha Reimer for over a year before he finally decided to take her out to a special place and ask her to be his wife. That Saturday had started out in a special way -- Tabitha had dreamed once again of vast open ranges bordering impossibly tall mountains topped with snow. She had never seen a mountain, which made this vividly real dream even more perplexing. That afternoon, David came by, and the two traveled in his buggy along back roads leading to a pathway that seemed as though it had been forgotten by the world. They passed through a wonderland of Colorado blue spruce, hardy transplanted survivors in Pennsylvania soil, finally stopping at a still and frozen pond. David and Tabitha carefully walked out on its surface, and then he asked her to become his wife. As they began their journey home again, the two excitedly started planning their marriage and wondering if they could convince the bishop to allow them a spring wedding date rather than waiting until a traditional fall date. Ride the Sky is a grand and glorious tale about an Amish community that emulates the Amish pioneers of old and moves to ranch lands in Montana. The reader shares in the adventure as Tabitha and her community travel west, and Tabitha sees first-hand those mountains of her dreams. Tabitha is a marvelous character and seeing as the nineteen-year-old blossoms into a strong and independent woman and cowgirl is grand fun indeed. Pura's story is beautifully told, his eloquent descriptions of the Millenia mountain range that becomes their homeland made me seriously thinking of relocation despite what seem to be harsh winters indeed. Pura adroitly handles the cultural issues facing the Amish, and one can't help but cheer as Tabitha and the other aspiring Amish cowgirls finally get their chance to ride the range. This was my first Amish novel, but it won't be my last. I had a grand time getting to know the peace-loving families who came to life in Ride the Sky. It's most highly recommended. -reviewed by Jack Magnus for Readers' Favorite