Redemption
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Shelley Shepard Gray takes us to the year 1866 with the story of a second chance at love--and the power of forgiveness Amish widow Sarah Ropp lives a quiet, solitary life since losing her husband in the Civil War. That is, until the night she discovers a man in her barn claiming to be Daniel--not killed, only injured. Though horribly burned on his face, he resembles Daniel, and Sarah accepts him hesitantly. After all, who else could he be? Jonathan Scott has nothing to live for but the memories of a fellow soldier. Daniel Ropp had talked endlessly about his wife, Amish faith--and the money he'd buried near his barn. John only intends to take the money, but when his heart begins to open to this kind woman, suddenly living a lie isn't so easy. Though relieved by his safe return, Sarah begins to have doubts about this "new" Daniel. He's more patient, gentler--nothing like her hard husband. But as her heart reopens to him, she must know the truth. If her doubts are confirmed, will Sarah be able to forgive the deceit and find a second chance at happiness?
Beyond its central premise, the book can be read through the connected lenses of Nonfiction, Fiction, Romance. Those themes offer useful points of attention as the characters, ideas, or world develop, especially where the book complicates the expectations of its primary category.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
What the reading experience may hold
A fuller profile for choosing with more confidence—not just another copy of the preview.
Nonfiction · Fiction · Romance
Use these as starting points rather than limits; the most memorable books often stretch beyond their catalog labels.
Catalog signals suggest warfare and conflict. These notes may not be complete; consult a publisher or reader-supplied guide when detailed warnings matter.
These notes are inferred from available catalog information and may not be complete. Check a publisher or reader-supplied guide if you need comprehensive warnings.
Dark tone · Steady pace
A comfortable full-length choice for steady daily reading.
A good fit if…
Readers who want a thoughtful experience and enjoy noticing the connections beneath a book’s surface story.
This book's DNA
A visual estimate based on this edition's categories, description, and length. Select a star to explore the signals.
This signal is descriptive, not a rating. It helps compare the kind of reading experience this edition may offer.
Spoiler-Free Emotional Arc
A broad estimate of the book’s emotional rhythm, shown without story events or outcomes.
This visualization is an interpretive estimate based on catalog description, categories, tone, pace, and content signals. It does not describe specific scenes.
A quick reading snapshot
Edition facts and catalog signals to help you decide whether this book fits what you want to read next.
- ISBN-13
- 978-0-0622-9235-3
- Language
- English
- Edition record
- OL31982005M
A more thoughtful way into this book
This guide uses the edition details and category signals above to help you choose deliberately. It does not replace the author's work or a full review.
A comfortable full-length choice for steady daily reading.
Begin with its place in Nonfiction, then notice where the book resists that label.
Read for connection, not completion.
Mark one passage that sharpens the book's central concern and one that complicates it. That tension often reveals more than a quick summary.
Three questions to carry with you
- Whose perspective organizes the story, and whose perspective remains outside it?
- Which sources or lived experiences carry the author’s central argument?
- How does the book change the way you understand its larger subject?
Editorial framework by Wesley Bryan, BookenDeX Founder and Editor.
More Nonfiction books
These matches combine shared categories with author, publication-era, and reading-length signals.
Prudence (Historical Romance)
by Elizabeth Bailey
Why it fits: shares Romance and Fiction, a similar reading length.
Alone In Vietnam
by Robert B Boyd Jr
Why it fits: shares Nonfiction and Fiction, a similar reading length, a similar publication era.
Pin Down
by Teresa Cooper
Why it fits: shares Nonfiction and Fiction, a similar reading length, a similar publication era.
Samuel Beckett and the Prosthetic Body
by Yoshiki Tajiri
Why it fits: shares Nonfiction and Fiction, a similar reading length, a similar publication era.
Science, Technology And The German Cultural Imagination
by ENGLAND) FRAGILE TRADITION (2002 CAMBRIDGE, ENGL FRAGILE TRADITION (2002 CAMBRIDGE, David R. Midgley
Why it fits: shares Nonfiction and Fiction, a similar reading length, a similar publication era.
There Must Be an Ocean Between Us
by Thea K Lindauer
Why it fits: shares Nonfiction and Fiction, a similar reading length, a similar publication era.