Rachel StoltzfusRezensionen

Rachel Stolzfus is second only to Beverly Lewis in well researched, insightful views into the Amish community.

Rachel Stolzfus is second only to Beverly Lewis in well researched, insightful views into the Amish community.

Rachel Stolzfus is second only to Beverly Lewis in well researched, insightful views into the Amish community.

I had not previously read the first book in this series, so I didn't have any history, which left me wondering why the Amish would approve bariatric surgery--It wasn't immediately clear that it was being done for health reasons.

I applaud Emma for her dedication to doing what her doctors told her to do for her recovery and also her parents for changing the way they cooked and ate to support her.

The main conflict of the story stems from sibling rivalry. Emma's sister Barbara wants to be the center of attention--never mind that she is married and has 3 kids! Over the course of the story, people begin to realize how much stock Barbara puts in thinking that her sister will garner more attention than she does, especially as she loses weight.

This is not your typical Amish story. It explores the dark side of the Amish. It explores what happens when strict adherence to the "man is head of the household; women should be submissive" happens. Some men in the series are very abusive to their wives.Unfortunately, I didn't find the characters very compelling.

Not worth my time to read this. I thought that the writing was not for a 30ish year old gal and felt that it was geared to a middle schooler. I normally love Amish stories this one just was not for me and was a little hard to finish. Not saying much for such a short story.

I liked the plot line of this book, as well as the characters. They seemed realistic and were portrayed as people with struggles. I also liked the information about the "new order" Amish cultures, as most of my reading in this genre dealt with "old order" Amish. The only reasons I could not give 5 stars are the spelling and punctuation errors, and the "cliffhanger" ending! I anxiously look for the next book so I can see how it ends, but I do not like this writing technique that forces the reader to obtain the next book in the series to see how it all ends.