53379

Good. ( )

One of The Heritage of Lancaster County books. Good on the Amish angle and not too much romance. The storyline is well done. ( )

All right, I just finished this book, so I probably shouldn't be writing a review before I have time to absorb it. But there are some things I want to say before I forget, so I'm doing it anyway!

I picked this book up because I've read Beverly Lewis' Shunning trilogy (and seen the movies), which I enjoyed more. I enjoy amish literature. And (OK, this is the real reason) I saw the trailer for the movie. Only later did I realize the book and the movie are two very different things, and I still think the movie looks really good even if the book didn't really reach my standards. Taking the kids away from Amish-country would have been very interesting.

So, Sarah's estranged sister dies, leaving all five of her Amish children to Sarah - who's single, bitter, and very un-Amish. Not to mention that whole horrible even she feels really guilty about, which is sort of pushed around a lot. Sarah is at first disgusted at her sister for pushing this on her, but she eventually finds time in her busy schedule to fly down to Amish country, meet the kids, and get things figured out. Blah, blah, blah, I'm going to stop summarizing now and assume you can google this on your own.

This was an okay book, but I have to say my major problem with it was probably more about the religious part than anything. I am a Christian, 100%. My problem is not that there is religion, but that some of the points that seem to be made are kind of weird. Like, the Amish kids are under the impression that going out into the "english" world is the end of the world, there is nothing good about it, and it can only mean bad things. Yes, Sarah is not a believer at that point, which probably affects these feelings, but us believers out in the - I suppose "real world" isn't the right term, but I can't think of what to call it - are not entirely evil. Maybe the Amish are a little too judgmental, hmm? Speaking of, Lyddie (the eldest Amish girl, who takes care of her siblings and runs the house after her mother's death) is almost appalled at her aunt's love for shopping and number of different (fancy, in their opinion) outfits. She finds it a symbol of her un-Amishness and worldliness. Not to say that shopping cannot become a sin if held above God, but there is NOTHING in the Bible saying a woman can't enjoy buying new clothes, or that she has to wear the same three outfits her entire life. And when Sarah starts to struggle internally with everything going on, she finds herself not drawn to her new outfits anymore. Guys? Do all Christians really take no joy in shopping? I most definitely do not, but I have friends who do.

And then I have one more bone to pick: Can't the children just move to Sarah's home? Moving sucks. I know that really, really well. I've moved many times, and I'm still a teenager. It hurts. But (as I said earlier) there is nothing sinful about having more stuff or owning a dryer. And there are so many more ways to spread the Gospel out here than in the small communities.

Now, I did enjoy reading it. But I had enough bones to pick to make a chicken, and I didn't necessarily enjoy that. The resolution was not the one I was hoping for, and I feel bad for a certain someone, to think that is the way to go. But that's just me. ( )

A woman who never understood her sisters decision to leave the modern world and join the Amish order is forced to confront her own ideals when her sister dies and she is forced to look after her sisters five children. Interesting study of how she comes to terms with all she has held dear in the modern world of things and what she ultimately chooses for herself. ( )