Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Almost Amish by Kathryn Cushman- Book Review

Julie Charlton is stressed out to the max. She's overwhelmed and feels like with the demands of today's society, her kids are too. Her sister in law is presented with the opportunity to do a reality television show in which she would be living simply- and needs another family to join her. Could this be the change that Julie's family needs? Julie's sister in law Susan, also brings along her teenage daughter. Both women will learn unexpected lessons about themselves and one another.

I wasn't sure what to expect with Almost Amish. I knew it was going to be a book about a reality show that focused on the simple living life that the Amish live, but I also new that with a reality show involved, it wouldn't be THAT simple. I thought it might be interesting to see this story unfold, since these two families indeed are not Amish, but for each of their own reasons, willing to try and live (mostly) like the Amish do. That whole idea interests me because I have said more than once, that I wouldn't mind visiting an Amish family myself for the same kind of experience. Our society definitely has a hard time slowing down or being detached from our various electronics, so I think that this book is easy to relate to. The story is mostly about Julie and her sister in law Susan and it is good to see them both learn from their time being Almost Amish, but I also love the teen point of view offered through their 3 children and that they are willing to go along with their moms' plans. I think too, that when many people think of the simple life that the Amish live, they don't think about all of the hard work that they put in, so it's nice to get a glimpse of how that might affect someone who is not used to living in that way typically being thrown into it.

I did wish that they would have had more interaction with actual Amish people in the book, they mostly just keep to themselves, but other than that, I found it to be a very enjoyable book. I would recommend it to anyone who likes to learn about the Amish way of life, learn about others or who's ever dreamed of chucking their cell phone out the window and just hanging out in nature a little

MARK YOUR CALENDARS- According to Kathryn Cushman's blog, Almost Amish will be available via Kindle download for FREE for one day only on August 17 (that's in just a few days!) No Kindle? No problem. You can download a free app for your phone or onto your pc as well.

Connect with Kathryn Cushman at her website
Connect with Kathryn Cushman on her blog
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*Disclaimer- I received a complimentary copy of Almost Amish via Bethany House Publishers for the purpose of putting together this review. I was not required to render a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own.

1 comment:

  1. Yall add some giveaways to my linky, its lonely and crying! http://1caseycolette.blogspot.com/2011/06/wicked-wednesday-gathering-linky.html#.UCuihd2PX8k

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