Charity L. (kingsdaughter1611) -
Up today is a review of an Amish book titled, The Amish Midwife. This is a mystery/Amish book written by Mindy Starns Clark. Mindy is a well-known author for writing suspense books and this time she takes it to a new level introducing us to the Amish.
Mindy Clark is an author I am familiar with as I have read a couple of her other books. She is a very talented writer and I always come away feeling like I didn't waste my time. This book was no different! It is the first book in the series so I wasn't missing anything. But opening the book at the first chapter, I felt like I was stepping into the middle of the story. It was a great opening and mystery was evident in the first couple pages:) Just my type of book!
I don't want to give out too much information but I want to let you know how much I loved this book. So if I am a bit vague, that is the reason why:) Lexie's father is dying and she has been told that she was adopted when she was little. Right before her "father" dies, he tells her about a chest that she needs to investigate.
In this chest she finds information that pertains to her birth family. The man she is dating, James, tells her she needs to go searching. And thus begins her journey to find her family and also her beginning to the future.
There was one statement I really loved in this book. Lexie has called James and tells him that she is in the middle of finding things out and that her mother might have rejected her in the past and would only do so again if she found her. The answer he comes back with just really jumped out at me. I don't want to give the specific quote but he says that there are worse things than being rejected. And she says like? He responds with, "Not being loved." Lexie thinks these are the same things, but I believe, like James, that they aren't. What a lesson here to be learned!
One of my favorite characters throughout the book was Zed. Him and Ella kept me entertained during the story and his knowledge was amazing. Marta kind of got on my nerves with her hiding secrets and not telling Lexie what she knew. Lexie gets kind of close to a young doctor as she is away from James and I was hoping things wouldn't get muddled with the three of them. I really liked James and his spirituality and gentle manners with Lexie. He was a real gem:) And I am not going to tell you what happens with them as it would spoil things for those who have not read this book yet.
So, there you have my thoughts on this book. Mindy kept me turning pages into the night trying to find out what had happened in the past. She did an excellent job throwing out hints and clues but then taking another twist, just when I thought I had it figured out:) This is somewhat Amish but has to deal a lot with other things as well. If you like a mystery that has many twists and turns and keeps you guessing until the end, this is a book for you! It can be found at the publisher, Harvest House, or on Amazon.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher for review purposes. I did not receive any monetary compensation. All thoughts are 100% mine.
Mindy Clark is an author I am familiar with as I have read a couple of her other books. She is a very talented writer and I always come away feeling like I didn't waste my time. This book was no different! It is the first book in the series so I wasn't missing anything. But opening the book at the first chapter, I felt like I was stepping into the middle of the story. It was a great opening and mystery was evident in the first couple pages:) Just my type of book!
I don't want to give out too much information but I want to let you know how much I loved this book. So if I am a bit vague, that is the reason why:) Lexie's father is dying and she has been told that she was adopted when she was little. Right before her "father" dies, he tells her about a chest that she needs to investigate.
In this chest she finds information that pertains to her birth family. The man she is dating, James, tells her she needs to go searching. And thus begins her journey to find her family and also her beginning to the future.
There was one statement I really loved in this book. Lexie has called James and tells him that she is in the middle of finding things out and that her mother might have rejected her in the past and would only do so again if she found her. The answer he comes back with just really jumped out at me. I don't want to give the specific quote but he says that there are worse things than being rejected. And she says like? He responds with, "Not being loved." Lexie thinks these are the same things, but I believe, like James, that they aren't. What a lesson here to be learned!
One of my favorite characters throughout the book was Zed. Him and Ella kept me entertained during the story and his knowledge was amazing. Marta kind of got on my nerves with her hiding secrets and not telling Lexie what she knew. Lexie gets kind of close to a young doctor as she is away from James and I was hoping things wouldn't get muddled with the three of them. I really liked James and his spirituality and gentle manners with Lexie. He was a real gem:) And I am not going to tell you what happens with them as it would spoil things for those who have not read this book yet.
So, there you have my thoughts on this book. Mindy kept me turning pages into the night trying to find out what had happened in the past. She did an excellent job throwing out hints and clues but then taking another twist, just when I thought I had it figured out:) This is somewhat Amish but has to deal a lot with other things as well. If you like a mystery that has many twists and turns and keeps you guessing until the end, this is a book for you! It can be found at the publisher, Harvest House, or on Amazon.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher for review purposes. I did not receive any monetary compensation. All thoughts are 100% mine.
Oh what a tangled web we weave when we first choose to deceive. I always wondered how a child of adoption might feel with many unanswered questions. In this story we follow Lexie as she tries to learn who her birth parents were and why they chose to give her up for adoption. True, there were many twists and turns in this tale but in the end, each chose to finally reveal the facts. Most delightful story. I found the box, where the top had been carved to reveal a house, a waterfall, and pine trees most intriguing....and in the box a letter written in Swiss-German.
I had my reservations, but it held my interest and I loved how the story was pulled together in the end. A good read
I didn't really care for this book. It didn't really seem amish to me because the plot was more like a soap opera!! It took awhile to get through it. Some of the characters were captivating, but the ending was absolutely wierd/strange/bordering outrageous.
Story was good. However, it was very slow moving and took forever for the character to have all her questions answered.
Mary-Jo W. (mjowest) reviewed The Amish Midwife (Women of Lancaster County, Bk 1) on + 236 more book reviews
Nice book- quite lengthy-
I had trouble keeping characters straight, not sure if all the people were necessary for this book, but the story line was decent. a little dragged out- wanted to yell: TALK PEOPLE... but over all it was a nice book for a hot day sitting in air conditioning.
I had trouble keeping characters straight, not sure if all the people were necessary for this book, but the story line was decent. a little dragged out- wanted to yell: TALK PEOPLE... but over all it was a nice book for a hot day sitting in air conditioning.
Stephanie G. (thestephanieloves) reviewed The Amish Midwife (Women of Lancaster County, Bk 1) on + 241 more book reviews
I got up to Chapter 9 of The Amish Midwifeabout 100 pages of teeth gritting and eyelid droopingbefore I had to put it down. While there are some interesting aspects to midwifery I enjoyed discovering and some issues regarding Lexie's coming-to-terms with her discarded Mennonite faith, everything else about the actual story, the writing style, and the characters, was unsatisfactory.
I knew I couldn't like the main character the moment she first referred herself (emphasis on first, meaning she does it more than once) as the "handsome counterpart" to her "handsome boyfriend." Do people really talk about themselves like that? Not to mention the way she treats her so-called boyfriend, leaving him without closure just so she can aimlessly tread murky waters on the other side of the country on a matter on which she is entirely clueless. She can't seem to think of anyone but herself, and doesn't have a compassionate bone in her body. This all annoyed me; it's one thing for me not to be able to relate to Lexie, but to actually not like her is an entirely different story.
This book is classified as "romance," but let me tell you: if the romantic interest does not show his face by page 100, something is terribly wrong. I admit I haven't tried my hand at Amish romances before, but even for a religious storyline, I'd expect faster action or at least proper character introduction 1/4th of the way through. I didn't even get to the romance part of this story and I was still sick of it... big red flag.
There isn't much else I can say about this one. Nothing worth mentioning that I enjoyed; nothing interesting enough to keep me reading. I actually had to fight from falling asleep in more than one sitting while reading, which means there's a large problem beyond my sleep deprivation that made it really difficult for me to read The Amish Midwife, and that problem would be The Amish Midwife itself.
Pros: Realistic tone // Struggles with faith are well-captured
Cons: Painfully slow pace // Lexie is incredibly dislikable // Character interactions are detached and flat
Verdict: With an entirely self-absorbed and socially oblivious main character, a troubling so-called "romance" story structure, and a HUGE (read: not huge) family secret that lacks all of suspense, action, and intrigue, Clark and Gould's first installment in The Women of Lancaster County was a major letdown for me. Regulars to the genre may enjoy this one better because it does have its individual aspects, such as matters of Lexie's misplaced faith and her vocation, so if you've tried Amish romances before and have liked them, please don't let my review discourage you. As for me, The Amish Midwife has turned me away from all Amish fiction; I now know to stay away from this genre.
Rating: 2 out of 10 hearts (1 star): Not completely a lost cause, but could not finish; I did not enjoy this book.
Source: Complimentary copy provided by publisher in exchange for an honest and unbiased review (thank you!).
I knew I couldn't like the main character the moment she first referred herself (emphasis on first, meaning she does it more than once) as the "handsome counterpart" to her "handsome boyfriend." Do people really talk about themselves like that? Not to mention the way she treats her so-called boyfriend, leaving him without closure just so she can aimlessly tread murky waters on the other side of the country on a matter on which she is entirely clueless. She can't seem to think of anyone but herself, and doesn't have a compassionate bone in her body. This all annoyed me; it's one thing for me not to be able to relate to Lexie, but to actually not like her is an entirely different story.
This book is classified as "romance," but let me tell you: if the romantic interest does not show his face by page 100, something is terribly wrong. I admit I haven't tried my hand at Amish romances before, but even for a religious storyline, I'd expect faster action or at least proper character introduction 1/4th of the way through. I didn't even get to the romance part of this story and I was still sick of it... big red flag.
There isn't much else I can say about this one. Nothing worth mentioning that I enjoyed; nothing interesting enough to keep me reading. I actually had to fight from falling asleep in more than one sitting while reading, which means there's a large problem beyond my sleep deprivation that made it really difficult for me to read The Amish Midwife, and that problem would be The Amish Midwife itself.
Pros: Realistic tone // Struggles with faith are well-captured
Cons: Painfully slow pace // Lexie is incredibly dislikable // Character interactions are detached and flat
Verdict: With an entirely self-absorbed and socially oblivious main character, a troubling so-called "romance" story structure, and a HUGE (read: not huge) family secret that lacks all of suspense, action, and intrigue, Clark and Gould's first installment in The Women of Lancaster County was a major letdown for me. Regulars to the genre may enjoy this one better because it does have its individual aspects, such as matters of Lexie's misplaced faith and her vocation, so if you've tried Amish romances before and have liked them, please don't let my review discourage you. As for me, The Amish Midwife has turned me away from all Amish fiction; I now know to stay away from this genre.
Rating: 2 out of 10 hearts (1 star): Not completely a lost cause, but could not finish; I did not enjoy this book.
Source: Complimentary copy provided by publisher in exchange for an honest and unbiased review (thank you!).
