My Review: An interesting way of blending point of views sets this book apart.When Holly's mother, Esther reveals that she has living relatives, their fragile Mother-Daughter relationship continues to crumble.
Esther was raised Amish, but left with her husband, Samuel during the sixties. Now, many years later she goes back, with her bitter daughter in tow, to face the past she thought she'd left behind.
What will Holly and Esther find among the Amish of Lancaster County?
As I said above, this book has a very interesting way of telling this story from the points of view of Esther and Holly, with Esther's side being told in third-person, and Holly's side in first-person. The switching narratives gave an different and somewhat refreshing way of telling a story.
Though the book was well written, I found myself often struggling to get the motivation to pick it up again. The reason was that I found the characters were constantly negative thinkers, and most of the book dwelt on Esther and Holly's bitterness toward each other and those around them, as well as the hostility of their long-lost relatives. And this is my personal opinion, but I think that having Holly tell her story in first person just didn't work for me, I cringed often at unkind thoughts she had toward her mother for a large majority of the book, and so I wish that I had not had such an intimate look at the inside of her head.
I really liked the fresh tilt of the story, but as a person who doesn't like conflict in real life, this book was just not something I could enjoy. I think alot of other people would like this book, but the constant bitterness, and grudge-holding that made up a majority of this book was just too much for me. I can't tell you the end of this story, but this book does end on a happy, hopeful note :) Oh, and I really liked the Vietnam war backstory!
Overall I would say that alot of the reasons why I didn't like this book were basically my personal opinion, and I think that many others could find pleasure between it's pages.
I received this book from the publisher through Netgalley in return for an honest review. I was not required to give a positive review, but simply to state my honest opinion. Thank you!
Esther was raised Amish, but left with her husband, Samuel during the sixties. Now, many years later she goes back, with her bitter daughter in tow, to face the past she thought she'd left behind.
What will Holly and Esther find among the Amish of Lancaster County?
As I said above, this book has a very interesting way of telling this story from the points of view of Esther and Holly, with Esther's side being told in third-person, and Holly's side in first-person. The switching narratives gave an different and somewhat refreshing way of telling a story.
Though the book was well written, I found myself often struggling to get the motivation to pick it up again. The reason was that I found the characters were constantly negative thinkers, and most of the book dwelt on Esther and Holly's bitterness toward each other and those around them, as well as the hostility of their long-lost relatives. And this is my personal opinion, but I think that having Holly tell her story in first person just didn't work for me, I cringed often at unkind thoughts she had toward her mother for a large majority of the book, and so I wish that I had not had such an intimate look at the inside of her head.
I really liked the fresh tilt of the story, but as a person who doesn't like conflict in real life, this book was just not something I could enjoy. I think alot of other people would like this book, but the constant bitterness, and grudge-holding that made up a majority of this book was just too much for me. I can't tell you the end of this story, but this book does end on a happy, hopeful note :) Oh, and I really liked the Vietnam war backstory!
Overall I would say that alot of the reasons why I didn't like this book were basically my personal opinion, and I think that many others could find pleasure between it's pages.
I received this book from the publisher through Netgalley in return for an honest review. I was not required to give a positive review, but simply to state my honest opinion. Thank you!
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