By Katheryn Cushman
Published by Bethany House Publishers
ISBN# 978-0764208263
336 Pages
Book Blurb:
Julie
Charlton is at the breaking point. She's overwhelmed and burned out, and in
today's unrelenting society, her kids are, too. When her sister-in-law Susan, a
Martha Stewart-in-training, lands the chance to participate in a reality TV series
promoting simple living, and needs another family to join her, it seems like
the perfect opportunity. The location is an idyllic farm outside an Amish
community in Tennessee.
Julie, with her two children, joins Susan and her teenage daughter for a summer
adventure. Susan needs to succeed in order to become self-sufficient after an
ugly divorce, Julie needs to slow down long enough to remember what her
priorities are and regain a sense of purpose and meaning. It becomes clear from
the start that "living simple" is no simple matter. With the camera
watching every move, Susan's drive for perfection feels a lot like what they
left behind, while Julie suddenly finds herself needing to stand up for slowing
down. With each new challenge, their season of "going Amish" gets
more and more complicated, as each woman learns unexpected lessons about
herself and her family.
REVIEW:
Julie
Charlton agrees to help her sister-in-law with a new idea for a
T.V. reality show called "Almost Amish". The deal is they
have to live like the Amish for 3 months with a few modifications to the pure
Amish life style.
Julie agrees to do this for two reasons, one she can't say
no to her sister-in-law and two she has come to hate her life! Something needed
to change - she needed a new perspective, maybe this three month get away would
do the trick. Little did Julie and Susan realize how much their world would be
rocked through this experience as their families try to live an Amish life
style 24/7, oh the added bonus it would be filmed for national T.V.
“Julie and Susan quickly realize that the "simple"
life takes a lot of work and determination - why did people call it simple? It
was anything but that! Just making coffee in the morning was a major
production!”
Susan tells Julie, "Living simply for a few months will
give us a chance to de-stress and think about what it is that's really
important to us."
Susan is a Martha Steward wannabe - doing this correctly
will give her the big break she's been looking for. Susan faces each weeks
challenge with this in mind. But what Susan and Julie soon learn is something
new about themselves and their family members. Each discovers a part of
themselves they never knew existed or they had the talent for.
The family has no distractions or interruptions such as cell
phones, T.V. Radio etc. They are forced to be creative with
their spar time, which forces them to talk about things they never
had time to do before. Julie realizes she doesn't want to go back to the life
she left behind. Her family has discovered something incredible and they didn't
want to loose it. Julie feared jumping back into the rat race would spoil everything.
They had found fun as a family and they reconnected with their faith
in God they left behind years ago. Julie realized she needed His strength to
have the courage to walk out what this new life back in the modern world.
This story was fun to read. I'm thankful for the review copy
and how the author made the reader think about what's important. She challenged
them to take a look at life through the eyes of the characters and
ask themselves what is really important in life. How do we keep the main thing
the main focus of our lives and that of our family?
If you’re looking for something different and fun for your
summer read look no further! This book will bring a smile to your face and
having you look at family in a new light!! Happy Reading!
Reviewed by: Nora St.Laurent
1 comment:
I totally want to read this now, Nora.
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