Amish Women: Lives & Stories [Paperback]

Louise Stoltzfus (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 31, 1997

Written by a woman who grew up in an Old Order Amish community and church, Amish Women: Lives and Stories offers a gentle, lyrical inside view of Amish womanhood. How are Amish women unique? How are they typical? How do they find expression in a place that values community togetherness above all else? This generous and heartwarming memoir explores these questions to discover what it means to be a woman and to be Amish. Meet Naomi whose favorite author is C.S. Lewis. Rebecca who is single and has a career. Susie who is an artist. And Esther who has lost two children and spends much of her time reaching out to other members of her community who have suffered loss. Louise Stoltzfus gathered her stories through a series of interviews and conversations with Amish women, many of whom she has known most of her life.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In conversations with 10 Amish women, Stoltzfus explores her own Amish heritage.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

YA?A wonderful collection of short, readable personal narratives that introduces readers to a culture that continues to retain its uniqueness despite the ever-changing and fast-paced world that is forever impinging on it. Raised Amish, but departing from the community as an adult, Stoltzfus brings to life in-laws, friends, and children, all of whom offer their stories, sharing in deft prose their pain, pleasures, tragedies, and triumphs. An excellent book for readers wanting to gain more than a textbook knowledge of Amish women.?Michele L. Simms-Burton, Department of English, George Washington University, Washington, DC
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 123 pages
• Publisher: Good Books (December 31, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1561482285
• ISBN-13: 978-1561482283
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #723,398 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars AMISH WOMEN...HO-HUM, August 6, 2000

By 

Lawyeraau (Balmoral Castle) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Amish Women: Lives & Stories (Paperback)

This slim volume of the lives and stories of Amish women is a pleasant work. It is a small collection of interviews and anecdotes of Amish women. The book is a simple, cleanly written work, giving the reader a taste of what life is like for Amish women. It is, however, just that: a taste. There is no depth to this book. It almost seems as if it were a work published by a vanity press operation. It is more like a book one would write and then have printed up in order to give it to friends and family. There is really not too much to it, and it has a certain affectation about it. It piques one's interest but does not satisfy an appetite. It is too bad, because the author herself was raised in an Amish household. Obviously, this gained her entree into this interesting, though narrow world. It is unfortunate that she was not more insightful in terms of her material.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Book, June 17, 2001

By 

"mtribit" (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Amish Women: Lives and Stories (Hardcover)

I enjoyed this book. The stories were wonderful, and warmed my heart. It spoke of the good, and a little of the bad in being an Amish women and raising an Amish family. Although, I can only guess that it seemed a fair depiction, I am not Amish, so I cant say for sure. :o)) It seemed to be written on an easy level, so an adult could breeze through this book quickly. I have read better books on Amish Life, but this one is decent. And the stories will leave you with a good feeling.

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars disappointing read; Good Books has better books available, October 29, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Amish Women: Lives and Stories (Hardcover)

I found this book to be a disappointing read. The writing was simple and lacking descriptions that had depth. Half way through I just put the book down, which wasn't terrible far along, because there was a lot of dead white space between the large font type. I couldn't help but think this book was written by someone cashing in on their Amish ancestors, that they, in this case Louise Stoltzfus, doesn't understand. Good Books has some outstanding books available, I am not sure why they bothered to publish this one.