Customer Reviews

Leaving Lancaster County

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

I read this book again, last night, while I was nestled on my cozy couch. I had ordered several books from her website- all which are very good books. I just got the cookbook, and can see that this young lady was very fortunate to live in such a frugal, yet rewarding environment. I only found a couple of typos,and they didn't interfere at all with the story. There are lots of Amish books out there. However, this one is unique, in that this young lady LIVED in an Amish community and learned how to cook in an Amish community. (...)

Although there were some typos in this book, I gave it 5 stars for several reasons. Fortunately, I had the advantage of attending one of Ms. Phillips' seminars. Some sects do allow home-schooling past 8th grade, but it is rare. They are now considered the, "new" Old Order Amish- some are in Adams County, Indiana. Some even have cell phones. There are so many sects that it is hard to stereotype one as being, "all Amish." After hearing Ms. Phillips' story, I realized that, "Leaving Lancaster County", was very much a reflection of her life. She got special permission to finish nursing school at Eastern Kentucky University- the same school Miriam attended. You have to realize that Dr. Charles Lambert was originally Amish- he was from a sister sect of her sect. That is why they accepted him with open arms. It is easy for someone to stand back and judge someone as saying that they don't know about the Amish when they themselves have never been in an Amish sect- even Good Books will tell you that there are tons of sects- and hers was a little different that the, "stereotyped" sect. I can't wait until her full autobiography comes out in September, for then most will understand why Ms. Phillips had some variations in her fiction book. During her seminar, Ms. Phillips DID tell us that most only go to 8th grade; however, some, who have alot of money, are allowed to homeschool until graduation. And, yes, several of her Old Order Amish friends have went through high school. Not know to most, Ms. Phillips converted INTO the Amish sect, from the Seventh-Day-Adventist. She encouraged the sect to change. They did, to an extent. However, they wouldn't bend on some things; therefore, she was excommunicated. I am glad to read about her reflections of her Amish life. I am also glad that there are some sects that are more liberal. For those that haven't heard her speak, her autobiography will make more sense of, "Leaving Lancaster County." She had originally made this book her autobiography, then got scared about her sect finding out. It was due to be at the publsihing house, so she stayed up all night one night, to change it to fiction. That is how most of the typos and errors got into the book. She told us that her next book would be edited. I can't wait to read it; however, I don't care about the typos- its a great reflection of the, "new" Old Order Amish.

"Leaving Lancaster County" shows how the good guy sometimes wins even when he falls flat on his back. By placing her faith in God, Ms. Yoder is able to leave her Amish farm in chase of her dreams as an English wife, nurse, and mother. Ms. Phillips has built her characters so well that you cry with them and laugh with them. The great hidden life of the Amish lady is also portrayed well. Although it is fiction, Ms. Phillips' most secret feelings while being Amish have been tucked inside Miriam Yoder's character. This "battle" between being tugged by two worlds-the English and Amish worlds, is a remarkable battle that Ms. Phillips does very well in showing.

Didn't know about the Amish until reading this book. Gave it 4 stars because of the typos. Good job, Teresa, for leaving the Amish.

Leaving Lancaster County is an insightful book that lets you see more of what the Amish culture is like - the positive aspects as well as the drawbacks. The main character, Miriam, has a passion to serve God and please Him in all that she does. This book challenges the reader to be more devoted to the Lord, as is Miriam.

I gave this book 5 stars because I think that it took alot of courage for someone who was excommunicated from the Amish community to write a book. I just got her second book and it has NO typos in it. I personally believe that someone who GRADUATED with a degree in nursing and wrote for a college newspaper would not make so many typos. I agree with the reviewer who heard Ms. Phillips speak, the book was revised in ONE night. I hope that Ms. Phillips sees that revision takes days, not only several hours. I enjoyed her story, and didn't let typos take away from it.

I rarely feel strongly enough about a book that I read to write a review, but in this case I feel I must. This is a terrible book. No editor looked at this book before it was published, nor would they have published it if they had. I, also, love all things Amish but I couldn't get past the first 10 pages. Unreadable!

I was extremely disappointed in this book. The Amish life is very poorly depicted. By the title character falling in love with an "outsider" (non-Amish), she would have been shunned by the Amish community. And Amish children only go to school through the 8th grade, and she is accepted into college with no problem! This is also unheard of! There were far too many discrepancies and this book really misleads people as to how the Amish live and believe.

I was also appalled at all of the grammar, misspelled words and punctuation errors. There was not a single page without some kind of error on it - this was very distracting trying to read the story.

I do NOT recommend reading this book - there are plenty of other excellent books - both fiction and nonfiction - that give a much more accurate portrayal of the Amish.

This book is very hard to read for many reasons - the typos, the HORRIBLE grammatical errors, poor use of the English language and the inability to follow simple rules for denoting speech.

It was hard to follow the conversations when every sentence had a new set of punctuation marks, and usually began a new paragraph, even when the same person continued speaking. It reads like a Dick and Jane book - they never use contractions.

It is slo-o-o-w reading because you have to guess what she meant to say. Slid and Slide are used for each other on the same page. No is used for not. Words are left out. I had to grit my teeth and force myself to continue....after all, I PAID for the book! But when she spoke of the "whaling" of the ambulance siren, I about lost it!

Almost every paragraph has a "sentence" the starts with the word "for", when it should have been a part of the previous sentence. Why would a would-be author not ask SOMEBODY to proofread her manuscript? A grade-school teacher could have cleaned up the script and made it palatable.

If anyone wants to read this book, they can have my copy, though I wouldn't recommend you "waist your thyme"....

I do a lot of reading and especially enjoy the stories of the Amish. I only made it to page three on this book- there are so many typos and grammatical errors I couldn't continue. Also the font is very light and hard to focus on. My son runs a publishing company and if he ever put out a book like this I would be embarrassed.