5 comments about Looking for a Miracle (Brides of Lancaster County #2).

1. Reviewed by Kelli Glesige for Reader Views (1/07)
   
   As a child, Rebekah Stoltzfus suffered an accident in a lightning storm which has left her confined to a wheelchair much of the time. Rebekah has now grown into a young woman and watches as her best friend and cousin, Mary Ellen, makes plans involving marriage and children. As for Rebekah, she believes her condition will never allow her to marry, for with partial paralysis, her limitations would never enable her to fulfill the obligations of a proper Pennsylvania Amish wife. Besides, what man would want a wife confined to a wheelchair that might never be able to conceive a child or properly take care of an energetic toddler? No, a normal life is out of the question for Rebekah, without a miracle from God.
   
   Self-pity pulling her down, Rebekah sets her sights on doing something that will allow her to be self-supporting and less dependent on her family. The pain of losing her beloved grandmother and caregiver has made Rebekah realize she must set some goals and work to achieve them, even if she has obstacles to overcome. Rebekah prays for a miracle from God--a way to become self-supporting.
   
   Knowing her love of flowers, Cousin Mary Ellen suggests operating a greenhouse. Rebekah loves the idea, and the family, along with a few friends, enthusiastically pitches in to build the greenhouse very near the Stoltzfus' home, completely wheelchair accessible of course. Rebekah works hard in her new greenhouse business, as word of "Grandma's Place," the name Rebekah has chosen for her business, travels around the close knit Amish community of Lancaster County, and the business is a complete success.
   
   Daniel Beachy begins hanging around Rebekah and her greenhouse, and Rebekah thinks she may have feelings of more than friendship for Daniel. Rebekah denies the feelings, for she knows any type of relationship is simply out of the question for a woman like herself. Rebekah becomes angry when she learns Daniel is only interested in her business and merely feels sorry for her. Besides that, why would any man want a handicapped woman for a wife? It is obvious to Rebekah that Daniel wants to inherit her greenhouse business and get away from dairy farming, his father's chosen profession and one Daniel vehemently dislikes.
   
   "Looking for a Miracle" is refreshing, wholesome, and unpretentious. It is about the simple life of a group of Amish folks and the community they live in. It describes the simple life they lead, their love for the Lord, the importance of prayer, and the high importance they place on the members of their family. This book contains some very important lessons on the things that are most important in life. I give the highest recommendation I can give, plus more, to this exceptional story. "Looking for a Miracle" is Book Two in The Brides of Lancaster County series. It is very appropriate, and recommended, for all ages of readers.



2. Waiting in her Aunt Mim's carriage for a ride home, a tree snapped leaving preadolescent Rebekah Stoltzfus wheelchair bound. While physically her legs are paralyzed, no one in her Pennsylvania Amish community understands how thirteen years later she mentally remains crippled too. Rebekah knew within one month of the accident that she will always be a burden to her loved ones and still feels that way as she will never marry and raise a family since no man wants a cripple for a wife. Still she tries to be helpful and does write a monthly column for the Lancaster County the Budget newspaper.
   
   At a songfest Daniel Beachy admires Rebekah's courage but also sees the sadness of loneliness in her eyes; he wants to see her, but she refuses to believe a handsome man like him would court a half woman like her. When he keeps hanging around, though she falls in love with Daniel but she assumes he is either using her to attract one of her cousins probably Mary Ellen or pities the cripple. She will settle for nothing less than a shared love so she tries to drive her persistent suitor away.
   
   This is a somewhat expanded reprint of the second Lancaster Brides' tale though this reviewer does not know how much differs from the original. The story line focuses on Rebekah whose childhood accident (occurred in A MERRY HEART) has left her thirteen years later emotionally scarred. Daniel's patience to court and win the heart of his beloved makes for a superb Amish romance.
   
   Harriet Klausner



3. If you enjoy novels that focus on the Amish community, you will definitely want to include this book on your reading list. Although most of the characters were Amish, this wasn't just focused on the Amish, but also was a young handicapped woman's struggle to be self-sufficient in a community where she was not feeling very productive.



4. This book was slow and had a hard time keeping my attention. It was predictable. If you want to skip one in the seriers, this is the one to skip. You won't miss anything.



5. i love reading books by this author, ahe is a good story teller and i can never wait until her next one is out. would recommend her to everybody

5 comments about The Hope Chest (Brides of Lancaster County, Book 4).

1. Great book! I also love good clean reading books since I have children in the house that loves to read also!
   
   Author of When God unfolds the rose,
   Peggy Headings



2. Good book. A little slow through parts. Predictable as all of Wanda's books are but on you have a hard time putting down.



3. Wanda Brunstetter writes very much in the same style as Beverly Lewis. Both know the Amish way of life and relay that to the reader in a refreshing style.



4. After reading the Amish series by Beverly Lewis, I was excited to find a new series on the Amish culture. Unfortunately, I was disappointed with this particular book. The story of Rachel Beachy and Silas Swartley is simplistic in its style and predictable. While the central conflict is good, the story churns slowly around its characters and seems to be a better fit for a younger reader. What is most disappointing is its ending, which centers around the death of a young family member. This turn of events is treated superficially and takes away from the emotion of how a loving family would react in such a situation.
   Perhaps other books in this series are better, and I am anxious to read another to see. I would not suggest this as an introduction to the series.



5. The entire series is very good. Depicts the Amish way of life and holds your interest.

3 comments about The Gentle People: An Inside View of Amish Life.

1. This book was packed full of Amish informaton about day to day life and an insight into the Amish way of living. I am continually amazed at their self-discipline and consistency in everything they do.



2. I enjoyed reading "The Gentle People: An Inside View of Amish Life". I recommend this book for those who are either doing a research paper about the Amish or is interesting in the Amish life or becoming Amish. This book makes me want to live with an Amish family so I can find out if the Amish life is for me.



3. Such a good book with so much insight into the Amish world, a must read for everyone.

5 comments about The Quilter's Daughter (Daughters of Lancaster County, Book 2).

1. the abrupt and overly contrived happy ending left much to be desired...but then so did the entire book....too much dull dialogue....the only interesting part of the story was just left dangling...Linda and Jim and little Jimmy were totally not addressed at the end of the book....



2. She has once again written her book as a peice of the puzzle to all her others.Just as if she is quilting,which I love.PLease read this book.Don't miss this one. Nadia N.Rehmani-check out my book here also-Sharper Than A Two Edged Sword



3. I found this book an interesting read. It is very imformative about the Amish people, occasionaly using some of their Pennslyvania-Dutch dialect in the text.
   
   It is the story of a young Amish women that has to decide between going to help her pregnant 47 year old mother in Pennslyvania or staying in Ohio with her soon to be husband. Then, a double tragedy stikes and leaves Abby in ruins. It tells about how she copes with these events and about how she recovers.
   
   For people who want an uplifting read full of action, I would not recommend this book. It has a lot of depressing moments, but that makes it a lot more real than having Abby's life go on with no troubles at all. The ending leaves you hanging a little bit, but it's a good book over all.



4. Once you've read Part 1, you must read Part 2. Wanda Brunstetter brings to life the Amish community as you've never heard it told before. She is detailed and fresh in her tales of everyday life in Amish country. When you finish one book, you have to have the next one available to continue with her saga. I recommend any of her books to anyone who wants to read a good, wholesome family story. You follow her characters from book to book and share in their plain Christian lifestyle leaving your "fancy" ways behind, at least for the moment. I cannot say enough good about Mrs. Brunstetter's books.



5. when i bought the book,i didn't think i would like it.but it was well written and very hard to put down.she weaved so many smaller stories into the larger one,you feel for all the people,like you really know them.i loved this book.i can't wait to read more of her stuff.

5 comments about The Prodigal (Abram's Daughters #4).

1. This series is an excellent one! I would recommend it to everyone who enjoys stories about the Amish culture.



2. This was an excellent read. I couldn't stop until I had read all 5 books in the Abram's Daughters series.



3. In the Prodigal, the Ebersol family is growing up and away. Mary Ruth has turned Mennonite and married Robert, the doctor's son. She is expecting her first child.
   
   Lydiann is up to her rumpspringhe years already, and has met up with Jake, who unbeknownst to both of them are aunt and nephew. It will be discovered by Leah that Sadie's so-called stillborn son is still very much alive. She makes that discovery by accident while working for the doctor. What she soon discovers is that the doctor had switched the babies around when Fannie Mast really did have a stillborn child, and one living boy. Then when Sadie's baby begins breathing suddenly, he gives Sadie's boy to Fannie, knowing it would avoid disgrace to the Ebersol family and more severe punishment to Sadie herself at that time. So Jake grows up in the Mast family all these years as their own boy along with his twin. It wasn't until Leah discovers that Lydiann is dating him, and to her horror, she must break these two apart. So Jake is sent away to the Ohio Amish community there to work as Jonas's apprentice. The Mast family and the Ebersol's are estranged anyhow as Fannie and Peter felt that Leah was the cause of Jonas's shunning, and they never forgave for that.
   
   And poor Sadie. In order to get accepted fully again into the Amish community and her family, she has to go through a period of proving which means she must not wander far away from the house. Something happens that she does break the rules a little bit when she goes outside to far after her sister Mary Ruth. The bishop Bontrager catches her in the act, and very cruelly wants her out away from her family. She goes to live with the Nolts for awhile until the bishop is talked into bending a little by Gid, Hannah's husband. But this time is really her last chance.
   
   Hannah and Gid are expecting their fourth baby and Hannah has postpartum depression very badly. Gid is very concerned about her until she finally sees the doctor.
   
   Abe, the youngest in the Ebersol family who was Ida's last child when she died right after birth has a serious accident in the ice after a slip and fall. He has a very bad head injury from which he is knocked comatose and almost doesn't recover. Leah consults the scripture that her mother always read, that is against Amish rules. The prayer works, and Abe does wake up. But afterwords, it takes a long time for him to come back and recover fully.
   
   Abram himself is beginning to mellow a lot in this book, and as you read, you'll find he is more relaxed and gentler in spirit. He and Aunt Lizzie actually fall in love and marry in the book. And surprisingly, he even likes Mary Ruth's husband Robert a Mennonite, welcoming them into his home whereas he would not have before at a certain time there.
   
   The book has so much rich detail and is very very well written that it is hard to lay down once you start reading. Every book in this series has been great. I am sure that the last one, Revelation, will be just as good as the stories of the Amish Ebersol family comes to a climax there.



4. In the Prodigal, the Ebersol family is growing up and away. Mary Ruth has turned Mennonite and married Robert, the doctor's son. She is expecting her first child.
   
   Lydiann is up to her rumpspringhe years already, and has met up with Jake, who unbeknownst to both of them are aunt and nephew. It will be discovered by Leah that Sadie's so-called stillborn son is still very much alive. She makes that discovery by accident while working for the doctor. What she soon discovers is that the doctor had switched the babies around when Fannie Mast really did have a stillborn child, and one living boy. Then when Sadie's baby begins breathing suddenly, he gives Sadie's boy to Fannie, knowing it would avoid disgrace to the Ebersol family and more severe punishment to Sadie herself at that time. So Jake grows up in the Mast family all these years as their own boy along with his twin. It wasn't until Leah discovers that Lydiann is dating him, and to her horror, she must break these two apart. So Jake is sent away to the Ohio Amish community there to work as Jonas's apprentice. The Mast family and the Ebersol's are estranged anyhow as Fannie and Peter felt that Leah was the cause of Jonas's shunning, and they never forgave for that.
   
   And poor Sadie. In order to get accepted fully again into the Amish community and her family, she has to go through a period of proving which means she must not wander far away from the house. Something happens that she does break the rules a little bit when she goes outside to far after her sister Mary Ruth. The bishop Bontrager catches her in the act, and very cruelly wants her out away from her family. She goes to live with the Nolts for awhile until the bishop is talked into bending a little by Gid, Hannah's husband. But this time is really her last chance.
   
   Hannah and Gid are expecting their fourth baby and Hannah has postpartum depression very badly. Gid is very concerned about her until she finally sees the doctor.
   
   Abe, the youngest in the Ebersol family who was Ida's last child when she died right after birth has a serious accident in the ice after a slip and fall. He has a very bad head injury from which he is knocked comatose and almost doesn't recover. Leah consults the scripture that her mother always read, that is against Amish rules. The prayer works, and Abe does wake up. But afterwords, it takes a long time for him to come back and recover fully.
   
   Abram himself is beginning to mellow a lot in this book, and as you read, you'll find he is more relaxed and gentler in spirit. He and Aunt Lizzie actually fall in love and marry in the book. And surprisingly, he even likes Mary Ruth's husband Robert a Mennonite, welcoming them into his home whereas he would not have before at a certain time there.
   
   The book has so much rich detail and is very very well written that it is hard to lay down once you start reading. Every book in this series has been great. I am sure that the last one, Revelation, will be just as good as the stories of the Amish Ebersol family comes to a climax there.



5. I loved this book, I could hardly put it down. Beverly Lewis writes her books in mini-series form and they are funny, have the ability to transport you to being part of the Amish (watch out though you may find yourself speaking like the Amish!)and they also leave unanswered questions in each book that make you want to finish the entire series to get the final answers. She puts some interesting twists and turns in the book. Overall, I think The Prodigal and the books that go with it are a "must read".

5 comments about Anonymous: Jesus' Hidden Years ... and Yours.

1. Written by passionate Christian Alicia Britt Chole, Anonymous: Jesus' Hidden Years and Yours is an exploration into the first thirty years of Jesus Christ's life, "hidden years" in that they passed largely unnoticed by the world. Yet those years spent in anonymity prepared Jesus for true greatness, allowing him room to grow and learn. Anonymous draws parallels form Jesus' experience that can be applied to one's own life, and to appreciate the value of each day rather than slide into anxiety and despair when one's goals are delayed or deferred. A deeply spiritual message of hope and inspiration.



2. Loved Alicia Britt Chole's insight through the scriptures of Jesus' hidden years. Made me know that I've not really had hidden years but years that have been viewed by Father God as "special and purposeful". I'm sure I will read thei book over and over and will treasure it always.



3. This book helped me be patient with who I am and what I am doing. Sometimes I like for things to go fast and God does not always work that way. I can choose to enjoy where I am and what I am doing as it is the only opportunity to do it, or waste it by being anxious for the future. It was suprising to see Jesus' hidden years from the Bible. I was skeptical to see if the material would be extra Biblical. It was not! She did great research.



4. Our culture works very hard to convince us that any moment we are not in gear and in the spotlight is a waisted moment. Alicia does a beautiful job of challenging this notion and giving meaning to those anonymous times in our life.
   
   It is so comforting because when you are in one of those invisible times you need to be learning something important. That will never happen if we are focused entirely of getting "back into the game."



5. Alicia Chole's "Anonymous" is a must-read for anyone who feels they are in a hidden or anonymous season. Her reflective style offers hope and healing with biblical and practical examples. It's a timeless piece of art on paper.
   
   Jackie M. Johnson
   "Power Prayers for Women" Author
   POWER PRAYERS FOR WOMEN

5 comments about Plain and Simple: A Woman's Journey to the Amish.

1. This book is a very fast read but perhaps a bit misleading in its intentions. Or perhaps it's more that I felt misled about the contents. Either way, this book wasn't exactly what I was looking for, but it is still a nice, quiet little book that discusses the Amish lifestyle and its effect on the author.
   
   Sue Bender became fascinated with the Amish way of life during the 1980s and eventually found her way into the homes of two separate Amish families in order to experience more of their culture. She spends a good deal of time explaining how her journey is an analogy for the Amish quilts she admires. While the premise of the book is interesting, Bender lets us know as we read that her fascination is also a personal spiritual journey into more meaning for her own chaotic life. Expecting to find more on the day to day life of the Amish, I was let down when Bender chose to focus more on herself. However, the parts that do describe the Amish lifestyle are objective and well-done, and Bender shares her surprise at the many things the Amish actually can do within their community. Her visits do sound delightful, and she did seem to receive the peace she was looking for.
   
   If you are hoping for a book that delves into the Amish community and allows us as outsiders to see and understand the inner workings, this book only partially does that. However, overall it's an interesting little book that is heavy on personal feeling and light on the Amish.



2. I felt this was an extremely well written and moving little book, and I have recommended it to many friends. In fact, I bought copies and sent them out. It made you stop and think about your own life and how we complicate and prioritize.



3. I bought this book because it was mentioned in another book I was reading. I have always had an interest in the Amish from an anthropological point of view and this was not a disappointment at all. Sue Bender runs across antique Amish quilts and is fascinated by their unique simple designs and bold colors. For years she has her contacts on the look out for more examples of this beautiful "art" that is so functional. Then she discovers the "faceless" dolls that Amish mothers make for their daughters. The dolls have no facial features because the Amish proscribe to the "no graven image" commandment very strictly. She was delighted with the doll sent to her by an Amish woman with whom she started a correspondence. She then decided she wanted to live among the Amish for a time. She was told they would not take her in; however, a small ad in an Amish paper elicited a response from a family willing to have her live with them for a time. So her journey began. Her impressions did not always fit with her romantic illusions of the "simple" life and she learned much. After several weeks, she goes home to digest what she has learned. Then, she decides to go back and try the experiment again with a different (very different) family. She learns even more. All stereotypes are mostly shattered as she lives with a midwife, her large family and her chiropractor sister and she leaves much richer (emotionally) than when she arrived.
   
   I enjoyed this volume very much. It had an excellent layout and is a fast read. The impressions are honest and introspective and Ms. Bender is kind enough to wrap the most important lessons learned into a nine-patch quilt for us at the end. There are many fine ideas we can take with us at the conclusion of the story not the least of which is how much we have in common with the Amish as opposed to how different we are. It's a book I will return to again and again for insight.



4. After Sue Bender forcefully insinuates herself into an Amish home, she proceeds to criticize and judge the family. She comments on their "bad choices" - chief among them in my view is their decision to let her into their home. She is rude, condescending, preachy and shrill. She eats the family's food and then criticizes both the food and the woman who prepares it for her. She demands fabric for a "craft project" and then kvetches when her host doesn't respond. She proceeds to purchase 1/8 of a yard from 25 bolts of fabric from a polite storekeeper. I looked up halfway into this book and told my husband "God, I hate this woman". I hated this book too. The book mostly focuses on the author, not the Amish community that she invades. We learn that the author is self-absorbed and shallow with a healthy sense of entitlement. The author's fixation on the Amish "faceless" dolls is telling - they represent her void of self-awareness. More disturbing than the book is the biography listing the author as a "therapist".



5. I received this wonderful book as a surprise gift. Knowing very, very little about the Amish and certainly never having read about them before, I was fascinated by the glimpses of their lives offered by the author.
   I believe that the title is incorrect or at least, misleading. From the first pages of the book, I was under the impression that the book was about quilts and the journey with the quilt not a book about the Amish or women in general.
   I am surprised that so many reviewers were annoyed by Ms Bender. Even though I did not always like what she wrote, I appreciate her frank and honest comments, which at times read like a private diary.
   Is it necessary to love the personality of an author, or more to the point, may we simply enjoy writing for writing's sake and overlook the personality of the author?

5 comments about Anathema.

1. Colleen Coble slices up a small, intriguing section of the Amish life for us, while throwing in a great mystery. The main characters are real, believable, and easy to identify with. I love her descriptions of Amish life, and I even learned a few things about their culture. Great book, great author--Highly recommended!



2. I loved the book. It had all the page turning suspence that I have come to expect from Colleen Coble. It was a little different in that it dealt with the Amish people and their traditions, but I found them very interesting.



3. In Anathema, Colleen brings her fiction to Indiana for the first time, this time in the heart of Parke County and a close-knit Amish community. This book is richly layered with conflict. But it's not all external conflict related to finding the killer and staying alive.
   
   Hannah is so conflicted about the Amish faith she abandoned and the problems that she created for herself when she left. She has a hard time separating those she controlled from the ones she didn't ask for...and is left paralyzed. She's also running scared from her abusive husband, but he's found the one tool that could drag her back to him. Matt hides a secret from Hannah that can only destroy the relationship they may have. But he doesn't see that he has a choice. He's also torn between duty and the past.
   
   Add in a host of supporting characters, and the texture and twists of the plot form a tangled weave that pulled me through the pages and chapters. I have to admit, I did not fully guess the killer. I was close -- only the person I thought was the killer was the accomplice.



4. If you think an Amish quilt is just for covering, think again! Colleen Coble's latest novel, Anathema, is so much more than "just another Amish tale." Something is amiss in the heart of Amish country and you won't rest until you find out what it is! An exciting read from start to finish, you won't want to miss this one!



5. A damp, chilly wind blows through Park County, Indiana, the night Hannah Schwartz sneaks away to meet Reece by the covered bridge. She knows her love for this Englisch police detective is taboo in her Amish world, but she can't resist just a few clandestine moments with the man who makes her feel safe while sending her heart racing. Their encounter is brief and painful as Hannah is once again torn between her family, her Amish fiancé and the love she harbors for her secret Englisch suitor. She flees his arms for the safe harbor of her home, only to encounter a gruesome scene.
   
   Both parents have been poisoned, their stiff, constricted bodies covered by one of her mother's handmade quilts. When their lives are taken away, so too are thousands of dollars worth of Mamms' quilts. Two strange blood red symbols mar the wall of the living room. Reece knows that one is the symbol of peace, but does it have another meaning as well? Something far more sinister? Nearby, a neighbor's poisoned body is discovered half submerged in a pond.
   
   Shattered beyond consolation, Hannah wonders if the deaths are her punishment for partaking in a forbidden love. Her heart heavy, laden with pain and guilt, she decides that she has been rejected by God and will leave her Amish community to marry Reece. She is now Anathema, an outcast to God and her people. It isn't long before Reece's true colors show through and the bullying begins. As she endures years of abuse at Reece's hands, Hannah desperately searches for the exquisite stolen quilts, a tangible link to her murdered parents. She knows exactly how to spot her mother's work, so bold and beautiful that the hummingbird designs nearly fly off the expertly sewn patchwork.
   
   During a heated argument with Reece, Hannah suffers a tragic fall and awakens in the hospital, where Reece tells her that their unborn baby girl did not survive. Hannah is convinced the fall was no accident and leaves Reece to reinvent herself in the Englisch world, where her knowledge of quilts and Amish life leads her to success as an author. On the surface, all is well, but Hannah misses the love of her family and friends, and aches even more for the faith she left behind.
   
   Although the book moves at a quick pace from the start, the real page-turning action begins when Hannah receives a letter from Reece containing a photo of a little girl. The child's almond eyes and unruly auburn hair, so like her own, leads Hannah to wonder if Reece's claim is true --- that the child is their daughter. She heads back to her homeland on a journey wrought with heartache, mystery, deceit and love in a plot that continues to twist and turn until the very end. A decade after she fled Park County, Hannah realizes she was never Anathema to the God who loves her unconditionally. I highly recommend a box of tissues for the last couple of chapters.
   
   Colleen Coble's extensive research and Amish friendships come shining through the characters and imagery of this action-filled story. The devotion to God, peaceful lifestyle and tranquil farms beckon readers to indulge in the experience of visiting an Amish community. Descriptions of warm, damp greenhouses, simple furnishings and the sweet, creamy taste of coffee soup are woven through the pages of this novel like the patterns of a quilt. In addition to a spellbinding story, readers will come away from this book with interesting facts about Amish quilts and what their patterns mean to those who create them.
   
   --- Reviewed by Susan Miura

1 comments about Frommer's Philadelphia & the Amish Country (Frommer's Complete).

1. Needed a good basic book on Philly. This one is very organized and thorough and easy to read.

5 comments about The Beverly Lewis Amish Heritage Cookbook.

1. I ordered this for my landlady, she said she hasn't cooked from it yet, but she loves it, we both looked through it when it arrived and we loved the little notes from Beverly Lewis, the recipes look delicious and very down to earth, my husband loves to watch the food channel but so much of it is too fancy and strange ingredients, that stinks! I will probably buy this sometime for myself. It is a lovely cookbook, and I recommend it to anyone who likes Beverly Lewis, Cooking, or collecting cookbooks, it is a must have. Go for it you'll not regret it. Have fun in your kitchen.



2. I'm really enjoying the cookbook. The recipes are simple and taste great. I made the breakfast pumpkin bread and everyone that has tried it really likes it.



3. I have this from the library and now I have to buy it--my entire family loves these meals, they are finally all pleased with my suppers! (The kids are 11, 9, 8 and 6). We have loved almost every single recipe. The only note I would add is that there is a LOT of sugar in them, which can be decreased by about 25%, and the dishes turn out even better tasting. I actually bought some Chocolate Crunch Surprise from an Amish-run store in Missouri a few years back--what a treat it was to make it today at home--it is awesome! We also love Bird's Nest, Baked Oatmeal, Perfect Pumpkin Bread, Chicken Mushroom Bake, Cabbage Patch Stew, Ginger Ale Fruit Salad, Grandma Buchwalter's Tuna Salad, and Chicken and Waffles. We didn't like the Hearty Vegetable Soup, and the waffles were too sweet (the only waffle recipe I've ever seen with lots of sugar in it). Also, the homemade mayo recipe does NOT call for Miracle Whip--it's a for real homemade mayo recipe. The recipes come from the author's grandmother's recipe box, and she lived from 1886-1954, so they're authentic, as far as historical, but from Old Order Mennonites. This cookbook has restored my love of cooking, and we're eating so well now!! And if you ever want to make your own Amish Friendship Bread--the starter recipe and all is right here!



4. Not much out of the way from a lot of other cookbooks but has some good standards and lots of nice little quotes.



5. This cookbook is great and has simple recipes and they do not take up your time. The recipes are not for large family. You can make it as it calls for or you can double it. I like this. These are great recipes. Way to go Beverly Lewis. I also like how she gives tips for some the recipes.