LaVonne W. (Grnemae) -
Helpful Score: 3
I was somewhat disappointed in this book. For me there were not enough in depth details. It was like expecting a roast beef dinner to find that what is being served is the soup bone. Many aspects of Irene's life are skimmed right past. I never felt that I truly understood the reasons for her strong desire to leave the Amish way of life. Her descriptions of adjusting to the "English" way of life are funny and makes a person realize how isolated the Amish really are from the world that exists around them.
Carol G. (Tata) -
Helpful Score: 2
I was frankly disappointed in this book. It was not what I expected at all. The story was strange.
Wendy R. (WMRod) reviewed Crossing Over : One Woman's Exodus from Amish Life on + 171 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
A rather disappointing book on the whole. Hearing about her Amish life was interesting--although she doesn't go into great detail about it--but how she left it was really rather gross:
**** SPOILER ****
Don't read farther if you don't want to know details of the book!
**** SPOILER ****
The fact that she "fell in love" with an old, broken-down, grossly fat, unemployed guy that was 30 years older than herself--AND he'd been married 3 times already!!!--is just plain yucky.
He was the first adult man who treated her with kindness and it seems like she jumped for it. Here she is painfully grateful to be doted on for the first time ever, so she doesn't mind that they live in practically a shack, no income, and he can barely walk because of his gout. Ewwwww.
Hey, maybe it's a match for them, but it turned out to be one I didn't enjoy reading about whatsoever.
**** SPOILER ****
Don't read farther if you don't want to know details of the book!
**** SPOILER ****
The fact that she "fell in love" with an old, broken-down, grossly fat, unemployed guy that was 30 years older than herself--AND he'd been married 3 times already!!!--is just plain yucky.
He was the first adult man who treated her with kindness and it seems like she jumped for it. Here she is painfully grateful to be doted on for the first time ever, so she doesn't mind that they live in practically a shack, no income, and he can barely walk because of his gout. Ewwwww.
Hey, maybe it's a match for them, but it turned out to be one I didn't enjoy reading about whatsoever.
Bridget M. (Bridgetbob) reviewed Crossing Over : One Woman's Exodus from Amish Life on + 4 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
An interesting tale of one woman's exit from a very strict (old-order) Amish community. Because it was her story it was one-sided, and didn't really delve into the Amish faith as much as I'd anticipated, but more about her personal beliefs. I admire her courage.
Jacquelyn D. (mofarmgirl) -
Helpful Score: 1
Strictly my opinion... this book sort of disappointed me; but then I mostly read the "made up" stories, so this personal experience book was not quite as indepth. I also felt that Irene fell for the first guy that paid any real attention to her, due to her very strict upbringing. She was miserable being around her father who was extremely strict in his upbringing of his children - evident by the way she describes her sister and mother. She had a hard choice to make in leaving her mother whom she loved dearly. I was also disappointed in how the book ended, it was rather blunt and I never got a complete feel for what her life in the Old Order Amish was really like. But it was evident that her past continually hounded her because of her immediate family sending horrible letters to condemn her. The rest you will have to find out for yourself... Happy reading!
