Book Review: Double Take by Melody Carlson

CUTE & CHARMING!!!

From the Publisher

It's spring break of her senior year and Madison Van Buren is fed up. Stressed over Ivy League pressure, her parents' marital problems, and her boyfriend's neglect, Madison gets in her car and drives west. 

Meanwhile, eighteen-year-old Anna Bronner wants to escape the so-called simple life--which for her consists of caring for younger siblings, sewing, cooking, and gardening--and she's well aware that her future will simply be more of the same with a man she doesn't love. 

Suddenly, worlds collide when Madison and Anna meet in a small town, realize they look uncannily similar, and decide the grass is definitely greener on the other side.

My Take

I was really excited to receive this book for review---I love Amish stories and I the thought of an Amish & “Englisher” girl trading places sounding fascinating. So I had high expectations when I sat down to read Double Take.

It’s understandable that an “Englisher” girl would want to leave the hustle & bustle of her high-profile, fancy life in New York City provided by her wealthy parents. But going Amish? Hmmm…..interesting choice!  It’s also plausible that a young, Amish girl would want to get out & see the world past her community. But making a snap decision to trade lives with someone you don’t know or trust? Even more of an interesting choice.

It’s amazing to me that a young lady from NYC has absolutely nThato ability in the homemaking arena—it’s totally different than the life I know but maybe it’s true. Who doesn’t know how to make eggs? Yes, the stove is different but…..  As for an Amish girl to go into the big city, I can see how intimidating that can be!! However it was fun reading about each of their experiences—it’s something we would never think of.

The biggest part of the book, in my opinion, was seeing how the girls changed. For Madison, she went from a spoiled, self-centered material girl to a praying, more compassionate and honest young lady. Amish Anna realized there is more to true love than a romantic vision and that life doesn’t always come out the way you want it to. They both came through the switch more kind-hearted and considerate toward others along with getting more self-esteem for themselves.

There wasn’t a lot of background on the Amish lifestyle so if this is your first Amish book, it could be confusing. Beside the fact that Amish are fairly timid, it’s hard to believe that an Amish girl would do what Anna did. But then, this is fiction! The story is a quick and easy read with a few chuckles and some hard-to-believe situations but all in all, I’d give it a 3 out of 5 stars just because I could lay by the pool & have some mindless reading fun.

Available June 2011 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

I received this book free from Revell as part of their book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

About the Author

Melody Carlson is the award-winning author of over two hundred books, several of them Christmas novellas from Revell, including her much-loved and bestselling books, Christmas at Harrington’s and The Christmas Bus. She also writes many teen books, including Just Another Girl, Anything but Normal, the Diary of a Teenage Girl series, the TrueColors series, and the Carter House Girls series. Melody was nominated for a Romantic Times Career Achievement Award in the inspirational market for her books, including the Diary of a Teenage Girl series and several books which  are being considered for TV movies. She and her husband serve on the Young Life adult committee in central Oregon.

Escape to an Amish Christmas

I love a good Amish book, and with An Amish Christmas, Expanded Edition by Beth Wiseman, Kathleen Fuller, Kelly Long, and Barbara Cameron, I was not disappointed! This particular edition contains 4 holiday stories by 4 different authors. Each one is a story in itself but it's easy to go right from one to another.

From the Publisher

Enjoy this Amish Christmas bestseller with an additional new novella from romance author Kelly Long.

"Christmas Cradles" by Kelly Long -- When Anna Stolis takes over for her aunt, the local Amish midwife in Paradise, Christmas night heats up with multiple deliveries, three strangers' quilts, and the help from resourceful and strong Asa Lapp, whose job it is to get Anna through a dangerous blizzard to complete her midwifery rounds.

“A Miracle for Miriam” by Kathleen Fuller: This Christmas, Miriam must decide whether to guard herself or accept the love of a man who once broke her heart.

“A Choice to Forgive” by Beth Wiseman: Lydia, a widow who has given up on love, is shocked when Daniel-- a past love-- returns to the Order, and her life.

“One Child” by Barbara Cameron: This snowy Lancaster Christmas Eve will see two couples’ lives changed by the birth of one child. Contributer Barbara Cameron is the author of fifteen novels and three nationally televised movies (HBO), as well as a recipient of the first Romance Writers of America Golden Heart.



My take

For some reason, I am very taken with the Amish culture. I read a lot of Amish fiction but also true stories and experience books. So when I saw this book on BookSneeze, I couldn't pass it up!

The stories are fairly short and fairly predictable. And even though none of them are page-turners, they are heartwarming. It's so interesting (to me at least) to "live" the simple life for a few hours and wonder how I would like to live like that.

The first two novellas, A Miracle for Miriam and A Choice to Forgive actually follow the same family although the main characters are different. You don't read much about the other main character in the other story, but you know the names of the families which makes it nice & easy to follow.

Then in One Child, some of the families are from the first two books so you already know some of the characters. I think this one is the most touching, in my opinion. Having suffered miscarriages myself, I can understand some of what the family is going through. In true Amish fashion, the story has a happy ending which almost brought a tear to my eye.

Christmas Cradle was a new author for me---I thought I knew all the Amish theme authors!---and I truly enjoyed this novella. I thought it was a little different than most of the stories I've read.

My only complaint about these novellas is that they almost are cut off in a hurry as if they hit the word limit & had to close the plot. I think there could be a little more exploriation or depth at the end other than just stopping abruptly. In the longer books (remember these are novellas), I don't see that problem.

If you're looking for a few good short stories, a book that is easy to start & stop, or stories about the holiday season, then this book is for you!! Plus it's a nice size to fit in my purse & take with me to read while waiting at appointments.

Thank you, BookSneeze, for providing a free book in return for my honest, unbiased review.