This wasn't a bad book - I just felt like it could have been a bit more in depth. Most of the information was surface level and well known.

This would be an easy and entertaining read for someone who hasn't read up about the Amish in general, but I didn't really learn anything new.

I love the Amish!! Going into their community is so refreshingly simple and peaceful. Reading, In Plain View, gives you a look into a world few see. While driving by their houses, you don’t know about their stories; in this book, you will hear some. To me their lifestyle is fascinating while to others it’s a monotonous way of life. Boring. Yet, why do they smile, why are they so close knit? I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. Answered a lot of questions I had.

My blurb …
PLEASE, please, please — if you write Amish novels, stories, or novellas, BUY THIS BOOK. If you are an avid Amish story reader, you’ll want this book.

Why? For a decade, the author, a driver for the Amish, talked with the Amish women of Lancaster County, PA — married and unmarried. She joined in their tasks, what they thought, and shared about how they truly live as Amish. Not a boring textbook-type of read but a fascinating fresh view unlike anything out there.

My review …
What a fantastic resource book! Filled with interesting information about Amish women which includes their families, church, weddings, gardening, courting …

The book shows the lives of Old Order Amish women and their families; a high percentage of the Amish in Lancaster are of the Old Order sect.

I can’t help it. I absolutely LOVED this book. Finally, a book that told me things I really wanted to know about the Amish.

You see, I grew up near Jamesport, Missouri where the Old Order Amish settled in the early 1950s. My first school — a one-room schoolhouse attended by all eight grades, became the first Amish school also attended by all eight grades. Moved to a new location, of course. I would wonder who was sitting at my desk.

Being around the Amish from age 9 until I left for college, I feel like I owe portraying them in fiction books need to be accurately acceptable.

Now writers have a resource for even small details of Amish life. I want this book in my personal library for my own research. Right now it is only available in hardcopy even though I read it in e-ARC format.

The author, Judy Stavisky, tells us “real-life” stories of Amish life. I highlighted SO many passages that I wanted to revisit. One Amish mother tells her that the Amish know far more about the “English” than we know about them. Ms. Stavisky tells us that just because they dress the same does not mean they ARE the same. These are individual people with a common core of beliefs and values.

One of the things I enjoyed the most was …
… the memories it brought back. I was a farmer’s daughter so the gardening, caring for animals, and chores after school. The concept of “hard work starts early” when you are Amish. The same was true for us farmers’ kids. You played AFTER your chores were done. Some took most of the day. I remembered after reading about garden planning that my mother would plan her garden long before my dad ran the cultivator over the earth. One of the things I got to do was go with her to get the seeds.

The Amish help each other when someone is injured or dies. One of my great memories was driving the tractor pulling the hay wagon as bales were picked up by usually two men, one on each side, and tossed up. Then another man stacked the bales just right so a lot could be taken back to the barn to be stored BUT not tip and fall off. There’s a skill to that stacking. BTW, I was nine years old when I became a “haying” tractor driver. Oh — those other men? Our neighbors. And when the hay was put up on their farms, my dad would go to help them.

In many ways, I could identify with the true stories in In Plain View. One-room schoolhouse. Early responsibilities for animals. Washing hung outside. Like the Amish, my mother hung the “unmentionables” where they were not easily seen. If you came into our backyard, you STILL wouldn’t see them because we had a double line and those were at the back BEHIND the first clothesline. My mother did a LOT of canning. We had a huge garden.

So, I am going to repeat the first words of this post: PLEASE, please, please — if you write Amish novels, stories, or novellas, BUY THIS BOOK. If you are an avid Amish story reader, you’ll want this book.

I received a complimentary e-ARC copy of In Plain View via NetGalley from the publisher, Herald Press. A positive review was not required; the opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Rating: 5 stars — I’d give it 10 if I could.
#InPlainView #NetGalley #JudyStavisky

Genre Amish, Reference
Pub. Date 2 Aug 2022
Pages 191
Publisher Herald Press
Cover Great cover for this book
Rating 5 stars

This is a book about the Amish. I found this book to be very interesting, and I really loved the pictures in this book. I think this book helps you understand the Amish better. I found this book to be easy to read, and it helped me picture what it is like to be Amish. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Herald Press) or author (Judy Stavisky) via NetGalley, so I can give an honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

In Plain View: Amish Women at a Glance by Judy Stavisky provides information on the day to day lives of Amish families. Judy spent time with the Amish in Lancaster County to get a firsthand look at their busy lives. The book is easy to read thanks to the author’s casual writing style. She recounts the stories like she is chatting with friends. We learn about the clothing the Amish wear, where they purchase their fabric, where they do their grocery shopping, schooling, appliances, gardens, canning, and so much more. We see the complexities of their life as well as the joys. The Amish live in close knit communities where faith and family are foremost. It is a daunting task to feed a large Amish family. I cannot imagine the long, hot hours spent in a kitchen canning produce and meat. There are pictures as well. We get to see what it is like to live without modern technology (no air conditioning, microwave, dish washer, a dryer, a regular washing machine). You can tell that the author spent many hours with the Amish. It is clear that she developed friendships and respects their lifestyle. In Plain View is for anyone who is curious about the Amish and the way they live.

I think most of us have been or are fascinated by the traditional cultures still in play in today’s society. Hittite, Mennonite, Amish- I’ve read about them all, but i think the Amish get the most play. Judy Stavisky’s book In Plain View offers a feminocentric view into Amish life. Full of gorgeous pictures and fresh quotes answering wisdom and lore, In Plain View offers a new view of Amish life.

I adore and any all things about the Amish. I love hearing about the simplicity and joy that they encompass and I cannot recommend this book enough.

This is a fascinating look at the daily life of the Amish people. Everything from the children's school, hosting the church meetings, to the massive task of preserving food. Very interesting.

As someone who grew up near Pennsylvania as a child, we often visited the Lancaster area. I remember going to many of the different places and seeing the many Amish out and about. I always had full respect for them and how they lived their lives. So simple yet it was so complicated too. Reading this book "In Plain View" has given me a better look into their daily lives and how they continue to live it with none of the technology we thrive on now. If you've ever wondered what it was like to see how the Amish live and how they raise their families, then this book is for you. I highly recommend it to anyone who has always wanted to learn more about them.

This book offered up exactly the kind of information that a reader would want to learn more about the everyday life of the Amish. It was very refreshing to read about their daily life told simply as it is. It will surely be of use to anyone curious about how the Amish live and due to the author's careful research and close relationships forged, it has an authenticity that is most likely rare in this world. The photos are lovely. If I have any criticism at all, it is simply that I would have liked even more chapters!

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book.

I enjoyed the insight that the author Judy Stavisky writes about regarding the Amish. She answered many questions I had and I also enjoyed the pictures as well. I appreciate the time and research she put into the book.

All words and opinions are my own. I was given a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher for my honest review.

Fascinating look about the Amish.Really enjoyed this book.
Thanks to author, publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book. While I got the book for free, it had no bearing on the rating I gave it.

I really enjoyed learning about the Amish through this well written book.The author brings us into their lives their traditions.He photography was beautiful.This was an eye opening look at a culture I knew little about,#netgalley#heraldpress