Linda Byler is Amish, so I was super excited to review this Amish debut novel by her. I thought that it would be interesting to read a fiction novel by someone who is actually Amish and who has all the "inside" knowledge of being Amish. I must admit, while not my absolute favorite, Running Around (And Such!) was a good read. This is book 1 in Byler's Lizzie Searches For Love series and it's definitely a good start.In Running Around(And Such!), we meet Lizzie and her family, as they are preparing to move. It's a move that is causing stress on the members of Lizzie's family. It was interesting to read this because Lizzie's mam questioned the move, and put up a bit of a fuss-something that you don't normally see with an Amish family, at least not as outsider would see it.Lizzie's also questioning her happiness in her Amish life and wondering about God's will for her and her siblings. Will her dreams come true? Will she ever find love? And what of her growing attraction to an outsider who delivers eggs to her employer? These are just a few of the many questions that are answered in this new debut novel about an Amish teen's running around years.All in all, this was a 4 star novel debut. Linda Byler wrote a novel that I think any Amish lover would enjoy. I definitely recommend that you give this series a shot. You'll truly be surprised with this story, and not to mention that there are some yummy sounding recipes included in the back of the book! This was the first time I've read an Amish book and I wasn't sure what to expect. I was surprised to find that except for scattered cultural references the story follows much the same path as any other book of its genre - that being a coming of age story of an adolescent girl.Lizzie is fifteen and filled with all the same sorts of feelings any teenager would have, but added to that she's rebellious and willful - something that by definition goes against the Amish belief system. She runs into trouble with family and friends and it's usually of her own (however unintended) making. Some of the situations she gets into are funny and some not so much. But it is usually caused by Lizzie's belief that she is somehow not as loved as her older sister. I found the feeling expressed by this character to be pretty honest and insightful. What I didn't expect was this girl's food issues. Her mother was always making something sweet and rich and while her sisters showed constraint, Lizzie was usually eating too much of it. Food disorders are a serious problem and I don't feel I know enough about them to give an educated opinion about the presentation of this characters problems with food, but I had a gut reaction that her mother did not deal with it in the best possible way. Not sure though. Lizzie's self-image is that she is overweight and not very pretty. I thought it a bit odd that on the cover of the book there is a picture of a very pretty and slim-looking girl with a wide smile. I'm assuming that's Lizzie at a happy and self-confident moment!Linda Byler has a simple, to-the-point writing style. In each chapter there is a flashback to a related current and in this way the reader is taken through the character's growing pains. I found the Amish lifestyle interesting (so very far removed from my own) and found the glossary at the back of the book useful. I think this would be a good book for any one who enjoys the coming-of-age genre and is tired of those that are the profane, serious mental health issue type books.
What do You think about Running Around (2014)?
Very interesting. i cant wait to read the 2nd book in the series.
—Patrickpoon7
Little House on the Prarie...only the Amish version
—brittyxwoah
