Whispering Brook Farm

Whispering Brook #1

by Carrie Bender

Depicts the life of the Petersheims, a large, close-knit Amish family living on a farm in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania

Genres: Fiction, Christian Fiction, Amish, Romance

221 pages, Paperback

First published June 14, 2000

About the author

Writing under the pen name Carrie Bender, the author is a member of an old order group in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. She also authored the Whispering Brook Series, Miriam's Journal Series, and Dora's Diary Series. Library Journal says Bender "leads readers to ponder the intimate relationship of people and nature."

Reviews

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very sweet and informative book about living the life of the Amish, told from the point of view of different family members. It is one I enjoyed reading at night before bedtime, a calming and reassuring story of a happy, loving Amish family. "Whispering Brook Farm" is written as a young adult novel but can also be enjoyed by older folks, too. It is a story of an Amish family, living on a farm, who live with their extended family. The author gives details of everyday life on the farm and also presents dilemmas faced by all members of the family: the loss of a parent/grandparent, finding the right partner for marriage, issues of right and wrong by an older son, the possibility of moving out of a beloved area and homestead.

I think young adults will enjoy this book, and I think their moms will also enjoy the book. I found it to be a pleasant read before bedtime, setting the mood for drifting off to sleep and pleasant dreams.

The author has written other books in this series, "Whispering Brook Farm" being the first in the "Whispering Brook Farm" series. She has also written "Miriam's Journal Series" and "Dora's Diary Series," these two series geared towards older kids and adults.

The author is a member of an old order group and writes under the pen name of "Carrie Bender." She lives the life of the Amish and her writing is both informative and enjoyable.

[Gina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a good book. It did a really good job of getting you in to the heads of all the character's. I think Joe and Mary were my favorites, followed by Omar. It was nice to see that Omar struggled with some confusion having to do with God, but he eventually made the right decisions. The book dealt with child birth, a girl who really likes nature, and a girl who starts dating and ends up getting married. It was also nice that when there was an Amish word mentioned inthe story the English translation was right after to not be confusing. The author really likes animals and birds, because at many points in the book birds chirping was mentioned.

[Kathy Dobronyi · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first of the Whispering Brook Series of six books. I enjoyed reading about details of everyday life on an Amish farm. Good information, but I found most of Bender’s writing stale, contrived and canned. One of the main characters, Nancy, is so one-dimensional that I didn’t feel her pain when her 86-year old grandfather died. He was supposed to be one of the major people in her life, but his death didn’t seem to be that devastating to her nor the family.

[Lindsey · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ok well, I'm not really sure what I thought about this. It was really slow. I picked it up because I thought it might have some romance or something in it. It did, but it was very, very...very slow. It took five chapters to just get past the author telling you about the church. (ok that's exaggerated but still, it was really hard to stay focused) It didn't really have a main character. And just floated around between all of the different people in the book. There was no real plot to it either. It was just talking about the Amish people on their farm planting corn and caring for their horses and stuff like that. It also had bad grammar. I caught a lot of spelling mistakes. And the sentences where put together kind of half halfheartedly. I found it super boring. In fact it was SO BORING I didn't even finish it. And that is not like me at all. I usually finish book that I start.

BUT one thing I did like about it, it was very clean. No bad language, violence, sexual stuff, or ANYTHING. There was nothing bad in the book what so ever. But like I said it was pretty boring and bland. There was no excitement AT ALL.

Now don't get me wrong... I have nothing about Amish people. I respect and admire how they live. But this book was just terrible. (although the Amish might enjoy it.)

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was such a refreshing read about a simple life on a farm with a big amish family, who live a life with Christian beliefs & values. It was like a breath of fresh air for me.

[Sharon Buxton · Rating 4 out of 5]

B+. Amish, mom's stash, keep

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderfully, wholesome, and refreshing! Beautifully written about the Amish way of life for one family. I recommend this book for everyone ages 11+.

[Sheri Bauer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun series to read. Not as well written as some,