Book Review: Plain Paradise by Beth Wiseman

Winner of the 2010 Inspy Award for Amish Fiction

About the book:

Linda's Amish life seemed like paradise. Until she found out her family had been hiding a secret since the day of her birth.

Josie was just a frightened teenager when she left her baby in the care of an Old Order Amish couple in Lancaster County. Since then, seventeen years have passed and while much has changed, one thing hasn't. Josie still longs to reconnect with her daughter Linda.

But Linda is unaware of Josie--and living an idyllic life within the Amish community. The bishop's grandson, Stephen, is courting her and she hopes that he will propose soon. When her birth mother comes to Paradise, Linda finds herself unexpectedly drawn to Josie's world. Meanwhile, her adoptive parents--and her Amish beau--are trying to understand how this interruption in Linda's life could possibly be God's will.

As new relationships begin and old ones are tested, no one's life will remain the same. In the process of losing and letting go--Linda realizes whose daugther she really is. And as only God can do, something more powerful and far more beautiful is forged within the Daugthers of the Promise community...hope.

My thoughts:

I've been on an Amish fiction binge lately, and recently stumbled upon some great books by Beth Wiseman.  Let me just say that I think I've found another favorite Amish author (what???....it's not like you can have too many)!  :o)  I just finished Beth's fourth book in her Daughters of the Promise series, Plain Paradise, and it definitely ranks in the Top 10 of my all-time favorite Amish books.  It's a story that I've read several times--never from an Amish perspective--about a mother who gives up her child for adoption, then after many years, searches to find this child and build a relationship.  Only thing is...there's not much time for Josie to find Linda, and make up for lost time.

What I have really come to love about Beth's books is that they are perfect for a new Amish reader.  Her style of writing gives a lot of factual information about the Amish, but the info flows very well with the rest of the story.  Now, I've been reading Amish fiction since Beverly Lewis hit the market, and while I'm no expert, I know the basics.  Since I've been reading Beth's books, I love that I'm discovering new things that I didn't know.  Until I read Plain Paradise, I didn't know that the Amish don't feel it is their calling to minister to others (yes, you read that right).  When I read that, I actually had to take a second look, and then, mull it over for a minute.  I came to the conclusion that this "rule" is probably in place to keep them even more secluded, and not unequally yoked with non-believers (another tidbit mentioned in this book that goes beyond the marital aspect that most of us are familiar with).  Furthermore, it keeps them away from any temptation of going against their Ordnung, or being led astray by something fancy in the Englisch world.  Instead of direct ministering, it appears that they choose to live their lives as an example to others of their faith and trust in God.  Wow...what a great witness, and a selfless one at that!! 

Amish fiction is not for everyone, but since I've been reading so much of it lately, I've developed a much greater admiration for thier simple lifestyle.  As we know, they aren't encumbered by a lot of things or distractions, and instead, focus their time and energy on living a life pleasing to the Lord.  Goes back to living by example, huh? 

All of the Daughters of the Promise books can be read in any order, but I would recommend reading them as they were released.  Each story builds upon the one prior, and continues the storylines of all the characters.  I cannot wait to read the conclusion to this series, Plain Proposal, due in March of 2011.  In the mean time, I'll be hunting for a copy of Beth's newest book, Seek Me With All Your Heart, which appears to be a spinoff of the Daughters of the Promise series.  Definitely looks to be some good reading!  :o)
4.5 Stars

**I received my copy of this book through PaperBackSwap, and was in no way influenced to write a review.

**Click here to read Beth's interview after she had been nominated for an Inspy Award.

Book Review: An Honest Love by Kathleen Fuller

About the book:

Anna must find the courage to tell Lukas the truth. Will he find the courage to forgive her?

Anna was once betrayed by someone she loved deeply. In an attempt to never be hurt again, she and her mother relocated to Middlefield, Ohio. It was the ideal place for Anna's broken heart to mend. In Middlefield, Anna withdrew from risk, placing all her attention on managing the new gift shop she and her mom bought.

When Lukas introduces himself, Anna can't resist her attraction to him. Though she finds herself falling in love, she's hiding a piece of her past in fear that their future will be destroyed if she tells him the truth.

But love can't be built on lies and the past comes rushing back to Anna in an irreversible way. Now Lukas must decide how he will react to Anna's betrayal. As they cling to their belief in an honest love, they realize it's a path they must walk together even as it leads to unexpected places.

My thoughts:

You know...I think I may have found a new favorite Amish author.  Kathleen Fuller has thoroughly impressed me with her great storytelling with the first two books in her Hearts of Middlefield Series.  I'm always a little nervous to read a new Amish author because so many plot lines are recycled among all the Amish novels available now, but Kathleen offers an emotional storyline in An Honest Love that kept me glued to each and every page.

I loved the slow and gradual closeness of Elisabeth's and Aaron's relationship.  He was certainly not the perfect Amish son, and went after life in the fast lane during his running-around years.  After a stint in rehab to overcome a drug addiction he developed, he came back home and joined the church, intending to become a model Amish member.  What he didn't plan on was a new friendship with local girl, Elisabeth.  Elisabeth had always wondered about Aaron's quiet nature after he came back home, and didn't understand why he seemed to purposefully cut himself off from everyone.  Because of an impromtu offer to work for her brother-in-law, Gabe, she found herself spending more time with Aaron since he was also employed by Gabe.  What resulted was the sweetest friendship between Elisabeth and Aaron that I couldn't seem to get enough of.

The other storyline was between Lukas and Anna, and their story also had a good foundation with friendship before it got serious.  What disappointed me was that there wasn't as much of their story as there was of the Elisabeth/Aaron story.  Since the back of the book specifically mentions the Lukas/Anna story, I was expecting it to be more front and center than it was.  I felt that I didn't get to really know their characters as well, particularly during one long section where their story was not even mentioned.  Don't get me wrong....this was still a great book, but I would've liked there to have been more of a balance between the two storylines.

While I will always be a fan of the great Amish authors like Cindy Woodsmall and Beverly Lewis, Kathleen Fuller has quickly become an author that I will be reading more of.  Her style of writing is simple, but with complex emotions that fully engage me in her stories.  I'm eager to read the final book in her Hearts of Middlefield Series, A Hand to Hold.

4.5 Stars

**Many thanks to Thomas Nelson through BookSneeze for providing a copy for review.

**Click here to see a couple of the recipes for yummy food featured in the book.

Announcing the Winners of the 2010 Inspy Awards

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


INSPY Winners Announced

December 13, 2010—The INSPY Advisory Board announced today that the following books have been awarded the inaugural INSPYs in their categories. Recognizing the need for a new kind of book award, the INSPYs — http://inspys.com/ — were created by bloggers to discover and highlight the very best in literature that grapples with expressions of the Christian faith.
The INSPY Award winners are:

Crossing Oceans by Gina Holmes, General & Literary Fiction (Tyndale House)

Evolving in Monkey Town by Rachel Held Evans, Creative Nonfiction (Zondervan)

She Walks in Beauty by Siri Mitchell, Historical Fiction (Bethany House)

The Knight by Steven James, Thriller/Suspense/Crime Fiction (Revell)

Green by Ted Dekker, Speculative Fiction (Thomas Nelson)

Plain Paradise by Beth Wiseman, Amish Fiction (Thomas Nelson)

Sons of Thunder by Susan May Warren, Romance/Romantic Suspense (Summerside)

Once Was Lost by Sara Zarr, Young Adult Fiction (Little, Brown)


The 2010 INSPY Awards cover books published from July 2009 through June 2010.
"We on the Advisory Board are really pleased with this year's winners," said Amy Riley, who spearheaded the INSPY's creation. "We're looking forward to building on this year's success in the future." The winner in each category was collectively chosen by a panel of blogger-judges, who were working from a short list of five books.
The Advisory Board collectively expressed their appreciation for the volunteer judges. "We really want to thank our judges for all their time and hard work," Riley said.

The judges in each category explained why they chose the winner they did:

• "Crossing Oceans by Gina Holmes focuses on issues we all must face, such as life, death, relationships, and the choices we make when faced with our mortality.… Holmes leaves her characters flawed and human, which makes them extremely relatable."

• In Evolving in Monkey Town, "[Rachel Held] Evans' honesty in telling her faith journey impressed us along with how much her love of the Lord imbued the entire narrative. Interweaving her own tale with the views of people she meets, Evans juxtaposes all of the voices about God in her life."
• In She Walks in Beauty by Siri Mitchell, "a steadfast faith is embedded into the plot seamlessly and not, instead, centered out as a forceful plot device. The novel's inspirational resonance will reach Christian and non-Christian readers alike."

• "The literary skill employed by Steven James creates a story" — The Knight — "that steals the reader’s sleep while also stealing their breath. Creating an unforgettable set of characters who face an unimaginable and escalating series of terrifying crimes, James captures both the imagination and heart of the reader as he spins his tale."
• "The brilliance of Green by Ted Dekker is the fact that it is both the beginning and the end of the series. He did something completely unexpected with the ending of his book, while tackling the Christian faith from a different angle."
• Plain Paradise by Beth Wiseman "is perfect for people who have never read Amish fiction before. The story line was interesting and it was easy to get involved with the characters. This book dealt with subject matter not normally found in Amish fiction, which made it a refreshing change."
• "Sons of Thunder by Susan May Warren is an epic story that spans a couple decades and takes place on several continents. Warren took us from the Greek Isles to Prohibition-era Chicago, and back again, with enough description to make us feel like we'd lived in both places; she filled the book with rich detail, multi-layered characters, and plot twists we never saw coming."
• In Once Was Lost Sara Zarr "authentically portrays Sam, a pastor’s daughter, grappling with her faith in the midst of personal upheaval and uncertainty. Teens will relate to this excellent and very real book that goes beyond a surface-level exploration of what it means to follow God."

The innovative INSPY Award is designed to help readers in their search for the preeminent faith-inspired literature of today. The INSPYs were created to select and showcase books with the highest literary standards that grapple with the Christian faith. To find these works, the INSPYs net is cast wide, accepting nominations of books aimed at the Christian bookstore market as well as those from the general market.

November in Review

Um, don't worry....I'm already embarrassed enough that I only read 5 books last month.  I think that's the fewest amount of books I've read in a month in the past 3 years.  *Must* do better in December....  :o)


An Honest Love by Kathleen Fuller--11/03/2010 - review to come (Inspy nominee)
Plain Perfect by Beth Wiseman--11/10/2010
Plain Pursuit by Beth Wiseman--11/20/2010
Plain Promise by Beth Wiseman--11/22/2010
Plain Paradise by Beth Wiseman--11/24/2010 - review to come (Inspy nominee)

All of these books were semi-part of judging for the Inspy Awards that will be announcing some winners in just a few days (yay!).  Because of that, I have to wait until the winners have been announced before I can post any reviews.  I will say that so far, I have not been disappointed with any of the Amish fiction selections, and I'm so excited that I've found some great new Amish authors to follow in the future.  :o)

What about you?  Read any great books last month?

Wednesday Plugs...

Mercy, I cannot believe how crazy things have been for me lately!  So, I'm spending the day playing catch up for you guys, as well as letting you know about some cool stuff...  :o)

Most of you know that my DH had emergency surgery last month to remove his appendix.  Thank the Lord that he came through that without a single problem, and in fact, only had to spend one night in the hospital.  He's limited to what's he able to do physically (which isn't really a bad thing b/c he could stand a break), at least for the next few months....which means that I've been the heavy lifter person in our household lately!  LOL!  :o)  I take out the trash, push and pull it out for the garbage collectors, and take care of the yard...all in place of hubby.  But it's okay...I suppose he's worth it.  *wink*  Also, because of the surgery, he's been so fortunate to have such an understanding teacher in his last college class.  Yep, hubby will be a 2-time college graduate by the end of this year!  YAY!  I am definitely the proud wife.  :o)

In other news, we now have a new relative that is living near us.  Hubby's grandma flew in just last night from California.  He's only seen her maybe 6 times in his entire life because of living so far away, so it will be so great for him to make up for lost time with her now.  :o) 

And now for some other tidbits...

There are only TWO DAYS LEFT to get your comment in for the Julie Lessman book giveaway!  She's offering reader's choice for any one of her four books.  If you haven't gotten a hold of her new one yet, be sure you click here to leave your comment to sign up before midnight Friday, October 29th.

Next, we are only a few weeks away from seeing the winners of the first Inspy Awards.  If you have not seen the list of this year's nominees, then you really need to take a look!  There are some great books up for nomination, and as a judge, I'm already having a hard time narrowing it down to which book will be my favorite for the Amish fiction category!  :o)  (BTW, there's a great interview up with Beth Wiseman today on the Inspy site...she's one of the Amish category nominees.)

I also wanted to give a little plug today for something that I'm loving more and more every day....NetGalley!  This is THE place to catch some great galleys from a ton of publishers.  Currently, there are only 5 (at least, I think that's right) Christian publishers--Barbour, B&H, Moody, Abingdon Press, and AMG--represented over there, but honestly, that's pretty good!  :o)  Thanks to NetGalley, I've had the opportunity to read and review a lot of great books that I might not have gotten around to otherwise.  Currently through NetGalley, I'm reading the newest book by Susan Page Davis...The Blacksmith's Bravery.  You do have to sign up and have your membership approved, and the site is geared toward book reviewers.  Go check it out!

The Inspy Shortlist for Amish Fiction!

In case you haven't heard, the short-lists were recently announced for the Inspy Awards.  I, for one, think that all the categories have some pretty good stuff going for 'em.  I can't wait to get started on the category I was chosen to judge:  Amish fiction.  :o)

(In my best Academy Award presenter voice...)  Here are the nominees for Amish Fiction for the 2010 Inspy Awards:

Love Finds You in Charm, Ohio by Annalisa Daughety, Summerside Press, 1st September, 2009

An Honest Love by Kathleen Fuller, Thomas Nelson, 16th March, 2010

Winter’s Awakening by Shelley Shepard Gray, Avon Inspire, 1st February, 2010

Anna’s Return by Marta Perry, Berkley, 1st June, 2010

Plain Paradise by Beth Wiseman, Thomas Nelson, 30th March, 2010

Now, I'm a HUGE fan of Amish fiction, but would you believe I've not read even ONE of these books?!?!?  Wow, I must really be behind.  :o)  All of these authors are new to me except for Shelley Shepard Gray (I've read two of her books so far) and Annalisa Daughety (I've read Love is a Battlefield by her), so I can't wait to see what's in store from Kathleen Fuller, Marta Perry, and Beth Wiseman.

The winners are set to be announced on December 13th.