Book Review: Plain Perfect by Beth Wiseman

Katie September 30, 2011 0 Comments

I don’t usually read Amish Fiction and I was a bit hesitant to even read this book (I had won a free copy and was not required to do anything with it), but I am glad that I read it.  While yes, the book does focus on Amish culture and beliefs, you can easily strip it down and it is just like any other romantic novel I would have read.

Lillian’s mother was born in to the Amish community, but after rebelling and becoming pregnant with Lillian she decided to leave and go out in the world to raise her child.  Lillian, at 27, decided to look for herself and inner peace and heads to her grandparents home in Lancaster County, PA.  Early on she meets one of her grandparents neighbors – Samuel.  It was quite clear to me that this man who recently lost his wife would end up striking up a relationship with Lillian and in fact I announced that if they ended up together in the end I would be mad that I had “figured out the book” very early on.  While they do end up together, it was not an easy decision for them to make – Lillian with her worldy ways and Samuel who was trying to raise an eleven year old son, David.

Lillian helps her grandmother tend to the home and aid her ailing grandfather, who is quite sick with cancer.  Meanwhile, her grandmother is also teaching her how to accept God and become Amish and all the Amish traditions and guidelines.  At first Lillian questions just about everything her grandmother tells her is the way of life.  Eventually she comes around and decides that maybe being Amish is the right decision for her – even though she and Samuel are not on speaking terms – she wants to do this for herself, not so she can try and impress / get Samuel as a husband.

Lillian’s mother also eventually comes for a visit (as well as Lillian’s ex boyfriend – completely unannounced and unwanted!) And for a while there it seems like they are on the right track to being one big happy family. There are ups and downs along the way and in the end I am quite glad that the 3 pages of translated words that were presented in the beginning of the book didn’t completely scare me away.  And, better yet, there is a recipe for Shoofly Pie in the back of the book! I might have to consider trying to make that…

About the Book

A search for peace in Amish country proves anything but simple for a woman on the run from life…and herself.  On the rolling plans of Lancaster County, PA., Lillian Miller is searching for her grandparents’ house..and so much more. After years of neglect and abuse, she’s turning to a lifestyle of simplicity among the Amish to find herself.

As she discards the distractions of her former life, she befriends the young boy working on her family’s farm and his attractive widowed father, Samuel Stolzfus.  Despite Lillian’s best efforts to the contrary, her feelings for Samuel–and his for her–deepen.  Will Lillian find her faith in Plain living, or will she be be forced to return to her former life?

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I received a free copy of this book in a contest sponsored by Thomas Nelson. I was not required to write a review, I just wanted to share my thoughts on the book with my readers.

Book Review: There You’ll Find Me by Jenny B Jones

Katie September 24, 2011 2 Comments

There You’ll Find Me is about a young girl named Finley Sinclair, who is an heiress (though not obnoxious like Paris Hilton) and decides to take a trip to Ireland.  The trip was previously taken by her brother Will, who was killed in Afghanistan a couple of years earlier. Finley thinks that by taking his travel journal and visiting all the locations that he did she will finally be able to let go and accept the fact that is is gone, as well as find God.

While on the plane to Ireland she is seated next to Hollywood Heartthrob Beckett Rush who is in several popular vampire movies (and therefore I pictured him as Robert Pattinson throughout the whole book).  She is not impressed by him and does not want an autograph or a photograph with him and in fact, would prefer to have nothing to do with him.

When her host family is too busy to take her site seeing, it is all too perfect that Beckett is staying at their B&B as well while filming his latest vampire installment.  He offers to take Finley around to see the sites if she will be his assistant and help him read lines.  Reluctantly, she agrees, not sure she’ll be able to see everywhere she needs to if she doesn’t go with him.

Meanwhile, for her class assignment she has to spend 20 hours with a woman in a nursing home.  She gets paired with Cathleen Sweeney, a mean old woman who is very ill with cancer and does not have much time left.  Although she wishes she did not have to be around death (again), she pushes through and tries to become friendly with this woman.

Throughout the book her relationships with the people around her change, Finley begins to find God and deals with some other struggles as well.  The whole point of the trip is to find a grave stone that her brother took a photo of and left as the last page of his journal.  Will she find it? Why is it significant? Find out in There You’ll Find Me!

Book Description

Grief brought Finley to Ireland. LOVE WILL LEAD HER HOME.

Finley Sinclair is not your typical eighteen-year-old. She’s witty, tough, and driven. With an upcoming interview at the Manhattan music conservatory, Finley needs to compose her audition piece. But her creativity disappeared with the death of her older brother, Will.

She decides to study abroad in Ireland so she can follow Will’s travel journal. It’s the place he felt closest to God, and she’s hopeful being there will help her make peace over losing him. So she agrees to an exchange program and boards the plane.

Beckett Rush, teen heartthrob and Hollywood bad boy, is flying to Ireland to finish filming his latest vampire movie. On the flight, he meets Finley. She’s the one girl who seems immune to his charm. Undeterred, Beckett convinces her to be his assistant in exchange for his help as a tour guide.

Once in Ireland, Finley starts to break down. The loss of her brother and the pressure of school, her audition, and whatever it is that is happening between her and Beckett, leads her to a new and dangerous vice. When is God going to show up for her in this emerald paradise?

Then she experiences something that radically changes her perspective on life. Could it be God convincing her that everything she’s been looking for has been with her all along?

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> 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 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”