Book Review: Plain Perfect by Beth Wiseman
Katie 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.