Review: Plain Pursuit

Plain Pursuit (Book 2 of the Daughters of Promise Series)
Author: Beth Wiseman
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
ISBN: 9781595547194
Audience: Teens through Adult
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Synopsis:

Carley Marek experienced a horrific tragedy that has interfered with her life and her job as a writer. With the realization that this is the problem, Carley's editor forces her to take a month vacation with hopes that she will come back refreshed and back on her game. Carley doesn't want to take the vacation, but decides to stay with an old friend, Lillian Stolfus, on her farm in Amish country. Her idea is to write about Amish life and get work done while she is vacationing.

Carley has no idea what she is in for, but she knows the Plain Life has been good for Lillian. Just after Carley arrives, the Stolfus's son becomes ill. They take David to the hospital, where they meet a doctor that Lillian's husband, Samuel, doesn't want treating his son. What is Samuel's aversion to Dr. Noah?

As Carley becomes more involved with Lillian and Samuel's family, she learns more about her relationship with God, what it's like to be part of a community, the consequences of the choices we make, and what really is important in life.

My Comments:

I love reading Amish novels, but it's hard finding authors that can live up to the standard that Beverly Lewis set. Beth Wiseman seems to be the exception, and may have even passed that standard. In Plain Pursuit, Wiseman flawlessly blends both views and feelings of the Amish and the Englisch when she puts Carley in the Stolfus household and in the middle of the Amish community. It gave the book a certain realism and made the characters multidimensional. I enjoyed the book being centered around an Englischer intruding into the lives of the Amish instead of being focused on just the Amish point of view. I found the book refreshing, faith building and heartwarming. (Shhhh... don't tell anyone, but there were even times I found tears trying to surface.)

This is the second book of Wiseman's Daughters of the Promise series, however, I read it as a stand alone novel, and didn't feel lost or like I was missing anything. I did love the book enough to order the first book Plain Perfection and am anxiously awaiting its arrival.

One last note... In the back of the book are some absolutely delicious authentic Amish recipes. What a lovely bonus to a delightful novel!

If you would like to learn more about the author, you can visit Beth Wiseman's site at: http://www.bethwiseman.net There, you will find out about the other books in the Daughters of Promise Series, including book 4, which will be out in March 2010!

This book was sent to me through Thomas Nelson's Book Sneeze program. This in no way influences my review. This review is my own honest opinion of the book.