Customer Reviews

Plain Perfect (Daughters of the Promise, Book 1)

5 star:		(37)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Since Beth Wiseman's first novel far exceeds any expectations I had when I began reading it, I'm highly recommending it to friends and family. Lillian, her main female character, exudes a refreshingly humorous but realistic nature. While seeking to redeem the mess she has made of her life, Lillian arrives to live with her mother's parents, her grandparents, in their Amish community and experiences gentle acceptance and forgiveness as she learns the Amish beliefs and culture and seeks a relationship with God. Her Amish friends--Samuel, a widower, and his son--marvel at her kindness and cuteness while they grow to love her deeply. Unexpected events grip the reader emotionally. Plain Perfect is a refreshing read! Waiting for the second book of the trilogy will be difficult, but I will definitely pre-order it in order to receive it as soon as possible.

Perfect for : Personal reading, Book Club reading (Note: the book does include discussion questions at the end)

In a nutshell: One thing I really appreciated is that the author provided a glossary of Amish words in the front of the book!! What a benefit as most of us wouldn't know that "boppli" means baby. Right away, the reader gets a glimpse of the importance of the choice Lilly is making to leave her boyfriend and visit her grandparents, who are Amish. I fell in love with them right away, with their kind remarks and realistic expectations. Through both ups and downs Lilly builds some remarkable relationships that help to shape the future of her life. I highly recommend this inspirational book.

My Review:
I absolutely loved this book! Lilly went to visit her grandparents for a great reason - she needed to re-evaluate her life and get back on the right track. Once there, she begins to learn a little more about the Amish lifestyle and beliefs. She meets some wonderful people and becomes a functioning family member. This is certainly a feel-good book by the end, and the reader gets to witness more than one person's transformation. The story explores joy as well as sorrow, forgiveness and new-starts. I really enjoyed this peak into relationships and Amish life.

Characters: Beautifully written, each character has a personality all their own. I loved them all . . . except Rickie - who was never meant to be a nice person. The subtle changes within the book were wonderful.

Story-Line: The story was great - Lilly chose to leave the "English" world to join her Amish grandparents as a result of a bad relationship and many disappointments. What she finds is even better than she expected. She finds real friends, family, contentment in a "Plain" lifestyle, and more than anything . . . faith.

Readability: A truely enjoyable read from start to finish. The book was made even easier with the inclusion of a glossary.

Overall: Another favorite book to be added to my "favorites" bookshelf. The story and wonderfully written characters help to make this story come to life. Lilly gets a chance to reconnect with family, and a chance at a new beginning in this gently inspirational story.

I don't normally read love stories, but I did read this one, and I am glad I did. The book was filled with drama and anticipation and I found that I could not put the book down. I wanted to know the ending to Samuel and Lillian's life and could not have been more please with how it turned out. I can hardly wait for the other books in the series to come out and look forward to reading other book from Beth Wiseman.Plain Perfect

I've read so many Amish novels and they were beginning to run together. Same story, same plot, different characters. Plain Perfect was a refreshing change. I enjoyed it very much and couldn't wait to see what the end would bring because I wasn't sure how it would end. Great story. Looking forward to the next book in this series.

What a beautiful story. I glupped it down. Lillian knows something just doesn't seem right inside. So she goes to Lancaster County where her Amish grandma and grandpa live. She hasn't seen them in years. She has questions, like who is her dad and why did her mom leave Lancaster County all those years ago.

What she finds out are the answers to those questions and also, what was missing inside and MORE. Beautiful book. I don't see who wouldn't cry along with Lilly. I look forward to the next one already!!

Plain Perfect is the first book in a series called the Daughters of the promise by Beth Wiseman. It is chock full of history and fact where the Amish people are concerned. She did a masterful job of describing in detail the lives and practices of the Amish. I learned a lot from just this one story. You follow a young woman who returns to her Amish roots having never been exposed to them growing up alone with her promiscuous mother who had left the faith. It is a story of unconditional love and forgiveness. Job well done Beth.

I was given this book as a gift and would not have chosen it based on the title alone much less the topic. As I read on I found myself involved with the characters and caring what happened to them. Even though at times it seemed predictable the way it was written moved you to continue. I found I didn't want to miss a thing. I cried and laughed. Beth is definitely a talented story teller and true to her content with factual representation of her subjects.

The first of Beth Wiseman's Daughters of the Promise series, this novel is set in Lancaster, Pa. Although Lilian's mother was raised in the Amish faith, she left home before baptism and opted to raise her daughter in the "Englisch" manner. As an adult, when Lillian's life is becoming increasingly complicated, she returns to Lancaster to her grandparents and their Plain lifestyle. At first, Lillian doesn't understand that it is a matter of faith, rather than just outward appearances and shunning modern conveniences. As her understanding grows, her relationship with God becomes more personal.

As someone who has traveled through Amish communities, I always find these books interesting. Although Ms. Wiseman's debut novel is a bit formulaic, it was enjoyable. One of the more original aspects of her novel is having the main character come from outside the Amish community. Since most of her readers are probably from outside the Amish community (perhaps all of her readers), this could be a wise move on her part. It sets her novel apart from the plethora of Amish novels on the market today. As our world becomes increasingly hectic and complicated, the idea of escaping into this fictional Amish utopia is intriguing. I look forward to reading more of this series in the future.

This was a fun, quick read. It is my first book with an Amish story/setting, and while I liked that aspect of it, I just didn't care too much for the main character. She was just a bit immature for her age. She was in her late 20's and acted more like someone my age or even younger. Her view of how easily she could adapt to the Amish way of life was a bit unrealistic. There was a definite charm to her, which I liked, and I probably would have found her character more believable if she was a bit younger.

The story itself was very sweet, and although the plot was had some predictable aspects, I would have been disappointed had it turned out any other way. There was a lot of talk about God's will, and how believing that was a huge part of the Amish way of life. Lily seemed to question it, but at the same time, her baptism into the Amish community seemed like it came a bit too easily. It seemed that there was a lot of skimming the surface of certain questions, but they were never fully brought up.

The secondary characters were quite good. I liked Lily's grandparents and also Samuel and his son. Honestly, the relationship between Lily and Samuel's son felt more genuine than anything else. There was a bit of a tragic twist at the end that I really wasn't expecting, and while it was sad, it flowed well into the end of the book.

Being my first try with an Amish book, I wasn't sure what to expect, so please take my review for what it is. I definitely wouldn't mind reading the next books in this series. Overall it was a light, enjoyable read.

At age 27, Lillian Miller is already weary of modern life. She grew up with a single mother who flitted from man to man, and is now escaping an abusive boyfriend. More than anything, she wants to find peace in her heart and mind.

The best way she can think to find it is to visit her Amish grandparents in Lancaster County, PA. Lillian only met them once as a child, although she remembers the visit with fondness. Surely, she feels, among the Amish she will find some of the focus she needs.

On her very first afternoon, Lillian meets an Amish widower, Samuel Stoltzfus, and is immediately attracted to him. It seems the feeling is mutual, and later even encouraged by Samuel's 11-year-old son David. Yet such a relationship could be dangerous, as courtship between Amish and Englischers -- which Lillian is considered, despite her Amish roots -- is discouraged.

Meanwhile, Lillian longs to know the reason her mother Sarah Jane fled the Amish life as a young woman. She knows that such departures from the life are extremely rare. Yet Sarah Jane refuses to talk, as do Lillian's grandparents.

While the relationship between Lillian and Samuel seems a bit contrived and obvious at times, Wiseman writes an overall good story, filled with interesting characters.

Just finished reading Plain Perfect and I loved it! Beth Wiseman has a wonderful imagination and her characters are full of life, you can't wait to see what will happen next.