Customer Reviews

Plain Promise (Daughters of the Promise, No. 3)

5 star:		(42)
4 star:		(23)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Beth Wiseman has done it again! I've read and loved the first two books in this series and this book was no different. Beth always keeps the plot in motion, creating a page turner. I love how characters from the first two books are revisited in this book. There was only one scenario in the entire book that I found to be totally cheesy and didn't enjoy. It was when Lizzy went to help Jonas when he fell. Other than that, I enjoyed the book very much. The book is a work of fiction and I enjoyed it as such.

As with the other books in this series, the book contains a helpful Pennsylvania Dutch glossary at the beginning, as well as a reading guide and Amish recipes at the end of the book.

"Plain Promise" is the third book in Beth Wiseman's "Daughters of the Promise" Amish series. I have read the prior two books in the series, but this could be read as a stand alone book.

Although there were portions of the book I liked, it is my least favorite so far in this series. The story of the friendship between the young widow Sadie and outsider Kade is sweet, but not believable. I did enjoy seeing how Sadie and the rest of the Amish community related to Kade's autistic son Tyler. These were some of the best parts of the story.

Since Kade is not Amish, he questions Sadie about some of the Amish practices that are confusing to him. Sadie seems to agree with some of the opinions expressed by Kade, but she doesn't explain her beliefs wholeheartedly, but then these doubts are not addressed again which is disappointing. In addition, I found the side story of the romance between Jonas and Lizzie to be distracting from the main story and I found myself skimming through those pages.

Overall, I found the book to be okay, but not great. The ending is upbeat even though I didn't think it was realistic. Readers that are able to suspend disbelief may enjoy the book more than I did.

I have enjoyed Amish stories and romances for quite some time, and looked forward to reading and reviewing this one.

There are two areas I struggled with as I read this story of Sadie and her struggle between two men.

First - early in the book, I felt that the book portrayed the Amish life incorrectly. The Ordnung was portrayed as burdensome, the Bishop was seen as a punitive father figure rather than an adviser and counselor, and the shunning was viewed as a punishment instead of a method of calling someone back into fellowship. Sadie even worried about being "spied upon" by her friends and deliberately misled them. There was a sense that the Amish life was rule-driven rather than protected by the boundaries of simplicity. This is not the Amish life I know.

Second, while most Amish novels are conversation driven, this particular novel is action driven. This is particularly true in her relationship - the strong physical connection she feels is primary, and the love and respect only happens secondarily. One area that makes this particular novel different is that Sadie does not have any family with which to connect, and even though she is portrayed as having friends, we do not hear the conversations between Sadie and the friends who love and support her. As a result, you never feel totally connected to the reasons for Sadie's struggles.

Without giving away the storyline, I do want to mention that I found portions of the story sounded forced, and once again I longed for a deeper glimpse into Sadie's soul as she made certain choices, wishing that the story and conversation supported those choices. This disconnect made the story feel unrealistic at times.

On the positive side, the Gospel is clearly presented, and some of the aspects of Amish faith are seen in a different light later in the book, although the simplistic nature of the life are emphasized over the daily living that makes the simple life actually work.

If you are looking for a kind, gentle romance with Christian overtones, you will likely enjoy this book. However, I do not recommend it as your only glimpse into the Amish world, since it is most assuredly written from an Englisher point of view.

I will attempt to be objective in this review and not forget its overall literary quality. I have yet to finish this book. I have read Amish fiction for a number of years but this may be my last go at it. After reading through Chapter 17, I got a sinking feeling that this book was going to go the way of so many Amish fiction books and did something I haven't done in years. I skipped to the end and my suspicions were confirmed. I really expected something more unique and fresh from this author and her other books have met that expectation. I read both of the earlier books in this series and enjoyed them very much. I liked Sadie immensely in both of them and looked forward to getting to know her better as her character developed. She is strong emotionally & has a sassy but godly confident way about her in the first two books but she seemed to second guess herself too much as the book progressed. I was intrigued with the sincere questions Kade asked Sadie about the reasons of some of the Amish rules which coincidently (or not) were echoing in Sadie's thoughts. Those questions were valid but didn't seem to have any impact. Maybe if I decide to finish this book, there will be conclusions drawn but I'm thinking that they will have the trite repetitious reasoning of "The Amish say so". To further disappoint me, Kade started out believable and amazing and showed such promise at getting his life in order but doesn't discern the many ways that God has blessed him right where God has put him in his 'Englisher' world and instead, becomes attracted to the Plain existence of the Old Order. I was hoping the 'Englisher' world wouldn't be presented as something Kade should leave to find happiness and a deep personal relationship with the Lord. We can't all be Amish. We can't run away from the world we find ourselves in. We have to do the best we can where we are and I had hoped this story line would reflect that truth. I know this is fiction but after reading the first two books in this series which seemed realistic, the 2nd one in particular, this book did not seem realistic. I know that most Amish do stay Amish and some would argue that Sadie would not likely choose to leave the community of her faith but I think it is even more unlikely that Kade would consider joining that community of faith and in so doing, cast off what could be a meaningful believer's life filled with blessing. All things considered, I admit I may be a bit harsh and have not given this book a chance by finishing it but like Lillian, I only have to sniff a glass of milk to know if its sour. A very talented author of a book that left me unsatisfied.

This is the second "Daughters of the Promise" novel that I've read and I enjoyed it as much or more. The plot is fairly simple: an Amish widow has a rental cottage that is rented by a rich man from California. They are attracted to each other, after a slightly rocky start, but feel that nothing can come of it, given their very different worlds. But then the story branches out as they each deal with problems they could not have foreseen. It's a well-written story and the characters are enjoyable and believable. It's always difficult, in Amish stories, to believe that someone from outside (an "Englisher") could end up converting to being Amish, leaving behind very nearly everything they've ever known. But Beth Wiseman makes it believable and manages to convey the Amish lovingly. There are some authors of Amish novels whose stories tend to be rather depressing, leaving you with the feeling that no one in the Amish world is really happy and everyone keeps secrets, but Wiseman avoids all that and shows a way of life that seems very inviting, while she also shows a strong faith in God. I also enjoyed the sidelines about Alzheimer's and Autism. A very enjoyable book.

Plain Promise is not at all what I expected from a typical Amish Fiction romance. Beth Wiseman has taken the intriguing Amish life and added a refreshing twist-an "Englisher" (Kade), on a soul searching journey to find peace and a relationship with God, discovers the quiet, peaceful ways of the Amish and considers converting to the Amish way of life. Plain Promise follows Kade's journey and the people who help him to find his way including Kade's Autistic son who makes an appearance early in the book and bonds instantly with an Amish woman who desperately wants a family and children of her own.
The author has done a great job of keeping the reader from guessing what will happen next. Plain Promise remains unpredictable right up to the last page.
If you are one of the many "Englisher's" fascinated with the Amish way of life you will not be disappointed with this book.

I just never was able to get into this story; it took me almost two weeks to finish it. The main characters just never really captured my interest or imagination as much as the side stories of Lizzie and Jonas, and Kade and Tyler. I loved the friendship that developed between Jonas and Kade. Kade's spiritual journey was also well-drawn, but in the end, the story's shortcomings undermined the love story aspect. Admittedly I don't know enough about the Amish to know how realistic it is, that an Amish woman and an outsider would be allowed to become friends, let alone become romantically involved, however chaste it was. I always have a difficult time with that aspect. Sadie just wasn't an interesting character for me, but I did enjoy Kade's life and his eventually finding peace. I have read stories by Beth Wiseman that I enjoyed, but this wasn't one of them. The fact that I didn't care for this one doesn't mean that I won't read her next book. I thought the idea was fascinating, but the story never really piqued my interest as a romance. It was too predictable, and the hook just wasn't there. On the plus side, it's an interesting view of Autism and the challenges faced by the parents and community. The Amish view was very kind and loving, and I liked that. If you can overlook the deficiencies of the main story, you may, as I did, become very engrossed in the side stories, which are skillfully woven in. All in all, not a bad read, but not what I was hoping for.

I do enjoy this genre of fiction. I have read other authors who write inspirational novels that are set in and around Lancaster, PA and involve the Amish community. I had hoped that this read would be as enjoyable as those. Unfortunately it was not. The writing tends to be awkward, not free flowing, which stunts the experience for the reader. The plot is generally predictable except in cases where twists are forced. I got that chalkboard feeling that comes from ridiculous things happening in the story just to make it less predictable. The inspirational or possibly Christian elements in the story are odd and seem to come out as a 'feeling' the main character has that things should be one way or another.
That being said, this is certainly not the most poorly written book I have ever read. I was able to read the whole thing and it was somewhat enjoyable. . . just left a lot to be desired. I would not pay money for the experience though.

I want to like, I mean REALLY like these books. I have read all three of them and I keep coming back to the same problem. While the Old Order Amish are "good" people, they are not biblical Christians. They think it is arrogant to believe you KNOW you can be saved. They aren't allowed to read most of the bible. They are basing their salvation on their customs and good works. That is all soooo wrong. So, to see the hero in this book "find God" by adopting Amish ways...well, I find that extremely sad. I love the people in these stories, but I would much rather see them come to know Christ because they have come to faith in the Lord Jesus and His blood shed for them, then because they are adherring to the ordnung.

This review is NOT a spoiler!

Such compelling reading! Such sweet misery! I am writing this review before I finish the book. I'm on page 210. I don't want to see what anybody else has to say either in any of the other reviews before I write this one. The suspense created in Plain Promise (A Daughters of the Promise Novel) makes it a great book no matter whether it may have a few little things that need polishing up. I'm reading it for the story!

Get this book and read it! You'll lose sleep. I'm wondering whether Sadie will end up with Kade, the man she is madly in love with, or Milo, the man she has committed herself to marry.

The characters come to life. The leading actors of the story are three-dimensional. I can see why Beth Wiseman is a best seller.

Then I'm wondering what will happen to the little lady named Lizzie, who is in her sixties. She is madly in love with Jonas, who is in the early stages of dementia. How could that story have a happy ending?

If I had waited to review this delightful book until after I read the last page, I don't think I could show you how provoking -- how compelling -- it is.

The recipes look interesting. There's cheese spread and peanut butter bread. According to Beth Wiseman, the Amish eat these together. I can't wait to try the tapioca pudding because the characters in the novel love it.

There is information about the Amish included. For example, there is an Amish community in Stephenville, Texas.

The story shows the way God deals with different individuals as they are able to accept Him and follow Him. One Lord is the Lord of the Amish and the English in the book. Also there is a poignant illustration of the way God deals with those with mental limitations. The underlying thought is that we all have limitations of one kind or another.

Read this!