Beth Wiseman’s command of the Amish romance genre is on
full display in Plain Peace (Thomas
Nelson). Plain Peace has original characters filled with passion, secrets,
humor, and reconciliation. Beth Wiseman created
three dimensional characters with plenty of flaws making them relatable yet
lovable.
The story begins with Jacob, age 19, and his family
having just moved to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania from Middlefield, Ohio to
have a fresh start in a new place. The
entire family is suffering in response to their oldest daughter’s death. Jacob’s father has withdrawn from life and
his mother, Cora, is at her wit’s end trying to keep the family together.
Anna, age 18, is an orphan being raised by her grandparents,
Marianne and John. They are also still
grieving in their own way over the death of Anna’s parents. John is the district’s bishop, not
particularly loved by the community since he has become progressively stricter
as time has gone by. Jacob and Anna are
drawn to each other but Anna’s grandfather John, forbids Anna from seeing
Jacob. She loves her grandfather but
finds that he will not listen to her and she is determined to continue her
relationship with Jacob. Anna sneaks out
to be with Jacob, but her secret rendezvous is discovered.
But Anna is not the only one with a secret. Her grandmother, Marianne, is keeping secrets
from her strict and overbearing Bishop and husband, John. Marianne’s secret life is humorous yet sad and
pathetic as well. The author creates an
interesting and complex character in Marianne.
She is filled with smiles and friendliness towards others, but is
hesitant to find her voice to help Anna to deal with her grandfather. Anna is discouraged by her grandmother’s
passive behavior and voice when dealing with her grandfather. And Marianne seems unable to help herself with
her diabetes while her husband is forbidding the Amish community from visiting
the local doctor, yet John does love her.
The secrets start unraveling after Marianne nearly goes into diabetic
coma.
Beth Wiseman incorporates several of the characters from
previous books in the Daughters of the
Promise series into Plain Peace. It is interesting to see the character
continuation from book to book within the series. The author continues the theme of becoming daughters
of the promise in Plain Peace with
several of the female characters as they evolve and develop within the pages of
the book.
Plain Peace is
a unique look at several dysfunctional Amish families with thought-provoking
relationships that find a way through love, time, understanding, and God’s
wisdom to overcome their difficulties and become the loving families they want
to be. This series is so engaging that
readers will want to read the previous five books in the series as well. Plain Peace became available November, 2013.
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