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Fiction. Literature. Romance. Christian Fiction. HTML: Carley has given up chasing her dreams. Now her dreams are chasing her. Carley Marek experiences culture shock when she visits her friend LillianÃ?s family on their farm deep in Amish country. SheÃ?ll get an article out of the visitùand maybe some of LillianÃ?s newfound peace will somehow rub off on her. Just when Carley is getting used to the quiet nature of the Plain community, Lillian and SamuelÃ?s son falls ill. But the local doctor who can offer the most help has been shunned by the community and forbidden to intervene. As DavidÃ?s condition deteriorates, Dr. Noah determines to do whatever it takes to save the boyÃ?s life. Carley is caught in the middleùdrawn to Noah, wanting to be helpful in the crisisùand confused by all their talk about a God she neither knows nor trusts. Carley must decide what in life is worth pursuing . . . and what to do when sheÃ?s pursued by a love she… (more)
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This is the second book in the Daughters of Promise Novels and while the first book was wonderful, Plain Perfect (Daughters of the Promise, Book 1) this second book of the trilogy is even better, and I sure can't wait for the third to
This is a sentimental story of an Amish family, Samuel and Lillian Stoltzfus
(From the first book) that desperately needs the help of one of their own who happens to be being shunned by his entire family and the community. During this rocky time Lillian's friend Carley is visiting and trying to get her life back in order and find some inner peace. I don't want to spoil more of the story, but let me tell you, you may want to have some tissues by your side for the more heart wrenching moments and even the happy ones. This book is about learning to deal with the aspects and rules of our religions that we may not agree with, coming to terms with the fact that others may choose different paths than we do and of course it's a love story.
It's a well crafted story with fully drawn characters and has nice pacing. I just love how Ms Wiseman can walk that fine line of the Amish way of living within their religions restictions and the Englisher's freer ways of life ways of life.
One more thing, Ms Wiseman did an excellent job of researching kidney transplants and disease for this novel. I have a friend who has been waiting for a kidney for a number of years and has been on dialysis. She also happens to live in another region of the country that has a high concentration of Amish. She allowed me to ask many questions and was able to confirm everything that Ms Wiseman wrote. Not many authors take the time or effort to get things correct and hats off to this one for doing so.
This series is very pleasant to read. I am enjoying meeting the various families and getting to know them. I like how Beth Wiseman gives us an honest look into the lives of the Amish. I could see and understand the story from both points of views, the Englishers and the Amish. This book leaves you with a feeling of hope at the end. As a bonus there are a few Amish recipes in the back of the book.
Carley wants to know more about the God she hears everyone talking about, including the handsome doctor. She finds herself falling in love with Dr. Noah, which infuriates Samuel.
There are many life changing events in this book. You won't be able to put it down once you start reading. If I could give it 7 stars I would! Then ending "made my eyes go watery" as my Aunt Bonnie used to say.
I did like this book. The characters were all very engaging and interesting to read. Noah's story especially was my favorite. Personally I would have loved to have read his book and read all the juicy secrets of the behind the scenes details of Amish life. I felt really bad for him because he wanted to live the life he felt called to do and his family shunned him instead. I'm really glad that he stays true to his self and doesn't allow guilt from others to change his mind. The drama involving Samuel's son is a bit soap opera-ish at times due to the rapid pace it took off but still made for good reading.
This is not spoiling the story at all but I just wanted to say I was thrilled that no one turned Amish in this book. I have been worried that this series would fall into the stereotype where every non-Amish person that gets a whiff of Amish life suddenly has the desire to give up their life and join the community. If your intentions are true then that's fine but it just seem like it's the latest trend in books. I mean, really, Amish life is more seductive than most romance novels it seems because people can't seem to keep away. Therefore I was more than relieved when Carley showed no interest in giving up her regular life.
I've stated before in my review of the first book in the series that I didn't really like Samuel. During that book I just felt that he came off as very standoffish to me. Well I was right to feel that way because he gets even worse in this book. Throughout the whole book I just wanted to scream at him for being so unreasonable. Also, to be honest I really don't know how Lillian can put up with him. I'm also amazed at how quickly she adapted to the Amish lifestyle. It was like one minute she can't even up her jeans, now she can speak fluent Pennsylvania German.
All in all I am enjoying this series. They are very refreshing reads. While I may not agree with all the beliefs of the Amish, this series doesn't try to make me feel guilty for that. Plus there's tons of food mentioned in the book, which as I've said before is always a plus in my book. This book is a great way to escape for the weekend. If you're an Amish fan, you'll enjoy this one.
With its Amish setting, "Plain Pursuit" is a unique, fresh romance novel. It is actually deeper than a typical romance novel as it focuses not just on the attraction between Carley and Noah, but gives good insight into the Amish way of life. While many aspects of Amish life are touched on, the one must crucial to the plot is that of "shunning" a part of Amish life that certainly had me thinking about the book long after I finished reading it and would make the book a perfect choice for a book club read because it no doubt would lead to many debates about certain Amish practices. Carley and Noah are both deep characters, especially for a romance novel. Carley is scarred in many ways from the car accident and struggling with her growing attraction to Noah while wondering if he would want to live with her physical flaws. Noah is a man who sacrificed much to become a doctor and is trying to make up for a foolish mistake he made while young. The romance perhaps could have been developed a bit more but the attraction between them is undeniable. While religion plays a very important part in the book, author Beth Wiseman never hits readers over the head with it - it's simply a major part of life for many of the characters.
"Plain Pursuit" is a nicely done romance novel.
Dr. Noah has just moved back into the Amish community he grew up in and then left to become a doctor. He has been shunned by the community and his family, and Carley has a hard time with how he is treated. He is the one who is a match for a kidney, but even then it i hard for the Amish community to except his help. Carley is caught between helping her friend Lillian and their family and being a help to Noah, who she is learning to love, and in the midst of all of this she is learning to trust and know her God.
This is a good series so far and I look forward to reading all 6 books in this series. Very well told stories that aren't afraid to show the harsh realities of the Amish community, or the love and devotion they have for each other.