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Book Review of A Plain & Fancy Christmas: A Novel

A Plain & Fancy Christmas: A Novel
glarnerlad avatar reviewed on + 13 more book reviews


My assessment may be limited since this is the first novel about the Amish that I've read. But I thoroughly enjoyed it. The Amish of Pennsylvania were well researched by the author. And it was not another typical romance set in an exotic or historic locale. Romance was included but not until late in the book, and it was rather casual. And the Christmas part also was not addressed until the very end, which makes the title somewhat misleading.

To be sure, the book was published by Ballantine, and not Thomas Nelson or Bethany House or other Christian publisher. Therefore, the emphasis was not so much on divine faith as it was on Amish traditions. I personally didn't know such novels existed, published as it was by a secular publisher.

It's difficult to write about the plot in the interest of not revealing too much for the potential reader. However, the situation explored is no doubt very unusual. It is not a commonplace story at all, not in its plot, not in its Christmas theme and not in its Amish setting. It does deal with interaction between the Amish and the English.

The language I found to be faultless, the novel being free of clichés and such. This is a novel that will surely be enjoyed by both men and women.