Plain Truth [Paperback]

I love Jodi Picoult! This was the 2nd book of hers I've read and I was not disappointed! She represents so many different view points in her writing. Never preachy - love this author!

Note: This review was previously posted on my blog, The Baking Bookworm ([...])

My Thoughts: Even after living near a Mennonite community for more than 20 years I honestly have never researched a lot about them. I see and interact with them on a regular basis, but sadly and embarassingly, I did not truly know what the differences were between Amish and Mennonite ... until today when I began to research it more in depth.

From what I have been able to discover, both Amish and Mennonite believe in similar Christian doctrine but interpret that doctrine differently. Amish tend to follow the doctrine verbatim, separating themselves from the English community and may go as far as having untrimmed beards, hooks and pins instead of buttons, no electricity, horse-drawn transportation etc etc.

Mennonites branched off from this doctrine and can vary from 'old-order' (who use horse-drawn buggies, have no electricity etc) to more modern Mennonites who dress as you or I would, use modern conveniences but still attend a Mennonite church.
Ok now that we've had a meagre crash course in Amish/Mennonite differences let's chat about "Plain Truth". I enjoyed this book and found it interesting looking into the lives of an Amish family and see how they live as well as how this particular family and community dealt with the murder and forgiveness. She also brings to light the false notion that the Amish are unforgiving, saintly and live above reproach - something that the Amish are too humble to attempt and don't strive for. This erroneous view comes from the beliefs of English people.

The story itself was good but predictable. There were a couple of storylines in the book that I wasn't sure why they were included. For example, Katie's sister, Hannah's ghost and the whole ghostbuster theme. Katie's loss could have still been shown without a supernatural element. A supernatural element and Amish just didn't work for me in the same book.

Some of the book was a little unresearched or unrealistic. When one of Katie's friends visits the farm she's wearing in-line skates. Ok, fine. But from what I've witnessed on local farms the laneways aren't paved and Picoult has this girl rollerblading down the lane. Hmmm. Little things like that bug me.

Overall a good book with interesting lessons. I found it interesting to see how the belief systems we're raised with influences how we perceive and interact with the world around us. If you're looking for a good weekend read this is a good pick. If you're looking for something a little deeper and more suspenseful take a pass on this one.

My Rating: 3.5/5 stars

It really was a great story, I liked it so much I thought that a friend of mine would also enjoy it, haven't heard back yet.