Plain Jayne by Hillary Manton Lodge

My Review:
Jayne Tate is given a forced leave from her newspaper reporting job. She decides to use this leave to uncover some questions she has about the Amish community:
What would cause people to live the plain life ?
How can they forgive when faced with hatred?
How can anyone live without electricity and cars?
Why don't they like the limelight?
What is their secret?
How can they care so much about forgiving those that aren't Amish, but can't forgive their own?

Jayne sets out to feed her journalistic, inquiring mind. She learns about the the courting rituals (the hard way) and what it means to be shunned. This community makes little sense to her, but is very beautiful. Becoming a part of the community for three weeks can't be all that bad, she learns some pretty good lessons ~ baking, sewing and child care. Little does she know but she's in for a change of heart and life. She must really and truly come to grips with what she believes about God, family, dating and what she wants in life.

Jayne learns that even in this "picturesque" life they have dysfunctional families

• they forgive a thief
• turn away own son
• education on through 8th grade

'Simple' life mean 'insignificant'

I loved the humor author uses in this book.




Jayne Tate is an investigative reporter for a major daily. When her editor demands she take time off to grieve the death of her father and get her writing back up to par, Jayne instead follows her instincts. She's certain there's a story to uncover about the Amish, but where to start?

An initial interview with the intriguing owner of an Amish furniture store opens the door for Jayne to live with the Amish family he left behind. What she doesn't yet know is that her journalistic observations of this sincere, yet conflicted family are destined to cause reflections of her own childhood.

Visit the author's site here.

For more information about this book click here.

A copy of this book was provided for review by GRPR.