White Christmas Pie...Review

About the book:
Step into Amish country for this bittersweet holiday romance. Here you'll meet Will Henderson, a young man tortured by his past, and Karen Yoder, a young woman looking for answers. Add a desperate father searching for his son, and you have all the ingredients for a first-class romance that will inspire and enthrall.

The Amish life fascinates me, and I've thoroughly enjoyed many of the Amish-themed books I've read. I've never read Wanda Brunstetter before, but she came highly rated and this one looked interesting.

The story centers around Will Henderson, an English boy who, at the age of 6, is left with an Amish couple. His father ostensibly plans to return for him, but through lost messages and miscommunications, never does. Will grows up believing that his father abandoned him. Predictably, as his impending wedding to Karen nears, Will finds that he harbors many doubts about his father and an unforgiving heart. Conveniently, at Thanksgiving, his father suddenly reappears in Will's life.

I'd call this Amish-light. It's a sweet novel with a great deal of unrealized potential. The characters are one-dimensional and the misunderstandings and lack of communication are far-fetched and unrealistic. The ending is convenient and contrived. Will and Karen and the rest of the cast don't inspire any compassion whatsoever. The recipe for the White Christmas Pie mentioned in the story is included in the book. My impression is that the author thought it would be a cute gimmick, but instead of a rich story with depth, we are left with the sugary fluff.

From other reviews I've seen, most of Brunstetter's books receive better reviews than this one has, so I will not count her out yet. Overall, a sweet story. A light, easy read. Nothing more.

I read my own, personal copy, but you can purchase your own here.

Read 11/08

* * 
2/5 Stars

Comments

  1. Wanted to drop in and wish you a Happy Thanksgiving! :)

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  2. I liked it a bit more than you did. It was my first Amish read, and I learned a good deal about the Plain People. I thought that Will was a round character; he was jealous, he had a temper, and he was a softie when it came to Karen. Ah well, different strokes, as they say.

    Have a Happy Thanksgiving.

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  3. Smilingsal, if you want to really learn about the Plain people, check out Beverly Lewis. Her Daughters of Abram series was my first Amish read and I loved them.

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  4. This sounds like a sweet book. I havent read anything like that before.
    I visited Amish Country years back, and it was alot of fun and very interesting.

    Happy Thanksgiving :)
    http://thebookworm07.blogspot.com/

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