Plain & Fancy: Brides of Lancaster County 3

Wanda E. Brunstetter
Barbour Publishing (2007)
ISBN 1597893005
Reviewed by Linda Benninghoff for Reader Views (6/07)

If marriage meant forsaking the only way of life one had known, doing without conveniences such as electricity and modern plumbing, and even losing contact with one’s parents, how many people would ever get married?
  
In "Plain & Fancy," when Laura, a young woman studying design in Lancaster, Pennsylvania meets Eli, a young Amish farmer, it is just such sacrifices that are being called into play.  In this compelling novel by Wanda Brunstetter, love is never easy and its rewards are not always obvious.

Eli does not want to become "fancy;" he does not want to leave the Amish community where he grew up and where he worships God in the style in which he is accustomed.  Laura, not particularly religious, but head-over-heels in love with Eli, must also think about giving things up.

The novel explores whether or not such a love can work.  Brunstetter’s characters are deftly drawn.  I get a sense for Laura and Eli and their families, and the conflicts that arise between the young couple and these families.  Importantly, the book delves into what happens after marriage--and this time in life is also realistically portrayed,

Brunstetter has done a marvelous job painting a picture of two lifestyles--and the difficult place where they intersect.  The novel held my interest throughout.  The romance was not idealized and the issues it brought up were thoroughly addressed.  The Amish lifestyle is something the author has personal knowledge about and it is vividly imagined.  “Plain & Fancy” is an excellent and informative tale.

Make comment on weblog