Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Plain Wisdom by Cindy Woodsmall and Miriam Flaud




The lifestyle of Amish families always seems somewhat mysterious yet interesting to me. This book, Plain Wisdom, was written by two friends, one Amish and one not. Unlike a novel, it is not a single story, but rather a little more than fifty short chapters; easy to read in little snippets (nice for someone with a busy schedule!) Relating to a different theme and verse of Scripture for each chapter, the ladies have both shared individual vignettes from their own life. As I read through these, I was surprised, yet in a way pleased, to see how similar the hearts of each one was. Though the differences in tradition and lifestyle are so obvious on the surface, the underlying values and experiences are very similar.

I enjoyed this book. It was easy to read and I could identify with both of the authors. The explanations of some of the Amish ways was clear and gentle. Overall it was a kind, uplifting, sweet book. (there were some really delicious-sounding recipes in the book also—I’m baking the Overnight Blueberry French Toast right now!)

The only thing I didn’t love about the book was its title, Plain Wisdom. The title makes it sound like a self-help book or something filled with teaching. There were little bits of wisdom passed along throughout the stories, but I felt the book was more of a reminiscing-type.

Read it!

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

3 comments:

  1. I am sooo happy to see that this special book is posted I personal know these authors and cant wait for this book to come out!!! I found you on Farm Girl wow this is awesome!

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  2. That's so cool! It's a great book.

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  3. I too can not wait for the book to come out as I will be purchasing the book as well. I have always been fascinated by the Amish way of life and I try to read everything I can find about their wonderful life. I have visited two Amish communities in my life and hope to visit more.
    Thank you for such a wonderful and interesting review.
    Debbie

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