Week 1-Plain Truth

Plain Truth by Jodi Picoult
Suggested by Susan
Started July 2
Finished July 5

Recommendation: Totally Read

Summary from Amazon:
The discovery of a dead infant in an Amish barn shakes Lancaster County to its core. But the police investigation leads to a more shocking disclosure: circumstantial evidence suggests that eighteen-year-old Katie Fisher, an unmarried Amish woman believed to be the newborn's mother, took the child's life. When Ellie Hathaway, a disillusioned big-city attorney, comes to Paradise, Pennsylvania, to defend Katie, two cultures collide -- and for the first time in her high-profile career, Ellie faces a system of justice very different from her own. Delving deep inside the world of those who live "plain," Ellie must find a way to reach Katie on her terms. And as she unravels a tangled murder case, Ellie also looks deep within -- to confront her own fears and desires when a man from her past reenters her life.

I selected Plain Truth as my first book for a couple of reasons.  1. Susan recommended it and she is usually pretty dependable when it comes to book recommendations.  2.  Susan owned it, which meant rather than going to the library or heaven forbid actually paying for the book, I could just run across the street to borrow it.  And finally 3. I freaking love things about the Amish.

When you first read the summary you might be thinking "Dead baby, Amish life, yeah that sounds like a great time, sign me up!"  The thing is, it is actually a really good read.  Yes, the premise of the book, that a young Amish woman is accused of killing her illegitimate child is very depressing, but over all the book really isn't.  It is a very engaging read that kept me interested from the beginning to the end.  I actually carried it in my purse to a 4th of July party, just in case there was a lull and I could read a few pages.  There wasn't, but if there had been, I was prepared.  As a result of me taking it everywhere I went the book was a bit less than the pristine copy it was when Susan gave it to me.  Seriously, it looked brand new, what's up with that?  Anyway, back to the book.  I could be wrong but it seems like Jodi Picoult did a lot of research on what it means to be Amish and what life in an Amish community would be like, especially for someone from the outside world.  Additionally, she did a great job of bringing the characters to light.  And anyone she introduced in the book had a reason for being there, big or little, there was a reason.  Also, the characters seemed real.  There were times when I just wanted to reach into the book and give someone a good smack and other times when I wanted to offer a hug...or a phone charger, whatever.  Just as the characters were meaningful, so were the questions posed by the story line.  It really got you thinking about how society and the justice system treat those that are more fringe. Is it right to hold people to standards that really don't work in their society and that they don't understand because they are so outside their realm of existence?  I don't know the answers, but I know that I thought about these questions while reading.   There is romance in the novel, but it by no means is this a "romance novel".  The romance is there as background to the main story and as a way to help grow the main characters.  While I figured out what happened to the baby pretty early on I still wanted to continue to read to see how things would work out in the end. 

Would I read Plain Truth again, sure.  I don't usually read books twice, but if I did I would probably read this one again.

And as a bonus, when I was searching Amazon for the book summary I found that Plain Truth was turned into a Lifetime moving starring Mariska Hargitay.  Now, I wouldn't have pictured her as Ellie while reading but now I can see it.  I'm totally going to have to find a way to watch this movie without having to pay $5.61 to order it...even if it is Prime Eligible.

Until next time...