A Plain & Fancy Christmas

Title: A PLAIN AND FANCY CHRISTMAS
Author: Cynthia Keller
Publisher: Ballantine
October 2011
ISBN: 978-0-345-52875-9
Genre: Amish

Two women, switched at birth. Rachel Lawrence and Rachel King were both born in the same hospital, days apart. A doctor makes a mistake, his nurse wife covers it over, and both babies are sent home with the wrong family.

Now Rachel King has been married, has a child, and has been widowed. She’s always struggled with being Amish, and when she receives a letter from the doctor’s wife, all the reasons, she believes, becomes clear.

Rachel Lawrence doesn’t answer to the name Rachel, she answers to Ellie—and she’s happy in her Fancy world. But when she learns she’s truly a daughter of an Amish family, she goes home to a place she’s never been before…

Both of these women have some adjustments to make. But which world will claim them?

A PLAIN AND FANCY CHRISTMAS is Ms. Keller’s most recent Christmas story. In a beautifully done hardback, it’s lovely for gift giving for the Amish fiction lovers on your shopping list.

There is a lot of telling in this book, a lot of backstory, which caused me to skim a lot, but the ideal was intriguing and it was interesting seeing how each woman handled the shocking news and resulting upheaval. The characters are rather flat and I didn't care much for them. And some situations were unbelievable. This isn’t a Christian book, but there is some reference to church and praying. 3.5 stars. $16.00. 336 pages.