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Plain Truth
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Average customer review:
Product Description
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 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 into the world of those who live 'plain', Ellie must find a way to reach Katie on her terms.
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 comes back into her life.
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #9417 in Books
- Published on: 2004-10-25
- Original language: English
- Binding: Paperback
- 480 pages
Editorial Reviews
Entertainment Weekly
'Absorbing and affecting'
Review
'A new author over here with around 9 titles behind her in the US. She is quite a find, in Anita Shreve territory, an author tackling gritty problems. This involves the supposed murder of a premature baby in an Amish community, and was give high marks by my reader. But I'm told better is to come. Hodder is launching her quietly now, hoping for word-of-mouth support and will splash out with a big campaign for the next in Spring 2005. So watch out, she's worth supporting.' (Bookseller - Sarah Broadhurst - ONES TO WATCH )
'Speaking of Anne Tyler, Hodder's recent US acquisition Jodi Picoult seems to be aimed at a similar market. Plain Truth is the second novel I've read by this author and it was highly enjoyable. A young lawyer attempts to defend an Amish teenager who denies murdering her newborn son, despite compelling evidence to the contrary. The characterisation is perhaps less complex than in Tyler's novels, but Picout has an eye for detail and is a dab hand with plot twists.' (Bookseller - Suzie Doore - Booksellers Choice )
'Jodi Picoult's two UK debut titles are thought-provoking, fascinating and tense. Plain Truth features hard-bitten Ellie Hathaway, a city attorney whose belief are challenged when she defends an Amish teenage mother accused of murdering her baby. Picoult's choice of subject matter is causing a stir in the press, and she is guaranteed to become a bestseller.' (Bookseller - Lisa Milton - Booksellers Choice )
'Reads like a cross between the Harrison Ford movie WITNESS and Scott Turow's novel PRESUMED INNOCENT' (Arizona Republic )
'Elegant, flowing prose - totally addictive and gripping' (Western Mail Series )
'It's fabulously written - the reader gets great insight into the Amish way of life. A great holiday read.' (You Magazine, South Africa )
'this is a gripping and entertaining story, a combination of murder mystery and courtroom drama... a solid story, with several layers and a fascinating setting... in Picoult's handling, the Amish community and way of life achieves a sympathetic reality.' (The Witness, South Africa )
'Picoult's characters leap off the page, and her plot building is crisp, which results in a most enjoyable read. Pack it into your beach bag right away!'
(You Magazine, South Africa )'Picoult ably explores a complex subject with bravado and clarity, and comes up with a heart-wrenching, unexpected plot twist at the book's conclusion. ' (Publishers Weekly on MY SISTER'S KEEPER )
'Absorbing and affecting' (Entertainment Weekly )
'Picoult has become a master - almost a clairvoyant - at targeting hot issues and writing highly readable page-turners about them . . . [[I]t is impossible not to be held spellbound by the way she forces us to think, hard, about right and wrong.' (Washington Post on MY SISTER'S KEEPER )
'A suspenseful, richly layered drama, Picoult's novel never loses its grip' (People )
The Bookseller
'Jodi Picoult's two UK debut titles are thought-provoking, fascinating and tense...she is guaranteed to become a bestseller.'
Customer Reviews
A real page-turner
The first Jodi Picoult book I read was ‘My Sisters Keeper’ and I was so impressed and enthralled that I went out and bought Plain Truth straight after. I have to admit that before reading this book I could write what I knew about the Amish on the back of a postage stamp. The research and detail that went into describing the Amish faith and traditions was amazing. The story centers around the discovery of a dead baby on an Amish farm and how the Amish community deal with the trial of one of its own in a court that they don’t recognize. Plain Truth is gripping from beginning to end and will educate you and fascinate you at once. You should expect to sit up until all hours turning pages as this book is thoroughly gripping.
A brilliant insight into another World
THis is my third JP. Having read comments from other reviewers that they can become formulaic after you've read 2 or 3 I now think that is unfair. OK, there's a lawyer in each story, but apart from that.. the stories are totally, totally different. In Plain Truth, the reader is given the opportunity to find out about The Amish World at the same time as reading a brilliantly well-written and sensitive story.
Am I the only reader who didn't enjoy My Sister's Keeper the most?! I prefered Plain Truth and Salem Falls both.
Totally Riveting
This is the second novel by Jodi Piccoult that I have read, the first being My Sister's Keeper. Just like that novel, I adored this one. Plain Truth is intriguing and though-provoking. If there is anything I would change, it would be that the surprise ending is a little rushed - I would have preferred to have a little time to be shocked and stunned before the book was over. Nevertheless, that didn't stop it from being an amazing read.
