My husband
almost ran off the road, our car swaying, as he belted forth laughter. When
something makes Tim laugh, it’s loud and uncontrollable.
Why was Tim
laughing? I told him that someone wrote an Amish romance novel about…sigh….the Amish churning
their own butter. Yes, a man falls for a woman because she tenderly teaches her
siblings how to churn butter, hence, he sees the true woman deep inside.
Ach, vell, what can we do when folks want to
believe the Amish are Little House on the
Prairie? But wait! I think even Ma Ingalls didn’t churn butter, did she? She bought if from Mrs. Olson, right? In exchange for eggs?
Bonnet
Books, books with a lady in an Amish bonnet (prayer kapp) situated in a pastoral
setting are selling in record numbers. That leaves lots of room for writers,
pressed by publishing houses to write about the Amish, even if they’ve never
met a single Amish soul. And writers who are called by really Amish sounding
names…pen names….to make the reader think they’re Amish.
So, I found
the book, Thrill of the Chaste: The Allure of Amish Romance Novels more than educational and fair. I highly
recommend it to those who want to read realistic Amish novels. Valerie Weaver-Zercher sheds light on
the goot and not so goot bonnet books, calling out authors
by name. This book just had to happen. It’s a tool to help readers decipher if the book is true to Amish life. And to my delight, the book redeems Amish fiction that I contribute to and love, and tells why. But novels need to be based on a factual framework.... and the Amish buy their butter at Wal-Mart,
most likely. ;)
Emma Yoder teaching young Samuel how to churn butter
on their Amish farm in Lancaster, PA. ...LOL.
