Well, that was a pleasant surprise.

I don't make it a hobby of reading Amish fiction. In fact, I might as well admit that Andrew is the first true book in the genre I've ever read. Which, of course, also means that this is my first book by Jennifer Beckstrand, which I guess doesn't really matter either way.

Andrew by Jennifer Beckstrand is a novel full of humor, honesty, and heart. It's about family and meekness and judgment and love. It's about forgiving people who aren't sorry and accepting apologies you'll never receive. It's about one of the most valuable lessons in the Christian life.

In C.S. Lewis's "Screwtape Proposes a Toast," it was noted that one of the most common and well-masked sins among the human race, the sin of hypocrisy, has hardly loosened its grip on any of our Christian hearts nowadays. Pharisees still prowl among us, and it takes real humility to admit that you're acting like one.

That said, I did love everything else about this book as well. The entire plot was basically composed of two mischievous little imps scheming ways to get their oldest brother, Andrew, and the disgraced Mary Coblenz to fall in love and get married-- just so the twins can move out of the cellar. You would have thought they could have cooked up a less dramatic plan, but where would be the fun in that, hmm?

The characters were so much fun. Of course there were the twins, Alfie and Benji, who are trying way too hard to get their brother and their new friend to fall in love. This results in all sorts of hilarious scrapes which do indeed draw Andrew and Mary together in countless rescue attempts. Which was so much fun to read. I chuckled quite a lot throughout this book, and that's some accomplishment.

Andrew and Mary were amazing characters as well. Andrew is, at first, convinced that Mary-- who recently returned from the Englischer world, unmarried and pregnant-- a terrible and unrepentant sinner who deserves all the shame and reproach the rest of the community is giving her. Mary is patient and sweet, and through her kindness, Andrew realizes that it's the community who's been giving her too much of a hard time. Through the trials of her disgrace and her parents' abandonment, Mary learns to forgive and remain joyful in the Lord's grace, no matter how dreadful her situation may be.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who likes fun, sweet, but not totally light-hearted romances. The Amish setting only gave it an even more delightful quality. I'm looking forward to the next book in this series, and how Alfie and Benji intend to get their girl-shy brother Abraham out of the house!