Amish fiction tends to be a bit polarizing. Readers tend to love it or hate it. Are the criticisms valid? One has to wonder because, despite the naysayers, Amish fiction has a huge following. What is so appealing about Amish fiction, what do readers expect, and is the claim that “If you’ve read one, you’ve read them all” a fair one?
Amish author, Jennifer Beckstrand, joined me in a conversation about Amish fiction, her books, and a super exciting collection that released today, Amish Christmas Miracles.
Why Amish Fiction Is Crazy Popular & More
I had a list of questions that probably took poor Jennifer for a wild ride, but anyone who visits many of the Christian fiction Facebook groups, the Goodreads discussions, or just chats Christian fiction with friends knows that Amish fiction has rabid fans and derisive critics. Knowing how readers felt about that, I thought it would be nice to get an author’s perspective. I asked about:
Why people like Amish fiction.
Jennifer loves it because enjoys a happy story, and she said that people appreciate the simplicity of the lifestyle and that it’s a kinder, gentler romance than many contemporary romances. I’m going to out her here and share that while I cut it out of the audio, she did coin a new word. “Kindler.” We had a good laugh over that.
She also made a fascinating point about how it really does combine historical fiction with contemporary. That really hit home with me because the first Amish fiction I really loved was Suzanne Woods Fisher’s Anna’s Crossing series.
Additionally, one of Amish fiction’s most criticized elements is also why it is popular. Jennifer shared that publishers like it because Walmart does. Readers know exactly what to expect from a book with an Amish cover. The very predictability of general Amish plots is also what those readers like. I found that fascinating.
They also love the strong faith element of people whose entire lives are an act of worship.
Are all Amish stories really the same?
Not hardly. For example, in the collection we discussed, there are fourteen different Amish authors and Jennifer reckons that this probably means fourteen different locations including Maine and Maryland–two states that I didn’t know had Amish communities.
Some say that the characters in these books are a bit too “perfect,” and Jennifer admits sometimes they are. She and many authors like her, however, enjoy writing more flawed, relatable characters.
I pointed out that the tendency to write “Mary Sue” characters is by no means limited to Amish fiction, and after some reflection, I think that like many others, I’ve often held Amish fiction to a higher standard than other fiction. That doesn’t seem quite right, does it?
So we ended up discussing how genre fiction all have formulas within each genre and how the author’s job is to avoid turning it into a cliche.
All the Amish aren’t all alike!
Not just location differences, but cultural differences within those locations make all Amish stories different. They actually put a foreword in Amish Christmas Miracles pointing out that the different places would have different lives, rules, traditions, and things.
Jennifer also talked about her original research when she decided to write Amish fiction, and after immersing herself in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania Amish culture, she decided to set her books in Wisconsin and was dismayed to learn from an Amish friend that those Wisconsin folks were very different!
People have ideas about what Amish is and isn’t and when we impose our ideas of what is and isn’t sufficiently Amish, we’re kind of arrogant. Fun fact: In my daughter’s Amish town, I saw an Amish man getting out of a car at McDonald’s, talking on the phone. That’s okay there. However, they’re only allowed to use a certain kind of (uncovered in crazy cold Indiana, no less) sort of buggy. Larger families have “three-buggy garages” because they need them to fit everyone into said buggy!
When I read Buried Secrets by Rachel J. Good, my knowledge of the Amish was limited to groups NOT like the one Rachel was writing about and that yes, some Amish do decorate nurseries for their babies!
Why is Pennsylvania Dutch used where it is and when it is?
People love varying amounts of the Pennsylvania Dutch in their books, and as we were talking about it, I realized it would be a good thing to have a list of authors who use a lot and others who don’t use as much for folks who enjoy it.
Jennifer likes to use just enough to create that setting–a reminder to the reader that these people are actually speaking and thinking in Pennsylvania Dutch.
The Amish Christmas Miracles Collection
Jennifer (J.E.B.) Spredemann was talking about how she wanted to do a box set, so eventually, those two and Rachel J. Good got together and found eleven more authors who wanted to do it.
Now I read Jennifer’s story, Peanut Butter Christmas, and seriously. Amish, Santa Claus, Miracles, and faith struggles… what more could you want from a Christmas story. How about absolutely adorable twin boys who don’t quite get how this Santa thing works. I also told my own Santa story from my childhood. Eeep!
The authors are as follows and I’m listing a few of each authors’ books that I thought you might want to take note of:
Jennifer Beckstrand
- The Matchmakers of Huckleberry Hill series
- Sweet as Honey from the Honeybee Sisters series
- Andrew from the Petersheim Brothers series
Kathleen Fuller
J.E.B. Spredemann
Dana R. Lynn
Susan Lantz Simpson
- Plain Discovery (Book One of the Plainly Maryland Series)
- The Promise (Book One of the Amish of Southern Maryland Series)
- Rosanna’s Gift
- Lizzie’s Heart
Ashley Emma
Lenora Worth
Serena B. Miller
Loree Lough
Rachel J. Good
- His Unexpected Amish Twins
- His Pretend Amish Bride
- His Accidental Amish Family
- Amish Christmas Twins
Laura Bradford
Tracy Fredrychowski
- Secrets of Willow Springs – Book 1
- Secrets of Willow Springs – Book 2
- The Amish Women of Lawrence County
- Love Blooms at the Apple Blossom Inn
Adina Senft
Mary Alford
The collection is .99 but only until 11/15/2020, so grab it now!
The regular retail price is 9.99, so you really want to grab it fast. Seriously, Jennifer’s story is worth the dollar price tag several times over all by itself, so grab it while you can.
Thank you for sharing about this awesome sounding book. I love Amish stories and I love Christmas. Have a Great week and stay safe.
Chautona, what a delightful blog! Thank you so much for interviewing me on your podcast. I had so much fun. We definitely need to do it again sometime. Hugs and blessings!
Have you read any Amish books by author Linda Byler? She has vivd descriptions and unusual settings and plots.Her bio indicates that she is still a member of an Amish church, and I feel like her books are truly authentic Amish. Als you mentioned “Amish” lifestyle and tradtion varies greatly in different areas. I have only read a few of her books, SADIE’S MONTANA trilogy and several of the Christmas ones. More on TBR list. 🙂