Plain Truth

Plain Truth by Jodi Picoult

(Summary taken from inside the book jacket) "The discovery of a dead infant shakes Lancaster County to its core. But the police investigation leads to a more shocking disclosure: Circumstantial evidence suggests that 18-year-old Katie Fisher, an unmarried Amish woman believed to be the mother, took the newborn's life. When Ellie Hathaway, a big-city attorney, comes to Paradise, Pennsylvania, to defend Katie, two cultures collide--and for the first time in her career, Ellie faces a system of justice very different from her own. Delving deep inside the world of those who live "plain," Ellie must find a way to reach Katie. And 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 reenters her life."

I found this book very interesting. It is different from what I thought it would be, and it pulls at many different emotions. On the one hand, I believed what Katie said had happened, and on the other I didn't. Haha. I just couldn't decide. I liked the characters in the book, except for Katie's father. I think Ms. Picoult did a good job of creating the characters and making you feel like you know them. I thought she did a good job developing the story and it did have a few twists that I didn't expect. I did, in the end, figure out the mystery, but (I'm not going to give anything away here so this may be kind of vague) I couldn't decide how I wanted to take it. I don't think I can believe this person capable of murder, so I want to believe that what Ellie's case showed was truly the case, but that this person was......ohhhh I guess I can't say this without giving it away. Bummer. If you want to know, email me.... Anyway, I liked this book. It was a fairly easy read and it was entertaining and thoughtful. There was a little too much language in it for me, I think she used the "f" word at least once, maybe twice. She also took the Lord's name in vain a couple of times. If that's not okay with you then I would say don't read it. I could have also done without some of the "physical intimacy" scenes. The whole plot revolves around premarital and unprotected relations, but there are only one or two times where it is described.

Rating: R (Remember, the R rating does not follow a movie's R rating, it just means it is not appropriate for anyone younger than college). Language and physical intimacy.

Recommendation: College and up (The language mostly, but also the physical intimacy scenes, make this inappropriate for anyone younger than college. It's sad because it could be used to show teenagers the consequences of their actions, but I think it is just too much.)