A Plain & Fancy Christmas

Dec 11, 2012 CoffeeTimeRomance andMore rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Rachel Yoder is a young Amish widow. Following the death of her husband three years before, she and her daughter, have moved back in with her parents, maintaining a simple life and close relations with her family. But all will change with a letter she receives.

Ellie Lawrence has a hectic life in the world of public relations, living for her job without much time for anything else. She, too, has a close relationship with her family. Just like Rachel, Ellie receives a copy of the same letter that...more

like · see review

Jun 18, 2012 d rated it 4 of 5 stars

A Plain and Fancy Christmas by Cynthia Keller

Thirty years ago it all happened...

Two babies/two cultures and a quiet cover up when a doctor mistakenly switched an Amish child Rachel King with the Lawrences,an English family and their baby, Rachel Lawrence. The attending physician, Dr. Thornton had a drinking problem and unknowingly made this terrible error. His wife,Violet,was the nurse on hand that discovered the error and together they decided to keep the truth under wraps. One of my favorite...more

like · see review

Jun 12, 2012 Casey rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

1 like · like · see review

Dec 03, 2011 Virginia Campbell rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: holiday, inspirational, romance

In "A Plain & Fancy Christmas", Cynthia Keller offers a very intriguing human quandary in an unusual setting. I believe that who we become as individuals is as much a matter of our environment as it is our genetic heritage. This is a "switched at birth story" with a twist: at birth, the daughter of an Amish couple is given to a well-heeled New York family, and the city baby goes home to be raised in the Amish community. Both of the girls are fortunate to have loving family homes, yet each of...more

like · see review

Nov 28, 2011 Lynne Young rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book was not at all what I had expected. I thought, given the title, this would be another Christmas book but nothing could be farther from the truth. It turned out to be a wonderful book. I really enjoyed it and had to keep reading to see how it would all come out in the end. Rachel Yoder and Ellie Lawrence were both born in Lancaster, PA within days of each other. Unfortunately the doctor who delivered them had a drinking problem and they were both sent home with the wrong parents where t...more

like · see review

Oct 25, 2011 Cyndi Beane-Henry rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A Plain and Fancy Christmas
by
Cynthia Keller
Copyright 2011 by Cynthia Steckel
Ballantine Books - Random House, Inc.
ISBN 978-0-345-52875-9

When two baby girls are born in the same hospital, just two days apart, they are mixed up at the time their mother's were discharged for home. Each girl was raised in the home the other should have been raised in. Their destinies forever altered, each girl named Rachel, lived thirty years unknowing of the situation.

When a death bed confession brings light to the...more

like · see review

Oct 24, 2011 joan rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Older teen and adult. Nothing remotely offensive.

Strangely enough, as I was preparing to review this book, a story was on the evening news about two twelve-year-old girls who were switched at birth. I'm not giving away the plot when I say that this charming book concerns two young women from very disparate backgrounds who are likewise informed that they were given to the wrong families. The book is a nicely crafted story of how they attempt to cope with this astounding interruption in the lives into which they were comfortably settled. Perhaps...more

like · see review

Jun 22, 2012 Mayda rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: amish, audio, christmas

Think about what you would do, if as an adult, you discovered that your whole life was built on a lie. What if everything you believed in – your family, your faith, even your aspirations as encouraged by your parents – really weren’t your own? What if you suddenly discovered why you didn’t look like your siblings or parents, why you always felt like somehow you didn’t belong, why you vaguely seemed to be missing something in life? How would you react if at age 30, you discovered that as an infan...more

like · see review

Mar 02, 2012 Karen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Raised in a Pennsylvania Amish community, young mother Rachel Yoder has led a simple life within her close-knit family. Widowed three years ago, she has moved back in with her parents, attempting to raise her daughter, Katie, without further emotional upheaval. Meanwhile, four hours and a whole world away in New York City, Ellie Lawrence is laser-focused on a high-powered public relations career, with too little time for her family, her friends, or even her boyfriend.

Then one fateful day, these...more

like · see review

Oct 19, 2011 Erin rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed, first-read

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I won an ARC of this book through a Goodreads giveaway.

A Plain and Fancy Christmas was an interesting book. The best way to describe it seems to be, warm and fuzzy. It was a very easy read and I sometimes found it to be lacking substance. The premise of the book is that two women, both named Rachel, one Amish, one a city girl, find out that they were switched at birth. The book describes the girls finding out about their additional families, relating to their new families, adjusting to farm lif...more

1 like · like · see review

Jan 31, 2012 Susan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-books-read, inspirational-fiction

A different twist on the switched at birth story. It was very interesting to see how the two women coped with the idea of having a different family, and one so different than the way they were raised. After the initial shock, both families welcomed the "new" daughter. Meeting her Amish family gave Ellie a sense of herself that had been missing for awhile, and gave her the courage to make a major change in her life. Rachel had also frequently felt like she didn't quite fit in with her family. Ell...more

like · see review

Oct 23, 2011 Peg rated it 3 of 5 stars

A Plain and Fancy Christmas by Cynthia Keller. This was an ARC sent to me free of charge by Goodreads. This novel is set in Pennsylvania and New York City where the two entirely different main characters live. First we meet Rachel Yoder, an Amish widow and mother who lives the Amish lifestyle in Pennsylvania. Then we meet Ellie Lawrence who lives the New York City corporate lifestyle as a business executive. We soon find out that Rachel and Ellie were switched at birth and both decide to meet an...more

like · see review

Mar 18, 2012 Camille rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 5-stars, favorites, amish-fiction, christian-fiction, christmas

A Plain & Fancy Christmas by Cynthia Keller

How did I not read this at Christmas? I don't even know, but I surely missed out!

So, my friends, please put this on your reading list for November-December 2012! You won't regret it!

Imagine the worst nightmare a mother could have. Well, not the worst, but a pretty bad one nonetheless. Finding out that some 30 years after giving birth, her daughter isn't her daughter. She's raised someone else's child as her own...

Rachel Yoder has been raised Amish h...more

like · see review

Nov 16, 2011 Diane A Brown rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Do you really know who you are?

What would happen if you checked your mail today, opened a letter to discover that when you left the hospital you were given to the wrong parents? That is just what happens to Rachel, a devoted Amish daughter and a mother of a young daughter and to Ellie, a highly successful public relations executive living in New York City.

Cynthia does a exceptional job of sharing their thoughts, trials, and tests as they discover the differences in their lives and what they migh...more

like · see review

Mar 12, 2013 Cumberland Public added it

Shelves: staff-picks

Cynthia Keller’s novel A Plain & Fancy Christmas is a heart warming story of two families, the Kings and the Lawrences. The novel begins with the births of a daughter to each family in the same hospital. They each name their daughter Rachael. When discharging the babies, the doctor accidently switches the babies and one raised in the Amish faith and the other in New York City. The doctor’s wife, a nurse, recognized this mistake but kept quiet to save her husband’s good name. When the doctor...more

like · see review

Oct 01, 2011 Carol rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: amish-fiction, 2011

Two baby girls from completely different backgrounds were born in the same hospital in Lancaster County. A doctor under pressure to not make any more mistakes drinks too much and send the wrong baby home with a couple. Years pass and no one knows that it happened except his wife. When she had been widowed and knows that she is dying, she wants to make things right by telling the truth to the two women.

Rachel Yodel has grown up in an Amish community, married and then widowed and was left with a d...more Two baby girls from completely different backgrounds were born in the same hospital in Lancaster County. A doctor under pressure to not make any more mistakes drinks too much and send the wrong baby home with a couple. Years pass and no one knows that it happened except his wife. When she had been widowed and knows that she is dying, she wants to make things right by telling the truth to the two women.

Rachel Yodel has grown up in an Amish community, married and then widowed and was left with a daughter, named Katie. Rachel always felt that she didn’t quite fit it. She looked different from her parents and brother and sisters and she was always the one who got into trouble. During the period that she lived away (rumspringer) from her family in an apartment. This time away is a tradition among the Amish to help them find out if they are ready to commit themselves by baptism to the Amish way of life
She found that she loved to read and learn. There was always something that was missing for her in the Amish life. The Amish have education just to the eight grade as that is thought all that they need.

In contrast, Ellie Shore had a high powered public relations job with an apartment in New York. She found herself working constantly to keep from making a mistake and to keep up with the job. It took all of her time. She was a slave to her cell phone and her computer.

What happens when these two unrelated women receive the letter from the widow telling them that they are not really who they think they are?

I loved the characters of the two women that Cynthia Keller created and especially little smart and spunky Katie, the daughter of Rachel.
All of the families of both the women are richly developed and have their own personalities. The writing is clear and straight forward and you can easily get immerse in the cooking part of Amish life while New York environment is wonderful and dangerous at the same time.

That is enough details about the story, I think you will truly like what developed over time and many conversations at the end. I think you will love little Katie!

I recommend this book to all who love Amish fiction and a great story.

I received this book as a part of the Amazon Vine Program but that in no way influenced my review.(less)

like · see review

Dec 08, 2011 Mary Oddi O'Brien rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle-books

Rachel Yoder and Ellie Lawrence are living in two completely different worlds. Ever since Rachel’s husband passed away three years ago, she has been living the simple life on her parent’s farm raising her daughter. Ellie on the other hand has been living in New York City. She has a very high demanding job that doesn’t leave much time for family or friends.

One day both of these girl’s lives changed. They both received a letter saying that when they were born, there was a mistake at the hospital a...more

like · see review

Jul 27, 2012 Laura rated it 3 of 5 stars

Title: A PLAIN AND FANCY CHRISTMAS
Author: Cynthia Keller
Publisher: Ballantine
October 2011
ISBN: 978-0-345-52875-9
Genre: Amish

Two women, switched at birth. Rachel Lawrence and Rachel King were both born in the same hospital, days apart. A doctor makes a mistake, his nurse wife covers it over, and both babies are sent home with the wrong family.

Now Rachel King has been married, has a child, and has been widowed. She’s always struggled with being Amish, and when she receives a letter from the docto...more

like · see review

Oct 25, 2011 Tona rated it 5 of 5 stars

What would you do if you found out your parents were not YOUR parents. What if you found out that instead of being a Professional in NYC, you were supposed to be a plain Amish woman?

That's what happened to Rachel & Ellie.

An alcoholic doctor on his second strike, mistakenly sends baby Ellie to Manhattan with the Lawrence family. Rachel is sent to Lancaster Co. P.A. to be raised Amish.

Rachel is still reeling from the loss of her husband and is raising her daughter Katie. Rachel has always fe...more

like · see review

Nov 10, 2011 Oh! Paper Pages rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

Also reviewed on Oh! Paper Pages

“A Plain & Fancy Christmas” by Cynthia Keller is a story about two women who were switched at birth. One woman was raised by an Amish family while the other was pampered in an upper West Side apartment. The novel documents the journey of these two women as they first discover their true origins and navigate their emotions and new families.

Upon first reading the novel, I was struck by the wonderful way Keller introduces the audience to the characters. The fir...more

like · see review

Oct 30, 2011 Pam Deppe rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I received this book as a goodreads "giveaway". I really like books written in Amish country or about the Amish lifestyle. This book lived up to my expectations. Two babies born in the same Lancaster, Pennsylvania hospital a couple of days apart. One an "Amish" baby, and one an "English" baby. The doctor having drank to much the night before, sent the "Amish" baby home with the "English" parents. The doctors wife who happened to be a nurse in the nursery at the hospital noticed when she came int...more

like · see review

Oct 26, 2011 Chamar rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed reading the ARC version of this book. Apart from the normal editing flaws, I noted no holes in the plot. The "switched at birth" story was refreshingly written with the twist that one of the girls was raised Amish, while one was raised in a very modern contemporary home. I found the history of the accidental switch of the two girls, both named Rachel, realistic and sympathetic, as well. After the initial shock wears off when the two Rachels are notified of the mistake, they even...more

like · see review

Dec 23, 2012 Nancy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: christmas, religious

The story tells of two baby girls switched at birth. One girl was from an Amish family, and the other from an educated New York City family. A nurse covered up for her alcoholic husband. He had been warned if he made one more mistake, the hospital wouldn't let him practice there. The doctor swore he would never take another drink, if his nurse wife covered up the mistake. He kept to that promise. The nurse wrote letters to both woman thirty years later. It was interesting to learn about the Amis...more

like · see review

Jan 13, 2012 Barb rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012

If you follow my reading habits at all you know that I like books about the Amish and this one is no exception. It takes a different twist though and is about two babies born about the same time in the same hospital. Somehow the babies go home with the wrong moms -- the book explains but I don't want to spoil it. It's a nice story and you can read it just for that but it also makes one think about the who "nature vs. nurture" dilemma. Are some of our likes and mannerisms just in how we are born...more

like · see review

Dec 29, 2011 Carolyn rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Everyone

What a wonderful story!! This one gets at least 7 or 8 stars.

I would love to see a sequel to this story. We need to know what happens with Rachel Yoder. Surely she too will find love in her Amish community. Aside from that, I would just like to hear more from this author.

Incidentally, I never would have read this book and the previous one, An Amish Christmas, if I hadn't seen them recommended on Goodreads|Fans of Amish Fiction as I had never heard of this author.

like · see review

Dec 23, 2011 Beverly rated it 3 of 5 stars

I have no clue why the author picked the title of this book, when Christmas was only briefly mentioned in the final chapter. I found that rather disappointing since I picked up the book to read for Christmas. But all in all, I enjoyed the book and all the complicated human emotions that was at the center of the story about two women who discover they were switched at birth. Their worlds couldn't have been more different--one raised in NYC by wealthy professional people and one raised on an Amish...more

like · see review

Dec 12, 2012 Rachel Brand rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle, ballantine, amish, christmas, 2012

RATING: 3.5 OUT OF 5 - GOOD

PROS: Realistic emotions displayed as characters come to terms with their new lives

CONS: Christmas is barely featured; plot is a little contrived

A Plain and Fancy Christmas has a similar balance of Amish and English characters, but I doubt that many readers will be able to relate to the characters in this novella as much as they did with An Amish Christmas. The story centres around two young women, one Amish and one English, who discover that they were accidentally swa...more RATING: 3.5 OUT OF 5 - GOOD

PROS: Realistic emotions displayed as characters come to terms with their new lives

CONS: Christmas is barely featured; plot is a little contrived

A Plain and Fancy Christmas has a similar balance of Amish and English characters, but I doubt that many readers will be able to relate to the characters in this novella as much as they did with An Amish Christmas. The story centres around two young women, one Amish and one English, who discover that they were accidentally swapped at birth in the hospital where they were born. Rachel Yoder has always felt slightly out of place in her Amish family, but she decides not to act upon the letter that informs her of her true parentage. Following the death of her husband, her eleven-year-old daughter, Katie, is the most important thing in her life, and she doesn’t plan to uproot Katie from the community she was raised in. Ellie Lawrence, on the other hand, can’t help but be curious about her real parents, and leaves her home and high-flying career in New York to visit Lancaster County. What follows is an exploration of the emotions each family faces upon the news that their daughters are not really their own, and how they go about integrating their newfound family member into their lives. Ellie finds relief away from the stress of her city life, but knows that she couldn’t ever become Amish. Rachel’s family is worried that visiting her biological parents in New York might provide dangerous temptations, and as much as she comes to care for her new family, she doesn’t know if she’s doing the right thing by exposing Katie to such a different world from the one she knows. Ultimately, Ellie and Rachel have a lot of soul-searching to do in order to figure out who they truly are.

A Plain and Fancy Christmas is far more fanciful than An Amish Christmas, and although I’m sure this storyline has been attempted before in many other genres, this was my first experience of the switched-at-birth plot. I was pleasantly surprised at how the author handled the emotions of Rachel and Ellie, and their respective families. I felt like I got more insight into Rachel’s family members than Ellie’s, but there was a lot of exploration into Ellie finding out who she really was, and that made up for the lack of development of her family members. Naturally, I have no experience of how to deal with the sudden realisation that someone who has been part of your family for twenty-eight years isn’t related to you, and that you have another child you never knew about. But I did feel that the emotions displayed by each family seemed realistic, considering the circumstances. They still considered the child they raised to be their own, but they wanted to welcome the other child into their family, despite how awkward it might feel. I could understand Rachel’s jealousy at how well her mother got on with Ellie, and Ellie’s parents desire to show Rachel all the exciting things about their life, without realising how many of the things they wanted to share conflicted with her beliefs.

I will admit that some of the situations in the novella felt rather contrived, but in a way, they seemed necessary in order for the story to progress. This simply wouldn’t have been a terribly interesting novella if Ellie hadn’t been struggling with her fast-paced city life and been in need of an escape, as was provided by her family in Lancaster County. How much fun would it have been to read about an English woman who was bemused by her Amish relatives and retreated to her life in New York, having no contact with her other family besides the occasional Christmas card? Although Amish novels that feature Englishers getting respite on an Amish farm could be said to project the image that fast-paced city life is bad, and everyone should leave it all behind and become Amish, there simply wouldn’t be these novels if authors didn’t write about characters who are struggling with life in the English world. And I’m sure there are plenty of young women, like Ellie, who are struggling to keep up with the pressures of today’s society. Although my life is very different from Ellie’s, I imagine that there will be some readers who can relate to her desire to escape their fast-paced careers and attempt something different, without becoming Amish. The situations presented in this book may be entirely implausible and a little contrived, but the emotions displayed by the characters made me care about the outcome of their difficult situations. Although not as relatable to the general reader as An Amish Christmas, A Plain and Fancy Christmas was an enjoyable, escapist read. Although I must warn potential readers that very little of this novella takes place in winter, unlike An Amish Christmas, but it does conclude with a Christmas scene.

Review title provided by Ballantine Books.(less)

like · see review

Mar 11, 2012 Dorine rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary-amish

Widowed for three years, Rachel Yoder is finally learning to smile, even though she’s never quite sure if she’s properly honoring her Amish way of life. Rachel has always struggled with thoughts of inadequacy while trying her very best to be a strong, obedient Amish wife and mother. She was happiest when she had farmed with her Amish husband. After he passed away, she moved back in with her parents in Pennsylvania, making a place for herself and her daughter in their Amish community. Rachel wor...more

Widowed for three years, Rachel Yoder is finally learning to smile, even though she’s never quite sure if she’s properly honoring her Amish way of life. Rachel has always struggled with thoughts of inadequacy while trying her very best to be a strong, obedient Amish wife and mother. She was happiest when she had farmed with her Amish husband. After he passed away, she moved back in with her parents in Pennsylvania, making a place for herself and her daughter in their Amish community. Rachel works hard, hoping to earn her parents’ approval, but she always feels like she’s different in some way she can’t explain.

Ellie Lawrence has earned her way to the top of her field in Public Relations. As Vice President of her company in New York City, she works long hours, barely having time for her family. It’s what she’s always wanted, or thought she wanted…until the day a letter comes that will change everything she knows about herself and her family. Even though she’s been dating, Ellie realizes he’s not the man for her. Now it all makes sense when she finally finds out why she doesn’t look like her siblings or feel like she fits in with them.

Thirty years ago, a doctor made a momentous error, and his wife, a nurse, covered up his mistake to save her husband’s job and to protect them both from public ridicule. The doctor has now passed away, and the nurse has decided to come clean before her own death. Two children were switched at birth and sent home with the wrong parents. The nurse writes these two now grown women about her involvement in the lie they’ve been living and sends them both on a course of self discovery.

What would you do if you found out in your thirties that you have lived your life with the wrong parents and siblings? Would you want to meet your other family? What if your family was Amish? Would you leave the city and job you loved to live as an Amish woman? What if your Amish family wasn’t really your family but lived in a high-rise in New York City? Could you leave the safety of the Amish community to get to know your real family in a city with every temptation you shouldn’t face?

A PLAIN & FANCY CHRISTMAS isn’t a traditional romance, but it does contain a significant love story. Several love stories actually, but mostly it’s about the love of family in addition to learning to love yourself and your life. You can’t truly love another until you’ve become whole yourself and there’s plenty of love within these pages, even if it’s often misconstrued. This is the perfect story to read during the holidays when your list can be overwhelming without realizing what’s truly important. It’s thought provoking, enchanting, heartrending as well as captivating.

This is a beautifully written inside look at two completely different worlds within loving families. This novel embodies some richly described lessons and heartbreaking moments before either woman discovers who they really are at this moment. Their past has shaped them, but it shouldn’t dictate where their hearts should lead. Or should it?

A PLAIN & FANCY CHRISTMAS makes you think about life’s treasures and will create a welcome excuse to relax for a few hours. Cynthia Keller makes you ponder what you would do in the exact situation, while being wrapped up in the emotions of these two amazing women and their families—who have to let go in order to truly show their love.

I really loved this novel. It delves into the frailty of the human spirit during a life changing moment, no matter how you’ve been raised. You can allow life’s hard knocks to break you, or you can realize how special your life is along the way. A PLAIN & FANCY CHRISTMAS is beautiful, poignant and inspirational.

Review Courtesy of RomanceJunkies.com (less)

like · see review

Jan 28, 2012 pam rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: amish

i really enjoyed this book i could not put it down it was a good page turner for me. even after i read it i keep thinking about it. it was a different amish book then i usually read i read more romance books.
it is about two women that knew something was not right in their lives they did not look like anyone in there family and felt something was missing. they both recieved a letter that thirty years ago there was a mix up at the hospital that they were switch at birth one was an amish family a...more

like · see review

Feb 20, 2012 Kimberly rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

I won this book as a Goodreads FirstReads giveaway.

Rachel and Ellie (full name Rachel) are both 30 years old; Rachel is a widowed Amish woman living with the family who raised her. Ellie lives on her own in NYC as a very successful PR woman. They receive a letter from a dying nurse that they had been switched at birth. Rachel is the biological daughter of the NYC family and Ellie is the biological daughter of the Amish family.

What ensues is a very interesting tale of how these two young women de...more

like · see review

title link	preview: A Plain & Fancy Christmas
avg rating	preview: A Plain & Fancy Christmas Goodreads rating: 3.91 (294 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11447772-a-plain-fancy-christmas?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320539865l/11447772.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11447772-a-plain-fancy-christmas?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]A Plain & Fancy Christmas by Cynthia Keller[/url]

A Plain & Fancy Christmas

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topic
Discuss This Book

combine
Other Editions (5)

Genres

Readers also enjoyed similar books

Books by Cynthia Keller

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About A Plain and Fancy...

A Plain & Fancy Christmas

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topicDiscuss This Book

combineOther Editions (5)

Genres

Readers also enjoyed similar books

Books by Cynthia Keller

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About A Plain and Fancy...

new topic
Discuss This Book

combine
Other Editions (5)