This review contains spoilers from the previous novels in the Plain Fame Series.
Plain Choice, by Sarah Price, is the latest in the Plain Fame Series which included Plain Fame, Plain Change, Plain Again, and Plain Return. Plain Choice picks up where Plain Return left off: Alejandro Diaz, the famous hip hop/rap artist also known as Viper, has returned to his life outside of Lititz, Pennsylvania, where his Amish raised wife, Amanda, is staying with his daughter, Isadora, the result of a one night stand before he met Amanda. Things don't look good for our protagonists. Against Alejandro's wishes, Amanda had returned to Lititz in order to give Isadora stability instead of the difficult and transient lifestyle that they would all have to face if they travelled along with Alejandro on his concert tours. Alejandro comes to realize that the life he offers for Amanda and Isadora may not be what his wife and daughter need. Though he loves Amanda dearly and wishes for her to be by his side as he tours the world, he also tries to contemplate how he might be able to let Amanda go so that she can return to the Amish world which she appears to be more comfortable in.
When Alejandro leaves Amanda behind in Pennsylvania, she realizes that their marriage is now in a precarious place, and waits in vain to hear from him, but Alejandro is already putting distance between them. The paparazzi have also been taking misleading photos of her and Harvey, the farmhand that Alejandro hired to help the Beiler family, and speculation about a relationship between them is appearing in the tabloids. Can Amanda's and Alejandro's marriage be saved?
I liked this novel the most out of the five that have appeared so far in the series, probably because I thought that Amanda finally did what made sense to me in light of the decisions that she made, especially in Plain Return. Although it is probably true that it was a good idea to return to the Beiler farm so that Isadora would have stability in her life, I did not agree with the way and the timing in which Amanda had left Alejandro. It may sound a bit too traditional and non-egalitarian, but I thought that Amanda had given Isadora a higher priority than Alejandro when she decided to leave him midway through the South American tour, especially against his wishes for her to remain with him. Even though Alejandro's suggestion of securing a nanny for Isadora was an unpleasant idea for Amanda, it would have kept the family together for the remaining three weeks of the tour, which isn't really that long, in my opinion. It would have bought them more time to really think about what they would do as a family, for the care of Isadora, and for the unpleasantness that Amanda faced from Alejandro's rabid female fans. At the end of Plain Return, when Amanda realizes that Alejandro might walk out of their marriage, she is willing to return to the tour with a nanny. However, by this time, he has already decided to set her free from his complicated lifestyle, ironically, because he now thinks that if he truly loves her, he should let her go so that she can decide how she wants to live. Unfortunately, he seems to believe that this means steering her back into the Amish life. Really, these two need to talk to each other and to listen to each other before jumping quickly into unwise decisions...but that would leave us without Plain Choice to read, eh? So, I won't tell you what Amanda decides to do; you'll have to read it for yourself.
I loved all the covers for the recent releases of the books in the series, but I thought that the cover for Plain Choice was really fitting. Alejandro is depicted with his right hand twisting his wedding band on the left hand, representing his choice of whether to continue with the marriage or to divorce Amanda. Amanda is depicted in her plain dress, but with her kapp in her hands, representing her decision of whether or not to leave the Amish world. The image of the Eiffel Tower represents the European tour that Alejandro is on, and the farm represents the Beiler farm where Amanda and and Isadora are staying at.
It was interesting to read of Alejandro's thoughts about his love for Amanda and how he viewed their marriage. Over the course of the series, I felt that he was actually quite lenient with her when it came to their separations. Amanda appeared to be to one who instigated most of these, placing her insecurity over Alejandro's clawing female fans, her family, and Isadora above remaining with Alejandro, who always seemed to long for her to stay with him. What I didn't like about Alejandro was that he acted disrespectfully toward Amanda in some of his business/career dealings, especially where they made her lose face before others. For example, I really wasn't impressed when he used footage of her without her consent on a tour in Plain Change, which made her look jealous of other women, or when he used photos along with false stories in order to circumvent the media interest in the appearance of Isadora in Plain Return. Knowing and loving Amanda has changed Alejandro, although by the end of Plain Choice, I'm still not certain about how far the changes reach in his life beyond his relationship with her and their family. The novel doesn't really address how far the lordship of Christ extends into his life, although he seems to acknowledge His presence more.
As in the previous books, starting with Plain Change, we have glimpses into Amanda's and Alejandro's intimate moments, or rather the moments leading up to those exchanges. While there are no overt descriptions of them actually having sex, I still felt as if I were intruding in their privacy.
I would not consider Plain Choice to be a stand alone book. The novel does resolve many of the plot threads that started in the previous books in the series. In my opinion, out of the five books, this one seemed to have the most overt references to faith beyond contrasting the worlds and practices of the Englische and the Amish. The series also gives an interesting view into the entertainment world that Alejandro inhabits. I liked reading the series, and have enjoyed following the love story of Amanda and Alejandro.
Disclaimer: I received an e-copy of Plain Choice by Sarah Price from NetGalley in exchange for a review. All opinions stated in this review are mine.
Showing posts with label Plain Fame Series. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Plain Fame Series. Show all posts
Tuesday, 29 March 2016
Tuesday, 22 March 2016
Review: Plain Return by Sarah Price
Plain Return is the fourth installment of the Plain Fame Series by Sarah Price. It opens just a few weeks after Plain Again which ended with the protagonists, Amanda and Alejandro, reuniting and celebrating the New Year in New York together after being apart for weeks. Amanda's sister, Anna, and Anna's new husband, Jonah, have now taken over in managing the family farm and are able to care for Amanda's father who has been recovering from a stroke. Alejandro, also known as Viper, a famous hip hop artist, is about to embark on his South American tour, and wishes to take Amanda along, not only as a travelling companion, but also to participate in his concerts on the tour.
During the South American tour, Amanda finds it difficult to adapt to Alejandro's life when he is Viper. She is beginning to see how much calculation goes into building Viper's brand, a concept that she has difficulty in initially understanding. Because of her love for Alejandro and his wishes for her to be part of his world, she tries her best to be supportive of his work, even though she is uncomfortable with the revealing clothes, the suggestive dancing, and the female fans who throw themselves at Viper. More tension is introduced between her and Alejandro when his promiscuous past catches up with the present. Isadora, the five year old child he had out of wedlock through a one night stand, enters his life. Her mother is dead, and her grandfather is no longer able to care for her because he is dying. If Alejandro and Amanda do not assume responsibility for her, she will be taken to an orphanage.
How will Amanda's and Alejandro's marriage survive all the stressors that are acting upon it? Will Amanda adapt to things that she is uncomfortable with so that she can support Alejandro when he is Viper? Can she shrug off the attention that Alejandro receives from his more enthusiastic female fans? Can Amanda ignore the paparazzi and gossipy tabloids that present lies about the relationship between her and Alejandro? What will the two of them decide to do with Isadora? What if they both have different ideas on what should be done with Isadora?
I found that there was more mentioned about Amanda's private relationship with God in Plain Return than in previous books in the Plain Fame series. We are told that she spends a lot of time in prayer and devotions with the Lord, especially when she is not able to spend time with Alejandro, which happens much of the time when he is on tour. I can recall more specific prayers that she makes in this novel. However, as in previous novels, we don't really get a chance to read or hear any specific prayers that she may make for guidance from the Lord over important decisions that will have a huge impact on her marriage to Alejandro.
In Plain Return, Amanda has also come to realize that Alejandro may make professions of being Catholic, but has shown very few signs of living a life of spiritual devotion. She also can see that he may be too caught up in the pursuit of material things, with his love of luxury, his eye for every possible business opportunity, and his desire for the protection of Viper's brand. In this novel, Alejandro shows a more cold, calculating and manipulative side of himself. He can still be a charmer and shows his romantic side with Amanda, but the other half of his personality is more evident and present in Plain Return. I had actually expected that this development of Alejandro's personality would surface earlier in the series, but as it is, it has come out in the story arc at this point. Perhaps being on tour doesn't allow him much time to be anything other than the focused businessman who aims for success, a success that allowed him to rise above a life on the streets of Miami. Unfortunately, some of the things that he does and allows bring conflict into his relationship with Amanda.
I would not consider Plain Return to be a standalone novel, because it is a continuation of the story of Amanda and Alejandro which began in Plain Fame and which continued on in Plain Change and Plain Again. Their story is still not yet finished; a fifth novel, Plain Choice, is going to be released at the end of March, 2016.
Disclaimer: I received an e-copy of "Plain Return" by Sarah Price from NetGalley in exchange for a review. All opinions stated in this review are mine.
During the South American tour, Amanda finds it difficult to adapt to Alejandro's life when he is Viper. She is beginning to see how much calculation goes into building Viper's brand, a concept that she has difficulty in initially understanding. Because of her love for Alejandro and his wishes for her to be part of his world, she tries her best to be supportive of his work, even though she is uncomfortable with the revealing clothes, the suggestive dancing, and the female fans who throw themselves at Viper. More tension is introduced between her and Alejandro when his promiscuous past catches up with the present. Isadora, the five year old child he had out of wedlock through a one night stand, enters his life. Her mother is dead, and her grandfather is no longer able to care for her because he is dying. If Alejandro and Amanda do not assume responsibility for her, she will be taken to an orphanage.
How will Amanda's and Alejandro's marriage survive all the stressors that are acting upon it? Will Amanda adapt to things that she is uncomfortable with so that she can support Alejandro when he is Viper? Can she shrug off the attention that Alejandro receives from his more enthusiastic female fans? Can Amanda ignore the paparazzi and gossipy tabloids that present lies about the relationship between her and Alejandro? What will the two of them decide to do with Isadora? What if they both have different ideas on what should be done with Isadora?
I found that there was more mentioned about Amanda's private relationship with God in Plain Return than in previous books in the Plain Fame series. We are told that she spends a lot of time in prayer and devotions with the Lord, especially when she is not able to spend time with Alejandro, which happens much of the time when he is on tour. I can recall more specific prayers that she makes in this novel. However, as in previous novels, we don't really get a chance to read or hear any specific prayers that she may make for guidance from the Lord over important decisions that will have a huge impact on her marriage to Alejandro.
In Plain Return, Amanda has also come to realize that Alejandro may make professions of being Catholic, but has shown very few signs of living a life of spiritual devotion. She also can see that he may be too caught up in the pursuit of material things, with his love of luxury, his eye for every possible business opportunity, and his desire for the protection of Viper's brand. In this novel, Alejandro shows a more cold, calculating and manipulative side of himself. He can still be a charmer and shows his romantic side with Amanda, but the other half of his personality is more evident and present in Plain Return. I had actually expected that this development of Alejandro's personality would surface earlier in the series, but as it is, it has come out in the story arc at this point. Perhaps being on tour doesn't allow him much time to be anything other than the focused businessman who aims for success, a success that allowed him to rise above a life on the streets of Miami. Unfortunately, some of the things that he does and allows bring conflict into his relationship with Amanda.
I would not consider Plain Return to be a standalone novel, because it is a continuation of the story of Amanda and Alejandro which began in Plain Fame and which continued on in Plain Change and Plain Again. Their story is still not yet finished; a fifth novel, Plain Choice, is going to be released at the end of March, 2016.
Disclaimer: I received an e-copy of "Plain Return" by Sarah Price from NetGalley in exchange for a review. All opinions stated in this review are mine.
Thursday, 15 October 2015
Review: Plain Change by Sarah Price
Plain Change, by Sarah Price, is the immediate sequel to Plain Fame. It is the second in the Plain Fame Series, which also includes Plain Again, Plain Return, and Plain Choice. Plain Change picks up right after Plain Fame leaves off. Alejandro (Viper) Diaz, the famous hip hop singer, has swept Amanda Beiler away from her family's farm in Lancaster after she made an appeal to him for help in dealing with the paparazzi that had been stalking her. Amanda believes that she had no choice but to leave everything that she knows and to go with him, since she had been commanded to leave her Amish community by her bishop. She also realizes that no other Amish community would welcome her because of the unwanted attention from the paparazzi which would follow her wherever she may go. She is apprehensive of her future, but Alejandro says to her, "You will change. And you will live." (Location 109 on Kindle.)
Amanda does change and live in the rest of the novel, but not without feeling conflicted about the process at times. Her Amish upbringing and her personal preferences sometimes make the transition into Alejandro's world difficult, for example, in the clothes that she must now wear, in flying on a plane (something that was forbidden by her bishop), in using a cell phone so that Alejandro and his staff can keep tabs on her, and in interacting with the people in Alejandro's life. Besides describing the changes that Amanda is currently making in her life, the novel contains flashbacks from her Amish life that provide contrasts to the experiences that she is presently facing.
Alejandro's plan for Amanda is to take her with him while he is on his concert/publicity tour. They will present themselves as a couple and give the paparazzi what it wants until it moves onto more interesting subjects. In the meantime, Amanda will have time to decide what she really wants; does she wish to return to her Amish world, or will she stay outside in the Englische world? Alejandro promises Amanda that he will not dishonor her in a way that will make her unacceptable should she decide to return home to Lancaster, Pennsylvania. However, he makes it clear to her that the world will not believe that their relationship is innocent, and that he will not try to convince them otherwise (Locations 751, 759 Kindle). As Amanda is drawn more into Alejandro's life, she finds herself acknowledging that her reasons for joining him are not solely for altruistic reasons in sparing her family and community the attentions of the paparazzi; she admits to herself that she is falling in love with him.
I have mixed feelings about Alejandro. He is a romantic who knows just what to say and do to make Amanda feel special when she feels insecure and he knows how to comfort her when she feels afraid or troubled. However, I'm not impressed that he would allow the world to continue to think that he and Amanda have a less than innocent relationship. We are not really told if Amanda is comfortable with what people think about this.
SPOILER ALERT
Another thing that Alejandro did that bothered me was that he initiated sharing a bed with Amanda while he was touring. She started voicing her discomfort about it, saying that it wasn't right, but he pushed her objections aside and kept her there with him, even though he didn't have sex with her. It bothered me, in my opinion, that she began to rationalize the situation away, by comparing what Alejandro initiated to the Amish practice of bundling, where a young courting couple would spend the night together with a board separating them. Since I'm not Amish, I'm not well acquainted with the practice of bundling, but I would guess that both participants have to come to an agreement to try it out. However, Amanda voiced her objection, albeit, a bit weakly, and Alejandro did what he wanted anyways, without respecting her wishes. What kind of love is that? Anyways, by the time the leg of the tour is done, and they are ready to return to his home in Miami, he has primed her for what he really wants: for them to share his room (and more). What will Amanda do? You'll have to read the book for yourself to find out.
SPOILER OVER
Throughout the novel, we can see that God and faith are very important to Amanda, and that she is struggling to separate which aspects of her Amish faith are cultural and which are more universal in nature for all believing Christians. However, with Alejandro, his faith doesn't seem to be a practical one. He acknowledges that God is the One Who got him to the place where he is in his life today, and he prays with his entourage before concerts, but when it comes to living his life in a way that completely honors God...well, Alejandro doesn't seem to be quite there yet. He is attracted to Amanda's purity and also to the fact that she does not want to use him for her personal gain. Since he likely doesn't have a full comprehension of what it truly means to not dishonor Amanda, I would have to say that he is trying his best to not dishonor her according to his own perception.
Plain Change is not just about the changes that Amanda is making in her life in the Englische world. Alejandro is also challenged to make changes in his life, simply from knowing Amanda and in growing to love her. I would not consider Plain Change to be a stand alone novel. Much of the background story to how Amanda ended up joining Alejandro is detailed in the first book, Plain Fame, and Plain Change ends in a cliff hanger which finds Amanda and Alejandro separated from each other in spite of their love. I have enough interest invested now in this couple to want to find out what happens to them, in their romance, and in their walks with the Lord.
Disclaimer: I received an e-copy of Plain Change from NetGalley in exchange for a review. All opinions stated in this review are mine.
Amanda does change and live in the rest of the novel, but not without feeling conflicted about the process at times. Her Amish upbringing and her personal preferences sometimes make the transition into Alejandro's world difficult, for example, in the clothes that she must now wear, in flying on a plane (something that was forbidden by her bishop), in using a cell phone so that Alejandro and his staff can keep tabs on her, and in interacting with the people in Alejandro's life. Besides describing the changes that Amanda is currently making in her life, the novel contains flashbacks from her Amish life that provide contrasts to the experiences that she is presently facing.
Alejandro's plan for Amanda is to take her with him while he is on his concert/publicity tour. They will present themselves as a couple and give the paparazzi what it wants until it moves onto more interesting subjects. In the meantime, Amanda will have time to decide what she really wants; does she wish to return to her Amish world, or will she stay outside in the Englische world? Alejandro promises Amanda that he will not dishonor her in a way that will make her unacceptable should she decide to return home to Lancaster, Pennsylvania. However, he makes it clear to her that the world will not believe that their relationship is innocent, and that he will not try to convince them otherwise (Locations 751, 759 Kindle). As Amanda is drawn more into Alejandro's life, she finds herself acknowledging that her reasons for joining him are not solely for altruistic reasons in sparing her family and community the attentions of the paparazzi; she admits to herself that she is falling in love with him.
I have mixed feelings about Alejandro. He is a romantic who knows just what to say and do to make Amanda feel special when she feels insecure and he knows how to comfort her when she feels afraid or troubled. However, I'm not impressed that he would allow the world to continue to think that he and Amanda have a less than innocent relationship. We are not really told if Amanda is comfortable with what people think about this.
SPOILER ALERT
Another thing that Alejandro did that bothered me was that he initiated sharing a bed with Amanda while he was touring. She started voicing her discomfort about it, saying that it wasn't right, but he pushed her objections aside and kept her there with him, even though he didn't have sex with her. It bothered me, in my opinion, that she began to rationalize the situation away, by comparing what Alejandro initiated to the Amish practice of bundling, where a young courting couple would spend the night together with a board separating them. Since I'm not Amish, I'm not well acquainted with the practice of bundling, but I would guess that both participants have to come to an agreement to try it out. However, Amanda voiced her objection, albeit, a bit weakly, and Alejandro did what he wanted anyways, without respecting her wishes. What kind of love is that? Anyways, by the time the leg of the tour is done, and they are ready to return to his home in Miami, he has primed her for what he really wants: for them to share his room (and more). What will Amanda do? You'll have to read the book for yourself to find out.
SPOILER OVER
Throughout the novel, we can see that God and faith are very important to Amanda, and that she is struggling to separate which aspects of her Amish faith are cultural and which are more universal in nature for all believing Christians. However, with Alejandro, his faith doesn't seem to be a practical one. He acknowledges that God is the One Who got him to the place where he is in his life today, and he prays with his entourage before concerts, but when it comes to living his life in a way that completely honors God...well, Alejandro doesn't seem to be quite there yet. He is attracted to Amanda's purity and also to the fact that she does not want to use him for her personal gain. Since he likely doesn't have a full comprehension of what it truly means to not dishonor Amanda, I would have to say that he is trying his best to not dishonor her according to his own perception.
Plain Change is not just about the changes that Amanda is making in her life in the Englische world. Alejandro is also challenged to make changes in his life, simply from knowing Amanda and in growing to love her. I would not consider Plain Change to be a stand alone novel. Much of the background story to how Amanda ended up joining Alejandro is detailed in the first book, Plain Fame, and Plain Change ends in a cliff hanger which finds Amanda and Alejandro separated from each other in spite of their love. I have enough interest invested now in this couple to want to find out what happens to them, in their romance, and in their walks with the Lord.
Disclaimer: I received an e-copy of Plain Change from NetGalley in exchange for a review. All opinions stated in this review are mine.
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