6.15.2013

A Simple Song ~ Review

A Simple Song: A Novel
By Melody Carlson

When her father's painful injury, which keeps him from working, threatens to take away her family's livelihood Katrina is forced to make a decision that takes from her family, her friends, and her community.  Can the voice that she has been given truly be a gift from God or is it from the devil so that she will seek vainglory and the English world?

What 17 year old girl wouldn't be tempted by the thought of wealth and fame?  There are some who wouldn't and Katrina Yoder is one of them.  Katrina puts herself out of her comfort zone, but only to help her father and her family through a physically and emotionally difficult and trying time.

I have to say I really dislike Aunt Fannie and her attitude towards her injured brother-in-law.  But I'd also like to know why she feels like that towards that family, as she phrases it.

I like Aunt Alma, but when Katrina wanted to stay true to her Amish beliefs in how she dressed I think Alma could have been more supportive and understanding.  But I assume that Alma was just as overwhelmed by the situation as Katrina was.  Sometimes ignorance and outside pressures can force us into uncomfortable situations and compromises, but that inner voice that makes us uncomfortable is speaking to us for a reason.

I like the fact that Katrina was a Godly influence on her new friend Breezy but her helpful nature and her stand.  We don't know how we will affect those around us by our behavior so we should always be true to our beliefs and faith in God.  Katrina was an influence of goodness to those she befriended at the American Star competition and to those watching on television.

But while she is away from her community Katrina learns about the woman who was her Mammi (grandmother) and how she spent her non-Amish years.  Sometimes the discovery of another's pain or joy brings into focus what is truly important in our own lives and A Simple Song is just such a story.

I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher Revell in exchange for my honest review. 

Available June 2013 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

From Amish country to Hollywood, Katrina Yoder is in for the ride of her life!

Katrina Yoder loves to sing, but her strict Amish parents view her singing as vain. Still, Katrina's best friend, Bekka, is convinced Katrina is good enough to try out for American Star, a televised singing competition that Bekka has been secretly watching. Katrina has a good voice, but really--try out for a TV show? Her parents would probably disown her!

But when her family faces a crisis, it seems to Katrina that the competition might be the way to get the money needed to cover the emergency expenses.

How will Katrina handle herself as an Amish teenager out in the world? Is she truly good enough to win? Will her parents ever forgive her? And will she be accepted back into her community when it's all over?


Melody Carlson is the award-winning author of more than 200 books, including The Jerk Magnet,Never Been Kissed, and Double Take. She recently received a Romantic Times Career Achievement Award in the inspirational market for her many books, including the Diary of a Teenage Girl series and Finding Alice. Melody and her husband live in Oregon. Find out more at www.melodycarlson.com.

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