OUTSIDER

Rating:
Summary: A Powerful, Moving Book! Simply Awesome!
Review: "The Outsider"is the best book I read during the Year 1996.
There are books which you read and are almost immediately forgotten. Then, there are some will linger in your mind and heart forever. "The Outsider" is one of these rare books. There is an awesome beauty about this books which makes it one of the most unforgettable book I have every read.
The story takes place in an Amish community. Rachel is one of the Plain people. She takes care of her 10 year old son while trying to run a small sheep farm. Her life is one of religious contentment - until "the outsider' comes into her life and stirs passions she had thought buried with her husband. Johnny Cain, a famous gunslinger, comes badly wounded into her life. Rachel soon realized underneath the harsh exterior lies a soul which is crying out for love. Cain believes that he is damned and there is no redemption for him. Rachel, gentle and kind, gives him a ray of hope and he begins to slowly accept that there is some good in him. It is a joy to watch their love for each other slowly grow and finally blossom into the rare and beautiful flower it is. Their growing love for each other is complicated by the obvious, her religion. Rachel fights the attraction she feel for him. Her pious brother-in-law who is also in love with her does not help to make things easy and he continues to judge and criticize her.
The ending of the story is sure to bring tears to readers' eyes. Rachel allows love to guide the hard choices that she has to make. With "The Outsider", Ms Williamson establishes herself as one of the best of the genre. "The Outsider" is a major achievement. It is a hauntingly moving and powerful story. The language of the book is like beautiful poetry, but there is a simplicity that reflects the gentle qualities of the Plain People. One of the qualities I admire about the book is that Ms Williamson's portrayal of the Plain People is detailed and realistic. She lets us see them as the gentle, simple folk they are but we also see the inherent cruelty in their ways.
Ms Williamson, I feel honored to have read this book.
Wayne Jorda

Rating:
Summary: The Outsider is a beautiful read.
Review: A great book; each time you set it down it beckons you to pick it up again, and you do. I rated it four stars, you have no 4.5, because I was disappointed in the way it ended. It felt like the author was trying too hard to find a Cinderella closure and it was a little far-fetched.

Rating:
Summary: A wonderful, captivating surprise!
Review: I happened upon the Showtime movie based on this book and was totally entranced by it. Imagine my joy to read "Based upon the novel by Penelope Williamson" among the movie credits! I immediately found the novel on Amazon, ordered it and received it within a few days. I could not put it down! I am not a fan of "bodice rippers", but I do like an interesting historical romance if the characters aren't caricatures, as so many are. Well, Johnny Cain and Rachel Yoder, despite their romance novel names, are anything but! Ms. Williamson is brave enough to give her characters flaws like ordinary human beings. Johnny Cain, when he stumbles upon Rachel's farm, is not a completely likeable or charming guy, but it is believable that he would be taken in by the love and warmth of Rachel's home and family - especially when the reality of his own origins surface. I could have done with a little less of the prostitute/doctor story line but, all in all, it was one of the best books I have read! The ending of the book is somewhat darker than the movie's version, but it moved me so that I reread it several times! I rate this novel right up there with another of my favorites, "Outlander"! Watch the movie (it's available on Amazon, I think), then read the book. I guarantee you won't be disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: A Great Read!!!!!
Review: I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it! This is my 2nd book by PW to read and she is becoming one of my favorites. You really get to know the characters and there are several stories going on at on time- so there is not a dull moment of read. You sure can't skip pages or even paragraphs without missing important detail.

Rachal Yoder (strong-willed, independent, God-fearing, "tom-boyish" but yet all-woman) is a widow of the Plain People (Amish) that settled in Montana. Still grieving for her husband that was mistakenly hung (so the towns people say) for cattle stealing, Rachal is trying to make a go of it on their sheep farm for their 10 yr. old son's sake. It is understood that to remarry it must be with someone in their community- and there are several men (other widowers) interested... But Rachal and Ben had had a special love that was not experienced by many of their belief and Rachal is not ready to settle for less.

Johnny Cain (tough, independent, loner, worldly, unbeliever, never been married and has no plans to) is a hired gunsman that wonders onto Rachal's property one day half dead after being in a gun fight. Fortunate that Rachal is not the type to turn her head and let him die, Johnny is nursed back to help, while experiencing feelings that he never knew existed- such as acceptance, caring, concern, and possibly love.

The Plains people community are stirred with an outsider being taken in causing concern and friction between Rachal and their deacons. In the meantime, there is a battle going on amongst the Towns people's cattle ranches and the Plain people's sheep farms that could get serious and possibly even deadly. WARNING! Don't jump ahead to the back to read the ending- it's a real "tear-jerker." A definite recommended read! A keeper!

Rating:
Summary: Lovely
Review: Just a lovely story in so many ways. Somehow, even though Johnny speaks few words of love (completely in keeping with his character) we somehow understand...FEEL...very clearly how deep his feelings are becoming for Rachel. Now THAT is good writing.

Also, knowing a bit about the Amish, I found PW's portrayal of Rachel's family & values very heartfelt and believable. She somehow shows us the positive and negative, which helps us to understand the depth of Rachel's confusion. Knowing how 'closed' the society is she really portrays the agony and life-altering scope of Rachel's choices very well.

Just a great story. I am glad I listened to you guys and bought a couple more of Penelope's books at the same time.

Rating:
Summary: Edgy, Intense Version of "Witness"
Review: This story is an edgier, intense version of "Witness". Rachel struggles with her passion for Johnny and her strict, "Plain" upbringing. I only gave it four stars because I felt that it was about 200 pages too long. There were many places which had too much superfluous information or description that would have been best left out.

Rating:
Summary: Hallmark
Review: This story was made into a movie by Hallmark Entertainment...Rachel is played by Naomi Watts and Johnny by Tim Daly. I thought the movie did a pretty fair adaptation of the book which is an outstanding read!

Rating:
Summary: An interesting, worthwhile read....
Review: Wow. This really was interesting. I loved learning about the different way that the characters within this story lived their lives. I also enjoyed watching Rachel and Johnny getting to know one another. As much as I enjoyed this, though..I had a few quibbles...first and foremost, I wanted Johnny's point of view. The book went into everyones head but his( except for a short while near the ending) and this disappointed me. Also, while I enjoyed the depth to which I was introduced to secondary characters, sometimes I felt like the focus of the central players got a lost a little bit simply because there were so many other people within this story. With that said, I have to move on and say how much I adored this book.....and even though I couldnt get enough of the h/h, I have to admit my favorite character was Benjo. Never have I read a sweeter character. This is a book that I would definitely recommend.