Honestly, I never got swept up in the Amish fiction craze when the genre became popular- it's just not my thing and each time someone told me about an Amish novel they had read, each one sounded pretty cliche- but I believe Jen can add a unique spin to any genre or "typical plot", and "cliche" isn't in her authors' vocabulary.
"Finding Margo" is correspondingly a comedy and a suspense. Add a tasteful dash of heart and romance and you have a perfect recipe for an intriguing and heartwarming story that puts emphasis on the importance of family.
There were some aspects of the whole mystery business that I would catch on to pretty quickly and think- "I have this all figured out" -beware such cocky thinking! My lesson was learned as in the end I was still surprised and amazed by how everything came together.
As true with Turanos' other works, "Finding Margo" has a great cast of characters. A spunky and quirky heroine with more heart than first meets the eye, an impressive hero who is the perfect gentlemen, their families, their matchmakers, the stylist, the villains (some obvious, some not-so obvious) and, of course, the faithful feathered friend.
Give them each a crazy past, drop them in the middle of a brilliant plot- which puts them all in the middle of nowhere (this particular "middle-of-nowhere" being an Amish community)- pour some blonde hair dye over it, and call it a work of art. You don't want to miss this!
Bravo, Jen!
Sincerely,
Great review, Alice! I never got into Amish fiction either, but I'd give this one a try! :)
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