Holly Payne's new novel is a very readable tale. Only a few stories have the ability to pull you in and make you neglect what you should be doing in order to spend more time reading, and Kingdom of Simplicity does that.
The story revolves around a young Amish boy growing to manhood, and facing the challenge of forgiving himself. No spoilers here; but... in Olde English, the prefix "for" (as in forgive) means, very simply, before. To for-give is to give as before. Not to give grudgingly, or agree to overlook, but to give. Eli, the novel's protagonist, must come to grips with this, and discover what he truly needs to give.
It's a Romance, in the truest sense of that term. Emma loves Eli, but he cannot see it, much less accept it, until he can forgive, and learn to love himself in all his human frailty.
Few if any of the folks who read this review are Amish, but do not think that the experiences of this young man don't relate to "modern" life. All life, at all times, is "modern" to those to whom it happens, and this is a novel for all time.
I had the pleasure of buying a copy after hearing the author read from it, and to hear her read it is remarkable. Rarely have I been so drawn into the world of a novel - too often one feels one is watching from a distance, but Ms Payne will draw you into Eli's world completely. Such a wonderful love story!
Buy it, read it, and grow from the experience.
