The 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: 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: Outstanding
Review: 5 years ago I was urged by a librarian and friend of mine to read 'Heart of The West', I never did. One day browsing through a used book store I vaguely recognize Williamson's name, having picked out nothing better I left with 'The Outsider'. Whatever made me pick up that book I'm not sure, I am sure however that I've never made such a worthwhile purchase. This book burned into my very soul. It was beautiful and poignant. Williamson's writing style is genius and what all writers should aspire to. Since reading 'The Outsider' I have since picked up all of her books. Bravo Ms Williamson I'm anxiously awaiting all future publications.

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: The Outsider
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: Williamson wove a tale that will last a lifetime.
Review: A Plain widow, a man-killer, a chippy, and a doc come together to deliver a tale that I will remember and always cherish. It took weeks to get it out of the libary, but when I did, I read it over and over till I had memorized the book from beginning to end. I don't usually like romances, but this was heart-warming and up-lifting. The Plain people intriuge me. Get to this book as fast as you can. As a thirteen year old girl, I can say surely that people of all ages will adore this book, as my mother, father and Grandma all did. Ms. Williamson, I can't wait to devour your next novel!

Rating:
Summary: A book to be savored!
Review: Have you ever tasted a chocolate so rich that you just let it melt in your mouth and close your eyes to really enjoy the sensation? Or, have you climbed into a steaming bubble bath after being outside in the cold? These sensations are akin to Penelope Williamson's writing. Now wait, before you go and pick up _The Outsider_, you've really got to evaluate your reading tastes. It's not an easy book to read, and it's definitely not right for everyone. I'm not even sure if it was right for me. But, if you enjoy reading some excellent calliber writing, _The Outsider_ is a must have, if only for Penelope Williamson's lush descriptions and sweeping style.

Rachel Yoder belongs to the Plain People, an Amish sect that is even stricter then it's for fathers. She has made a promish to live the strait and narrow way, no matter how brutal it may prove. And yet, when she married Ben Yoder, she fell head over heels in love with him, and she knew that this new passion she felt must be sinful. And, she figures that the Lord is punishing her when some outsiders brutally hang her husband. Rachel dove deeper into her religion, determined to live her life the way God intended and to have her son grow up to be a good boy whom no one can find fault with.

This all changes the day Johnny Cain stumbles onto their sheep farm. He's wounded and near death, and Rachel knows she must do something. She takes him into her house and nurses him back to health, meanwhile arising suspicion and mistrust in the Plain community. Johnny Cain is obviously an outlaw, but worse then that, he is an outsider and only knows the ways of the sinful, flashy world. Johnny helps Mrs. Yoder keep up her farm and protects her from their violent, beef farming neighbors. And these two completely different people begin to spin a love so strong that it seems nothing can break it. But, can it stand to be tested by the worlds the two of them can never have at the same time?

Heavy, heavy book, is _The Outsider_. Just think about it, the main character is Amish. Rachel is not your regular, pray every minute, Amish woman, but still, her religion and relationship with God is the main thing in her life. Her son Benjo was a doll. He has a stuttering problem, and your heart just goes out to the poor boy. Johnny Cain is in a large way just like Benjo. He tries to hide his hurt, but when it's out in the open, you see that he is just like the boy, scared to be hurt. Together, these three make up a wonderful set of well fleshed out main characters whom you will grow to care vary much about.

I also really enjoyed the side characters. You can't even really call them that, Penelope Williamson makes them as real as the main characters, it's just they don't have the fucous of the story on them. Penelope Williamson took the time to make sure that every single one of the characters in her book was well developed and real to the reader. As an effect of this, you will be drawn into the book completely. I especially enjoyed the relationship between Marilee, the working girl, and Lucus Henry, the drunk doctor.

And, then there's Penelope's overall style which is just totally incredibal. I just let her writing wash over me and completely take over. I usually zip through books pretty quickly, but I took my time with _The Outsider_ so I could get every little detail and not miss a thing. _The Outsider_ is truly an epic novel, but not for the faint of heart. It's defintely a Kleenex read, and the ending is bittersweet, but for anyone who enjoys first class writing, _The Outsider_ is definitely for you. Bravo, Ms. Williamson! If only every writer wrote like you!

Rating:
Summary: A Very Moving Story
Review: I don't usually like romantic, period-piece stories, but being sick in bed and tired of sleeping I picked this up off the shelf & was hooked from the first page! Penelope Williamson is an excellent storyteller and develops her characters in such a way that you never lose track of who's who and why. A wonderful story, now I look forward to reading her other works.

Rating:
Summary: A touching story that reaffirms the power of love.
Review: I had previously read "Hearts of the West" by Ms. Williamson and was pleasantly surprised to find "The Outsider" even more enjoyable. Perhaps the conflict of cultures provided an unusual twist of interest, but I also found very satisfying the way the author slowly developed the passionate love story. She also accomplished this in "Hearts of the West", but in "Outsider" the characters didn't have a brother "in the way", just their own code of ethics. Like all of Ms. Williamson's characters, they are well drawn and interesting. As a woman, I find her men particularly compelling and fascinating. Her attention to detail and authenticity makes her stories even harder to put down. Thanks, Ms. Williamson, for another great read!

Rating:
Summary: A touching story that reaffirms the power of love.
Review: I had previously read "Hearts of the West" by Ms. Williamson and was pleasantly surprised to find "The Outsider" even more enjoyable. Perhaps the conflict of cultures provided an unusual twist of interest, but I also found very satisfying the way the author slowly developed the passionate love story. She also accomplished this in "Hearts of the West", but in "Outsider" the characters didn't have a brother "in the way", just their own code of ethics. Like all of Ms. Williamson's characters, they are well drawn and interesting. As a woman, I find her men particularly compelling and fascinating. Her attention to detail and authenticity makes her stories even harder to put down. Thanks, Ms. Williamson, for another great read!