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Thrill of the Chaste
Thrill of the Chaste: The Allure of Amish Romance Novels | Valerie Weaver-Zercher
4 posts | 4 read | 23 to read
Browse the inspirational fiction section of your local bookstore, and you will likely find cover after cover depicting virtuous young women cloaked in modest dresses and wearing a pensive or playful expression. They hover innocently above sun-drenched pastures or rustic country lanes, often with a horse-drawn buggy in the backgroundor the occasional brawny stranger. Romance novels with Amish protagonists, such as the best-selling trailblazer The Shunning by Beverly Lewis, are becoming increasingly popular with a largely evangelical female audience. Thrill of the Chaste is the first book to analyze this growing trend in romance fiction and to place it into the context of contemporary literature, religion, and popular culture. Valerie Weaver-Zercher combines research and interviews with devoted readers, publishers, and authors to produce a lively and provocative examination of the Amish romance novel. She discusses strategies that literary agents and booksellers use to drive the genres popularity. By asking questions about authenticity, cultural appropriation, and commodification, Thrill of the Chaste also considers Amish fictions effects on Amish and non-Amish audiences alike. -- Julia Spicher Kasdorf, author of The Body and the Book: Writing from a Mennonite LifeSuzanne Woods Fisher, author of Amish fiction and host of Amish WisdomLynn Neal, Wake Forest University
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kdwinchester
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Catching up on my #bookclub reading.

Peterdamien Let's pause for a moment to appreciate the cleverness of the phrase "thrill of the chaste" 8y
kdwinchester @Peterdamien The chapter titles are equally delightful. (edited) 8y
LeahBergen The very idea of this subgenre kind of blows my mind. 😳 8y
Zelma I'm guessing there was a demand for less sexy romances and these filled a void. I haven't tried any but do love proper regency romances. 👍 8y
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kdwinchester
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Just back from book club discussing this book. Believe the title says it all. 😆

If you love reading about literary theory/publishing trends you will LOVE this book. Def on my list for #nonfictionnovember. Yes, I didn't finish it in time. I blame THE ESSEX SERPENT.

BookishFeminist 😂 you know, I've been wondering what it is about Amish romance novels. It seems like a very niche market. You've piqued my interest now! 8y
kdwinchester @BookishFeminist Apparently there's a section on how Amish romance is influencing the romance genre in general. SO INTERESTING. I will read and report back ;) 8y
annahenke I work in Christian publishing, and this (Amish romance) is a huge thing - believe it or not? 8y
See All 16 Comments
annahenke Oops, meant (!) ^^ One of our best-selling authors is Beverly Lewis, who pretty much started the popularity of the genre in the 90s. It's a strange niche, but the people love it! 8y
brilliantglow I didn't even know Amish romance was a thing until this post... how interesting. 8y
kdwinchester @annahenke Yes! My mom LOVES Beverly Lewis. Grew up with her books all around the house. :) 8y
Dogearedcopy I've read a couple Amish Romances; and they do have a certain charm, especially when the Romance genre has so much more erotica and outright porn to navigate! 8y
LeahBergen I'm like @BookishFeminist ! I've seen so many of them around and have always found it perplexing (and amusing!) 8y
LeahBergen And this is a GREAT title 😂 8y
kdwinchester @LeahBergen IKR?? The title is perfect. 😂 8y
BarbaraJean Oh, man... I always tease my sister about reading "Amish romance novels"... didn't realize anyone called them that seriously! ? 8y
Zelma Now I really want to read this book AND an Amish romance. I will admit that, while sexy can be fun, I like a proper Regency romance every so often. This might be fun to try out. 8y
Gleefulreader That sounds fascinating! I had wondered about the appeal. 8y
annahenke @BarbaraJean ha, at work we also use the term bonnet fiction to refer to the wider genre of Amish and Mennonite fic. Yup, that's also a thing! 8y
Sasha728 I definitely want to read this. I'm one of those that loves Amish fiction. I think part of its charm is that in our world of constant busy-ness it portrays a slower more relaxed pace. It's a mental rest and relaxation. It's also nice to not have to worry about the romance parts getting too descriptive. Wanda Brunstetter and Beverly Lewis are my two favorite authors in Amish Fiction. 8y
HKGirl Share quotes as you go along! :) 8y
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Kkhalifeh
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That's right- a scholarly look into the genre of not just Christian romance but Amish romance. If you have ever wanted to go down a nerd rabbit hole of deep sub-genre analysis this book is for you.

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Hoopiefoot
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I really loved nerding out over this book. I miss academia...