The Blessed
by Ann H. Gabhart
Paperback
Price: £8.99
Publisher:Revell imprint of Baker Pub from Lion
Published:July 2011
ISBN:978-0-800-73454-1
GoodBookStall Review:
I found this a fascinating, if at times uncomfortable read of a spiritual movement that was formed in the eighteenth century. I want to applaud the author, Ann Gabhart, for bringing to public attention a little-known way of life. Firstly, those flocking to the book for Christian guidance, please rest assured that the book is not religious in that respect - at least, from a sound theological viewpoint. The religious heresy it discusses, mocks, and explores, is that of the Shaker group, a cult who became prevalent in eighteenth century America. This book is very well-researched on all aspects of Shaker life, I did look up the Shaker movement on the internet, and was interested to learn that several villages remain as historical sites in the USA (enter Shaker Village into a search engine, for Shaker history click on link shown Editor)
One of my comments is that this book isn't really a piece of fiction as such. I felt that really it should have remained just that – a historical account of Shaker life. I wasn’t convinced by the characterisation, and found the plot extremely thin and predictable. It was really frustrating that the book couldn’t seem to quite work out in which genre it should be, and that did halt my general enjoyment of it. I would recommend this novel entirely on a historical basis. I learned also that it’s the fourth in the series, and after finishing this, would still be interested in acquiring others by the same author.
Reviewer: Alice Collins (19/01/12)
I found this a fascinating, if at times uncomfortable read of a spiritual movement that was formed in the eighteenth century. I want to applaud the author, Ann Gabhart, for bringing to public attention a little-known way of life. Firstly, those flocking to the book for Christian guidance, please rest assured that the book is not religious in that respect - at least, from a sound theological viewpoint. The religious heresy it discusses, mocks, and explores, is that of the Shaker group, a cult who became prevalent in eighteenth century America. This book is very well-researched on all aspects of Shaker life, I did look up the Shaker movement on the internet, and was interested to learn that several villages remain as historical sites in the USA (enter Shaker Village into a search engine, for Shaker history click on link shown Editor)
One of my comments is that this book isn't really a piece of fiction as such. I felt that really it should have remained just that – a historical account of Shaker life. I wasn’t convinced by the characterisation, and found the plot extremely thin and predictable. It was really frustrating that the book couldn’t seem to quite work out in which genre it should be, and that did halt my general enjoyment of it. I would recommend this novel entirely on a historical basis. I learned also that it’s the fourth in the series, and after finishing this, would still be interested in acquiring others by the same author.
Reviewer: Alice Collins (19/01/12)
