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Summary: A must-read novel about faith and freedom...
Review: Rapture of Canaan is an honestly good book. A highly engrossing tale about an extremely religious commune and the severity of their faith. A novel of sharply-crafted twists and turns and one that will play with your emotions. This is a story of one girl's faith in her church and in God and her struggle to balance freedom within the iron walls of the world in which she lives.Grandpa Herman, founder of The Church of Fire and Brimstone and God's Almighty Baptizing Wind, has a flock to tend to -- his congregation, where some mimic Herman's steadfast and unnerving faith, and some who occassionally stray from the righteous path. And perhaps the most surprising stray of all is his granddaughter, Ninah. Twelve-year-old Ninah, who finds difficulty in controlling her first adolescent stirrings, manages somehow to twist them and convince herself the things she does with her prayer partner, James, is nothing more than learning about Jesus's love through each other. And once the community finds out, the whole system of the Church is shocked to a halt. "The wages of sin is death," says Grandpa Herman. The story plays out wickedly as the truth of Ninah's transgressions plummets to an end....The rapture has come. The Rapture of Canaan is a powerful and stunning novel. Shari Reynold's prose is a tapestry of faith, religion, fear, sadness, life and death, all woven to create a picture of a cult-like existence and how it effects those in which it governs. A truly page-turning saga that expresses the all-encompassing love for Jesus and the trials of a girl finding her way. An uplifting and frightening mix. A great read.
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Summary: Rapture of Canaan a Delightful, Unexpected Read...
Review: Sheri Reynold's Rapture of Canaan title gave me the initial imporession it would be a 'hardship' survival, tell all book about an excape from a cult. It was totally unexpected when I started to read a story about a young girl and her life within this 'self-developed' sect, her comfort in growing up with her immediate family, under the strict guidance of her preacher grandfather and her story-telling grandmother. Her entire family showed that they loved her and other members of the family within the sect and even though their life-style might have been considered 'harsh' by outsiders, they felt they lived a 'good' life.
The young protagonist's 'surprise' pregnancy came about from the Church and her parents failure to communicate properly to her about the birds and bees and her misinterpretation of the "Rapture" the members of the church were constantly seeking.
There is death and sadness, happiness and love, events that occur for the better and worse, but the entire story is beautifully written. I couldn't put the book down, the story line was so interesting and didn't want to wait to see 'what happened next.'
This book would be a very good read for anyone looking for a good story that emphasizes family love and devotion in the face of life's hardships.
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Summary: Beautifully, painfully written
Review: Some books read like poetry. This is one of those books. I knew it was going to be a wonderful read from the beginning, when the author describes tapestries that Ninah (the main character of the story) wove, speaking of her turning the tapestry over and seeing the backside weeping, the colors running together. This is a story about a girl who grows up in an extremely controlling, religious environment - a cult, really. Her youth is filled with joy, superstition, guilt, pain, punishment, love, and yearning, the last of which lands her in some trouble. Ninah maintains a sense of innocence through her difficulties. She also questions, not really rebelling, but just doesn't fully accept the beliefs of the Church of Fire and Brimstone and God's Almighty Baptizing Wind. If you're from a strong religious background, this book may be difficult to read. It's a story of a girl's growing up and exploring in a religious environment, and as such, some of the references to religious things are not always in the most reverent of terms. Some of them are necessary to making this real, but some of them seem to cross the boundaries (example: many suggestions that Ninah is making love to Jesus when she is making love) and lessen the delivery of a story that would seem more true without them. All in all, this is a book well worth reading. The characters don't turn from religion in the end... they only turn from fanatacism and abuse in religion.
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Summary: Gripping read!
Review: The beginning of the story begins in a way that will bring you into the community in which the young character lives. The story continues with beautiful substance including consistent, beautiful metaphors. It's the kind of book that you definitely find yourself reading again and again.
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Summary: rush to the finish
Review: The first 80% of this novel is stellar. However, I felt that Ms. Reynolds rushed to tie up all of the loose ends in the last 20% of the book. The result is an end package that is not neatly tied. I was very disappointed by the ending.
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Summary: what happened to the ending?
Review: The picture that Reynolds painted of religious tabacco country was pleasing to read. While the characters were not very deep, they underscored the righteous fury they must have contained within themselves. I wish there would have been more to the ending. The book's symbolism (Ninah's Mary and Canaan's Christ) were thought-provoking, but the ending just...hung. What about the predictable power struggle? How would Laura feel about Ninah's promise to Canaan? How does Nanna handle her husband's inevitable demise? I just did not feel this story had a satisfactory climax.
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Summary: Powerful story of a girl raised within a cult-like lifestyle
Review: The Rapture of Canaan by Sheri Reynolds is a powerful and startling novel about cult-like lifestyle and the naivety that goes with the minds of the people within. The story is interwoven with fanatical faith, religion, fear, sadness, life and death - all the makings of a cult-like lifestyle and how it affects those in which it governs. Mesmerizing, intriguing, and a true page-turner, this "realistic" tale expresses the all-encompassing love for Jesus and the trials of a girl finding her place in life. A must read, Fantastic story! Compares to: "Memoriors of a Geisha" by Arthur Golden, "I Know This Much is True" by Wally Lamb, "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood: A Novel" by Rebecca Wells; "She's Come Undone" by Wally Lamb, and "When It Rains" by Marjorie Spoto. "Girl with a Pearl Earring" by Tracy Chevalier, and "Mystic River" by Dennis Lehane. A Must Read.
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Summary: Great read
Review: The Rapture of Canaan by Sheri Reynolds is definitely a great read. It's about a 12 year old girl named Ninah who grows up in a strictly religious family, falls in love with her cousin, James, who soon commits suicide when he finds out Ninah is
pregnant, and much more.
The ending I would have to say is a little bewildering, but I would still highly recommend this book to anyone who likes to read, and I hope Ms.Reynolds writes many more great books.
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Summary: A Book I Couldn't Put Down!!
Review: The Rapture of Canaan was a book I simply couldn't put down! The story is about a young girl whose family has strict religious beliefs and somewhat unusual or strange ways. When she finds herself "in trouble", she seems to mature overnight. The main character in the book, Ninah, is a strong and powerful one. At times she acts like the young teenager she is, but at other times, she is wise beyond her years. She stands up for what she herself believes in and not necessarily what the family expects of her. Another strong character in this story is Grandpa Herman. He makes you want to hate him and love him at the same time. Nanna is a powerful one as well. I think we can all identify Nanna with our own grandmothers.
The story is sad, painful but beautifully written. I could identify with Ninah, having been through some of the same things she went through. Sometimes it takes a young person to show an adult that although you may have strong beliefs, even when things go very wrong, things can turn out for the best. By reading The Rapture of Canaan, you just may come away thinking a little differently about things than you did before. If you're like me,a book this well written will keep you reading until all hours of the night.
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Summary: Very interesting story
Review: This book is pretty good! I was not interested in it after I found out it was about a "cult" but it was not what I thought. I enjoyed it and only give it 4 stars because a few parts were slow. This girl goes through a lot growing up in this religious community. Lots of twists and turns you will find interesting.
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