The Rapture of Canaan

Rating:
Summary: A rapturous read
Review: Don't let the fact this book was selected by Oprah's Book Club throw you--"The Rapture of Canaan" is not flash-in-the-pan, trendy lit but rather an evocative examination of religious devotion and the power of forgiveness.

Ninah, the 15-year-old protagonist, is a member of a radical religious sect, but finds it difficult to reconcile her sinful thoughts--particularly about her prayer partner James--with her religion's insistence on purity in preparation for the Second Coming. Despite her attempts to banish such thoughts from her mind, she and James consummate their love, and disaster ensues. Her black-and-white world is upended, and she stands on the brink of despair. But Ninah perseveres, learning, as well as teaching, a powerful lesson of redemption.

Though the novel is religious in subject and theme, its appeal spans both sacred and profane tastes. The writing is fast-paced, and the characters just eccentric enough to be completely believable. Ultimately, Reynolds shows that miracles can be found in the most mundane, secular places and that, as Hawthorne says, some things, however carnal and worldly, have a consecration of their own.

Rating:
Summary: A great read for everyone!
Review: This is a story about a girl who lives in a religious community and her sturggles with sin and becoming pregnant and her faith and wanting to please god. At first i got a bit discouraged because it seemed it only pertained to the religious community. In continueing to read this book if found there was something everyone could relate to in this book. There are no words to describe how amazing this book is. It will make you laugh and cry. And leave you with a deeper understanding and feeling of love and what one does for it. this story effectivly takes you in its grip and puts you in Ninah's shoes, filled with shells, and you can almost taste what she is going through.
This is a great read and i recomend it to everyone.

Rating:
Summary: Whee Jesus!
Review: This is the story of Ninah Huff, the granddaughter of the founder of the Church of Fire and Brimstone and God's Almighty Baptizing Wind. Say that three times fast. I dare ya! Basically, the people of the congregation spend their time striving to do the "Lord's good" while denying themselves earthly pleasures (No TV, very little free time, you get the picture) because they don't want to be stuck on earth when the good Lord comes back. To avoid earthly sins, the members of the church are known to inflict pain upon themselves such as sleeping on nettles or walking on pecan shells.

The story is also told from Ninah's POV. She's a young girl struggling with religion and life in general. She questions what she is being taught in her community, but at the same time, she feels ashamed and guilty of the changes going through her -- particularly her attraction to a boy named James. Despite, Ninah and James's efforts to avoid temptation and sin, the two come together in the biblical sense, and the outcome tears their little community apart.

I thought this was a very beautiful story following the trials and tribulations of not only a teenager growing up under such strict beliefs but the desires of the heart and flesh, the questioning of religious beliefs. Ninah makes such a transition in this story. She goes from a timid teenage girl to a young woman who knows her heart and believes that God's love comes from more than just pain. She finds strength when so many obstacles stood in her way. She forces a community to change, to face it's hypocrisy, and above all, Ninah finds a sense of self.

I also loved the characters in this book. They were so beautifully drawn out. You could imagine them vividly. Everyone from Ninah to Corinthian, the woman who the community considers a backsliding whore. You feel for these people. You can probably think of people who share some similar attributes. Maybe not as religious, but we all know drama-queens and people who strive to please others.

Ninah's story is so heart-wrenching, but beautifully written. I could not put this book down, and I already want to read it again. All I have to say to that is, "Whee, Jesus."

Rating:
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.

Rating:
Summary: Strangely captivating...
Review: This book was unlike anything I have read before and while I wasn't sure at first if I would like it, I got sucked into the story and weird plot. A story of a girl caught in a community of religious fanatics, she tries hard to fit in and be accepted although is unable to buy into all the teachings they lay upon her. There is a constant struggle between herself, her family, and the belief of a God watching over it all.... this novel is gripping and I read it with my mouth agape as their are many captivating moments and twists that the story pulls you through. I strongly recommend!

Rating:
Summary: I couldn't put it down!
Review: This is a masterful coming of age story about a very young girl in a cult. Ninah is brought together with a young boy by her parents and grandfather who is the leader of the cult. Everyone in the cult except for Ninah grandmother is so afraid of being tempted to sins of the that Ninah even hides from her mother that she has begun to have her period. As a resident of the Bible belt and with no disrespect intended, I think I know these people. A great story.

Rating:
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.

Rating:
Summary: Colorado Book Lover
Review: I recently read this book again and picked up so much more that I did the first time. It is an easy, beautiful read, that leaves you with a lot to think about. The many reviews already written do the book justice. I just wanted to state my opinion which is - READ THIS BOOK, and then find a friend to talk about it with.

Rating:
Summary: --Love, Sin, Pain and Forgiveness--
Review: This is the story of Ninah Huff a young girl who is growing up as a member of The Church of Fire and Brimstone and God's Almighty Baptizing Wind. The members of the Church are mostly related to Ninah in some way. Her Grandfather Herman is the founder and preacher of his flock.

Now that she is becoming a woman, Ninah begins to question some of the beliefs that her Grandfather has set down as Church rules. She thinks that the punishments for the sins and transgressions of the congregation are too severe. Ninah also resents the fact that she is not allowed to make friends with her school classmates who belong to other religious groups. Because the Church members are encouraged to report on one another, Ninah is careful not to confide too much about her concerns to anyone.

When Ninah begins to notice and care for James, she's confused by her feelings for him and is both thrilled and frightened when they are assigned as prayer partners. James is her sister's stepson and not a blood relation to Ninah. The conflicts that the young couple face test their religious beliefs, and their love for each other.

The Rapture of Canaan is a powerful story and Shari Reynolds has written a book which will be remembered by her readers for a long, long time.

Rating:
Summary: Amazing Grace
Review: In The Rapture of Canaan, Sheri Reynolds creates an incredibly touching tale in an incredibly surrealistic world. The main character, Ninah, lives in a restrictive cult society created by her Grandpa Herman, the patriarch of the family and self-proclaimed leader of the The Church of Fire and Brimstone and God's Almighty Baptizing Wind. The rules laid down for living in this group go unchallenged by the family, despite the severity of the punishments. As Ninah passes through adolesence, she is tortured by the conflict created between her growing feelings of sexuality and her fear of God. When she is caught administering her own "punishment", in which she has put broken nut shells in her shoes to remind her of the suffering of Jesus, she is assigned to pair with a young man as her "Prayer Parnter." The consequences lead to chaos, and ultimately to the end of the cult.
Reynolds' incredibly complex characters are what make this story fascinating. Their actions and the motivations behind them are so well written that the reader can develope an sympathy for each of the characters, even the dictatorial and almost irrational Grandpa Herman.
I thought this was an amazing book. I read it in two days, and now, a week later, I am still thinking about. It's rare for me to rate a book 5 stars, but if I could give this book 6 stars, I would!