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Summary: The Rapture of Canaan
Review: This book was a very intersesting insite to a girl who is bounded to rules and laws that are difficult for her to obey. Ninah's home life is unimaginable to me and it is from a great perspective. Not only does the book talk about her home life but also many other trials that a teenage girl goes through. When she falls in love with James it adds an amazing twist to the story and her trials at school. home, and with herself and her body add to the suspention to the story. The books ending leaves the reader to think of several possibilities that can happen to Ninah and her child and their life in the community.
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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: the only good thing - it was a fast read...
Review: This has to be one of the most unbelieveable and ignorant stories that i have ever read. All that Reynolds does is pile on more and more punishment schemes and eccentric behavior from Grandfather Herman. She does little to offer up either a reality or any kind of explanation as to why the characters act as they do. It could have been an interesting story to tell if there was some sort of realism or insight into these characters. Reynold comes off as completely ignorant as she creates this far-fetched community of religious zealouts, it would have served her message and novel better if she would have made it a bit more realistic.
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Summary: A page turner
Review: I read this book in one day. I could not put it down. It was such a wonderfully written story. I couldn't wait to find out what happened next. I recommend to everyone/anyone who enjoys reading.
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Summary: Unexpectedly Entertaining
Review: It was a gift--I had no idea what to expect. Worth the read.
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Summary: Compelling and imaginative
Review: Ninah Huff is fifteen years old, and living in a cult like religious community. The leader of the Church of Fire and Brimstone and God's Almighty Baptizing Wind is Ninah's Grandpa Herman. Grandpa Herman rules with an iron hand, and no one appears to question his authority. When Ninah falls in love with her prayer partner, James, she does all she can to stop herself from sinning with him, but still finds herself unmarried and pregnant. The wrath of her grandfather and her church has devestating consequences for both Ninah and James. With the love of her Nanna, Ninah eventually makes a place for herself in the community, and in the process discovers there are miracles in everyday living. The prose is beautiful and the ending uplifting. I look forward to reading more of Ms. Reynolds work.
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Summary: A shallow and unconvincing novel.
Review: This is one of the most shallow and unconvincing books IÕve ever read. It focuses on an extremely conservative religious cult which emphasizes medieval punishments for every small "sin." That could have been interesting. Barbara Kingsolver dealt with the psychological and political effects of such narrow and mean-spirited religious ideas in The Poisonwood Bible and produced a fascinating and challenging novel. But in The Rapture of Canaan, Sheri Reynolds never probes below the surface. She just piles up bizarre details about the cult, trying to show us that itÕs bad to envision God as nothing more than a mean old man who punishes people. Well, okay. I agree. But more and more details about how really, really bad this view of religion is doesnÕt make for compelling reading. And because Reynolds offers no insight into what draws people to this kind of religion, the characters who are caught up in this church come across as either idiots or sheep. Reynolds had one potentially interesting character à the grandmother of the narrator, who is married to the churchÕs cold and angry patriarch, and yet has some doubts about the religion. The only thing that kept me reading to the end was the hope that at some point Reynolds would develop this character and offer some insight into the contradiction, and that I might understand a little more about what holds people in a church that seems to offer them so little. It never happened. This book was simply a waste of my time.
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Summary: A fantastic read
Review: A powerful, exciting book that I couldn't put down. This is a book about Ninah, raised in the community of her Grandpa Herman, a man who preaches Fire and Brimstone services (in other words, religion to the extreme). Ninah is raised in this harsh environment only to find herself attracted to James, her prayer partner. She does everything she's been taught to fight it, including punishing herself physically, but nonetheless, she ends up succumbing to her feelings. The consequences are gripping. This is definately a worthwhile read. Just block out some time for yourself, because you won't be able to put it down.
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Summary: An unbelievable look into another world
Review: From the first page, "The Rapture of Canaan" draws you in with a terrific narrator/main character. Ninah is 15, smart, observant, and remarkably accepting of a life that not many could accept. Her accounts of her fire & brimstone grandfather, her cultish parents, and most importantly, her beloved grandmother, are splendid; the tale of Canaan is heartbreaking but now mawkish, the ending is filled with tension, passion and ultimately, justice. A beautiful book, highly recommended.
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Summary: A vivid and engaging read
Review: There aren't enough good words to describe The Rapture of Canaan by Sheri Reynolds. This is the story of Ninah, grandchild to the founder of a radical church called "The Church of Fire and Brimstone and God's Almighty Baptizing Wind." The church strictly forbids fornication, lying, or any other type of sin, real or imagined, that you can think of. Some of Grandpa Herman's punishments for sin include hefty donations to the church, putting nettles in one's bed, or even sleeping in an open grave. For young Ninah all these punishments and threats of damnation are terrifying for a girl who is coming of age and discovering feelings for the opposite sex. The object of her desire takes the shape of her prayer partner, James. The events that follow will change Ninah's life, as well as the lives of those around her. Reynolds' portrayal of James and Ninah is charming, warm, witty, and tragic, all rolled into one. The southern flavor of the book only adds to the delicious atmosphere. I found all of the characters to be very believable and important to the overall story. Great characterization and a thick plot can be hard to come by at times, yet Reynolds executes it perfectly. Sheri Reynolds has me hooked with The Rapture of Canaan and I can't wait to read more of her work. This book will capture your heart.
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