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artistmaybe's review against another edition
Intresting book at times it made me cringe but it challanges you to think about the things that we have been taught are true and right and challanges you to think that maybe there are other view points. It takes the believes of one group (which are extream) and through a teenagers eyes she has to find out what is right for her.
Worth reading.
Worth reading.
faithemt's review against another edition
3.0
the overall theme is powerful and compelling but I found this story to be disturbing on so many levels.
full review is here:
https://goldintheclouds-faith.blogspot.com/2024/01/2024-book-review-4-rapture-of-canaan.html
full review is here:
https://goldintheclouds-faith.blogspot.com/2024/01/2024-book-review-4-rapture-of-canaan.html
casspro's review against another edition
3.0
I skimmed a good part of the superfluous details of this book, but the actual meat and soul of the novel is a good read. It taps into those primal fears we have of a vengeful god and a stern parent, as well as our primal desires for lust and wholeness and answers. Reynolds does a good job of creating a fine line between religion and fanaticism, as well as blurring the boundaries between a close knit community and a cult.
kiminindy's review against another edition
5.0
this is an amazing book. very moving. the characters are well developed and it just pulls you in until the end.
salemm's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
3.5
kmcneil's review against another edition
5.0
Beautifully written, and compulsively readable. The Rapture of Canaan by Sheri Reynold is the story of a young girl named Ninah who is part of a very strict religious sect called the Church of Fire and Brimstone and God's Almighty Wind started by her Grandpa Herman after he survived the horrors of World War II. The group of 80 or so members all live together, eat together, pray together, and repent their sins together. In Fire and Brimstone, there is no tolerance for evil. Babies who are stillborn are born that way because of the sins of their parents. Anyone who strays from the teachings of Grandpa Herman's church pay dearly with punishments like sleeping in graves overnight, or being physically beaten and relegated to the cellar for 40 days. Yet the members of Fire and Brimstone are a happy commune at first.
As Ninah comes of age and becomes more self aware, both she and the reader become more aware of the gaping cracks in the foundation of Grandpa Herman's religion. Ninah becomes prayer partners with James, and together they allow Jesus to "speak through them." Whether they truly believe Jesus is speaking to them through the coming together of their bodies, or whether they know deep down that what they are doing is considered a sin in their world is open to interpretation. At times you feel Ninah and James know exactly what they are doing. At other times you pity them for their utter innocence. This is one of the beauties of Reynolds lush prose.
I won't say too much more because I don't want to give away what happens later in the story. Suffice it to say I gasped out loud at points, and I became emotionally connected to Ninah and to the overall theme of faith and freedom.
A light read this is not (it's a former Oprah pick, after all). But it is a book that makes you glad you a reader, that makes you grateful for the symbolism and the beauty of the words Reynolds is able to share with us.
She has another book called Bitterroot Landing that I can't wait to get my hands on (also from the late 90s).
As Ninah comes of age and becomes more self aware, both she and the reader become more aware of the gaping cracks in the foundation of Grandpa Herman's religion. Ninah becomes prayer partners with James, and together they allow Jesus to "speak through them." Whether they truly believe Jesus is speaking to them through the coming together of their bodies, or whether they know deep down that what they are doing is considered a sin in their world is open to interpretation. At times you feel Ninah and James know exactly what they are doing. At other times you pity them for their utter innocence. This is one of the beauties of Reynolds lush prose.
I won't say too much more because I don't want to give away what happens later in the story. Suffice it to say I gasped out loud at points, and I became emotionally connected to Ninah and to the overall theme of faith and freedom.
A light read this is not (it's a former Oprah pick, after all). But it is a book that makes you glad you a reader, that makes you grateful for the symbolism and the beauty of the words Reynolds is able to share with us.
She has another book called Bitterroot Landing that I can't wait to get my hands on (also from the late 90s).
jollymama's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
3.0
I can't wrap my head around this one. The bulk of the book was really good. I felt the character development was great. I could almost hear Ninah's voice telling her story. The plot of her being stuck in this religous extremist, borderline cult, was so intriguing. I was definitely wondering, how is she going to get out? She doesn't. I wasn't sure when it was set. There are clues that led me to believe it was set in modern times (with a 90s publication date) but I wasn't positive, and I felt like I couldn't keep up with her age. With some of the characters, it was hard to remember how or if they were related to Ninah. I was really hoping it would go a different route. Maybe I watch too many documentaries about how people get out of cults. I wanted her to take that baby and run. Or take her daddy up on his offer when he brought it up and leave with him (and the baby!). Why did she stay. The ending confused me. They made it sound like she was going to take her own & Canaan's lives for a minute then it shifted. Then she fixed his hands and just walked back to the rest of the family. The end?? What happened after that? I think the ending is what made me not really love the book. Even with her & the babt staying, it needed a stronger ending. An epilouge.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Child abuse, and Miscarriage
Cult-like religion, religious extremismkellidupree's review against another edition
3.0
Ninah, the main character, is raised by her family in a cult-like Christian community - consisting entirely of her extended family -attempting to block out the world. The story centers around her own self discovery: truly learning she is her own person with her own thoughts, feelings, beliefs, existing independent of what she has always been told as "right." Her grief and confusion became the catalyst for her salvation.
I read this book for the first time as an Evangelical Christian teenager. My mother was offended at the apparent mockery of religion, but I was merely curious and confused. I identified with Ninah's deep conflict, wanting to believe what I had been taught all my life but having "forbidden" feelings and questioning thoughts. Even as an adult, I was sucked into the book; I found myself pitying Ninah and wanting to save her, and feeling immense pride and relief when Some scenes were almost too much to bear, if not for Ninah's naive point of view.
This is a very quick read that I have gone back to many times. While not perfect or mind-blowing, it is certainly satisfying. At first I felt the end was abrupt, but the more I reflect, the more I realize it was meant as a quick severance -
I read this book for the first time as an Evangelical Christian teenager. My mother was offended at the apparent mockery of religion, but I was merely curious and confused. I identified with Ninah's deep conflict, wanting to believe what I had been taught all my life but having "forbidden" feelings and questioning thoughts. Even as an adult, I was sucked into the book; I found myself pitying Ninah and wanting to save her, and feeling immense pride and relief when
Spoiler
she breaks through to save herself in the end.This is a very quick read that I have gone back to many times. While not perfect or mind-blowing, it is certainly satisfying. At first I felt the end was abrupt, but the more I reflect, the more I realize it was meant as a quick severance -