|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Frequently Bought Together
Product Details
|
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
Shaker romance might seem like an oxymoron, but Gabhart (Summer of Joy) pens an interesting if emotionally lukewarm historical tale that explores the fascinating world of a religious Shaker community. The predictable story line is less compelling than the details about the Shakers and their stringent religious beliefs, with celibacy key to the plot. Set amid the War of 1812, the point of view shifts between the two romantic leads. Twenty-year-old Sister Gabrielle Hope's spiritual visions enable her to see future events. Although she's committed to the Shaker community of Harmony Hill (based on Kentucky's real-life Pleasant Hill), a few words and a kiss from the widowed outsider Dr. Brice Scott cause her to question the life she and her mother have chosen. More uncertainty follows as the strict rules of the community separate mothers from their children. Disappointingly, the romance never tingles, and even the novel's darker scenes of suicide and military execution are emotionally flat. But fans of Beverly Lewis's Amish novels may find Gabhart's well-researched historical fiction to their liking. (Aug.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Book Description
For as long as she can remember, Gabrielle Hope has had the gift of knowing--visions that warn of things to come. When she and her mother joined the Pleasant Hill Shaker community in 1807, the community embraced her gift. But Gabrielle fears this gift, for the visions are often ones of sorrow and tragedy. When one of these visions comes to pass, a local doctor must be brought in to save the life of a young man, setting into motion a chain of events that will challenge Gabrielle's loyalty to the Shakers. As she falls deeper into a forbidden love for this man of the world, Gabrielle must make a choice. Can she experience true happiness in this simple and chaste community? Or will she abandon her brothers and sisters for a life of the unknown?
Soulful and filled with romance, The Outsider lets readers live within a bygone time among a unique and peculiar people. This tender and thought-provoking story will leave readers wanting more from this writer.
Soulful and filled with romance, The Outsider lets readers live within a bygone time among a unique and peculiar people. This tender and thought-provoking story will leave readers wanting more from this writer.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most helpful customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great Read!,
By
This review is from: Outsider, The: A Novel (Paperback)
Story Description:She thought she was content - until a love from the outside world turned hers upside down. Gabrielle Hope and her mother joined the Harmony Hill Shaker community in 1807. The community promised stability and devotion that Gabrielle wholeheartedly embraced. But when a local doctor must be brought into Harmony Hill from the outside, he sets into motion a chain of events that will challenge Gabrielle's loyalty to the Shakers. As she falls deeper into a forbidden love for this man of the world, Gabrielle must make a choice. Can she experience true happiness in this simple and chaste community? Or will she abandon her brothers and sisters for a life of the unknown? Soulful and filled with romance, The Outsider lets you live within a bygone time among a unique and peculiar people. This tender and thought-provoking story will stay with you long after you finish the final chapter. My Review: Gabrielle Hope and her mother, Martha, entered the Harmony Hill Shaker community when Gabrielle was just 14-years-old. Now it's January of 1812 and Gabrielle is 19-years-old and has had five years to get used to being separated from her mother. The Shakers do not believe in marriage and do not allow husbands/wives to stay together, nor can either keep their children near, they are housed and raised in a different area of the community and rarely seen. After a fire breaks out in the Harvest barn, Doctor Brice Scott, an outsider comes into the community to care for, Nathan, whose legs have been badly burnt. While there each day checking on young Nathan, the Doc sees Gabrielle and almost instantly falls in love with her. His distractions are causing a great deal of grief for Gabrielle from the head sister, Mercy, and after having been seen kissing him in the forest, she is punished by having to be shadowed 24-hours-a-day by the surly Sister Helen for five long months. Sister Mercy wants to ensure Gabrielle keeps her mind on her prayers and tasks within the community and off of Doctor Brice Scott. When the Doc heads off to war with Nathan, his heart and thoughts are of Gabrielle and how he is going to rescue her from the Shaker community upon his return from war, if he makes it. But will she give up what she's known for the past five years and step out into the outside world, a world she no longer knows and fears?
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
3.5 out of 5 stars (55 customer reviews) 50 of 53 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Outsider,
By Bobbi Rightmyer "brightmyer249" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Outsider, The: A Novel (Paperback)
The Outsider is a beautiful historical novel - by Kentuckian Ann Gabhart - set in the 1800's in a Shaker community - Pleasant Hill - located near Harrodsburg, Kentucky. Just this alone made me want to read this novel. I live less than 10 miles from the restored Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill and have spent many hours roaming the surrounding hillsides.In this book, the main character is a young Shaker woman - Gabrielle - who is completely happy living with her Shaker brothers and sisters , living the life of purity and hardwork. That is until an outsider - Dr. Brice Scott - intrudes on their lives and makes his way into her thoughts, and eventually her heart. The Shaker culture and society are so realistic I felt like I was there, like I knew these people. Living so near a restored Shaker village, I have grown up reading and researching the Shaker culture, so this book is very true to the life these religious people lead. Because the entire story doesn't happen just on the grounds of the Shaker village, readers are given a realistic view of war during this time and historical medical information, in addition to the treatment of strangers to the Shaker village. There are also other glimpses into this disciplined lifestyle, from the demanding hard work to the fanatical religious servies. This book was a fascinating read and Mrs. Gabhart's flowing prose seemed to leap off the pages and jump straight into your heart. Gabrielle's transformation from the quiet, shy girl into the beautiful young woman is presented with sobering details and fleeting views from the past. I recommend this book, not only as a work of historical fiction surrounding the lives of the Shakers, but as a delightful work of pure unadultered literature. The Outsider is a worthy find among the multitude of fiction and genre books being released today. 34 of 37 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
A bit too much blood for my taste,
By Libby Mari - Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
I thought overall this book was a good value and well worth the read. I read pretty much every genre, so I'm not really picky, and the fact that this FREE kindle book had almost no errors was amazing. The quality of the writing was excellent, and I enjoyed the novel setting and characters (I'd never heard of the Shakers before). The reason I marked the title down to three stars is because about halfway through the book the storyline changes from an emphasis on the main character, the Shaker girl with the gift of sight, to her love interest, including many many pages about the graphic nature of war. The many scenes of people being scalped, shot, tomahawked, and otherwise bleeding all over the snow were unexpected and quite unwelcome. I personally stay away from this kind of violence in books, and would have never read it had I known. So for me personally this was not the best choice, but if you have the stomach for that sort of stuff, then I think overall you will enjoy the unique storyline because it is well written.
15 of 17 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A generous helping of Kentucky history,
By Laura Frantz - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Outsider, The: A Novel (Paperback)
This is a seamless story meticulously told by an author noted for her careful research. Without giving any of the plot away, I found this glimpse of Shaker life fascinating. The author does an admirable job of balancing the good (the Shaker's work ethic and their faithful adherence to their beliefs)with the strange, fanatical aspects (think Mother Ann and balls of love). I particularly enjoyed the character of Dr. Scott - he added just the right amount of spice to Gabrielle's more sedate personality. The descriptions of frontier army life were excellent and all the other minor characters added authenticity. Gabrielle's own innocence and her feelings for the doctor are refreshingly related. I look forward to her next Shaker novel!
|
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
- Books > Christian Living Store > Classic & Historical
- Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Historical
- Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Religious & Inspirational > Christian > Fiction
- Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Religious & Inspirational > Christian > Romance
- Books > Religion & Spirituality > Christianity > Literature & Fiction > Fiction
- Books > Religion & Spirituality > Christianity > Literature & Fiction > Romance
- Books > Religion & Spirituality > Fiction
- Books > Romance > Historical
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
