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Dec 16, 2009

Sammy rated it:

First off, let me start by saying that this is not a religious book, it can be viewed that way if you want to, but in case you're one of those people that are scared off by religious books, this isn't one. Now, on to the more important matters...

Almost from the first word I had become sucked into this book and Ninah's character, a flawed, naive girl who truly doesn't know better. She's sweet, tries hard, but just doesn't know what she needs to know. The way Reynolds has written her, More...

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Feb 18, 2008

Stephanie rated it:

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0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Oct 05, 2007

Tarott rated it:

I actually liked this book a lot I would have liked it more but I wasn't so big on the ending. There was quite a few very interesting chapters in a vague disjointed kind of way.

It's the story of a young girl who finds herself in a bit of a position after she gets pregnant. She lives within a cultish community that is so far overboard they are fanatics lead by Ninah's grandfather who wasn't the same when he came back from war.

It's got both interesting little sides storie More...

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Jul 16, 2007

Annie rated it:

I just finished reading this book for the second time. I think I loved it more than the first. The only books I tend to give 5 stars to are books that make me want to reinvent my life when they are over, live a better life, and be a better person. This really isn't that kind of book but it is greatness through and through.

There were times while reading this book that I just needed to put it down. I knew if I kept reading I would get too sad. I was right there with Ninah, going throug More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Dec 17, 2009

Natasha rated it:

Excellent writing, I was hooked. This was one of those books that when I am reading it I feel like I am really there and when I'm not reading it all I can think about is that place and those characters. This book was astonishing and made me cry (it might be because I just had a sweet little boy that I love so much) I was constantly being shocked, disgusted and frustrated but somehow it was still beautiful and stirred all sorts of emotions inside of me (love, faith, hope, understanding...) it was More...

4 comments like (1 person liked it)

Aug 07, 2011

Yvonne added it

Beautifully written, captivating story of Ninah, a spirited, young girl born and raised in the Fire and Brimstone church community. Her grandfather is 'cult' founder of this self-sufficient, isolated Christian flavoured religion, which is focused more on sin and punishment than love and tolerance.

Ninah loves her Nanna, her daddy and James the most. She is a thinker and a questionner where the majority of her community are sheep blindly following their spiritual leader Grandpa Hermann.

The st More...

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Jan 14, 2009

Melissa rated it:

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Feb 01, 2012

Roger rated it:

In The Rapture of Canaan, Reynolds’ second novel, she imagines a contemporary Southern evangelical community where members blindly and fearfully adhere to an extremist vision of faith. This small, isolated group—calling themselves the Church of Fire and Brimstone and God’s Almighty Baptizing Wind—is founded and led by the draconian patriarch, Grandpa Herman. As a preacher of strict and unbendable rules of worship, Herman administers brutal punishments and demeaning ostracism of sinners. When his More...

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Oct 27, 2011

Ibis3 rated it:

My original review (24-3-05):

'I had some major difficulties with the book though, for example: the narrator is supposed to be Ninah, but her voice as narrator (poetical, adult & educated) is completely different from her voice as a speaking character (dialectical: e.g. "ain't", "don't reckon", double negatives); in a related way, Ninah's almost uncanny insights seem too externally derived. I just can't see a 12-15 year old girl who lives in such an insular communi More...

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Oct 16, 2011

Zach rated it:

This is a deep, well written book with a fairly provocative storyline. The rapture of Canaan is set in the deep south and follows a girl that grows up in a strict and isolated religious community (The Church of Fire and Brimstone and God's Almighty Baptizing Wind) led by her zealous grandfather Herman. This book is primarily about the protagonist (Nina) finding herself despite the lunacy around her, and has enough zany and poignant dialog/situations to keep things interesting. A climax is rea More...

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Sep 15, 2011

Tiara rated it:

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 More...

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Jan 07, 2011

Robert rated it:

Sheri Reynolds paints a vivid picture of "Bible Belt Cultism," as seen through the eyes of a teen-age girl named, Ninah. The Church of Fire and Brimstone and God's Almighty Baptizing Wind is pastored by Ninah's Grandfather, Herman Langston, who, as Ninah says, "Used the Bible, of course, but only the parts he liked. He had the habit of altering verses just a little to make them match his own beliefs." The church of about eighty members is composed mostly of Ninah's family and More...

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Aug 13, 2009

Diane rated it:

I read this book in three hours total. Had I not been interupted by parenting and/or sleeping, I could have read it in one sitting. This book was addictive, a page turner that I could not put down. I found it to be disturbing and it gave me nightmares. That being said, I loved this book!

In this story of a religious group gone wrong, the tale of a young teenager's experience dealing with the brainwashed adults in her life unfolds as she quickly grows up due to circumstances beyond More...

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Apr 19, 2009

Tim rated it:

Originally rated it 4, then dropped to 3 when then asked myself if I "really liked" it, or just "liked" it. The three rating came from the grimness presented, a narrow constricted life of the young woman, the restrictions which is just so unnecessary, arbitrary, and destructive. No negative reflection on Ninah, the lead character, rather a judgement if my own towards yet another narrative of growing up and learning one's expected place and role in a oppressive, cult-like, More...

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Jan 20, 2010

Carolyn rated it:

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Jan 28, 2009

Callie rated it:

I picked this up last night and read it in one sitting. I thoroughly enjoyed the characters and the story. Ninah is the granddaughter of a cultish church founder who struggles with issues of faith. Her own issues are then seen played out in the community of people around her as they question the rules they've been taught and the interpretation of the Bible they've been given. I found Ninah to be an amazing individual, being raised in such an insular environment, but having the ability to see More...

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Sep 20, 2011

Christine rated it:

I was recommended this book when I was 14 years old by my mom. Since then I have re-read it so many times because I enjoyed it that much. This Sheri Reynolds’ book follows a young girl, Ninah, who lives in a fundamentalist Christian community run by her grandfather. Ninah falls in love with her nephew by marriage, and subsequently gets pregnant. I felt that Reynolds’ builds the story up a lot in the first half of the book. I enjoyed that she foreshadowed the events to follow the birth of he More...

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Aug 08, 2011

Vern rated it:

So my cousin that lives in New Jersey is always going to the book sales at her local library. When she completes a run she gives me a full review of her finds. At the last sale she picked up The Rapture of Canaan and encouraged me to read it. That same day I went and checked it out from my local library. I pushed all my other books aside and got caught up in the rapture.

The Church of Fire and Brimstone and God's Almighty Baptizing Wind (whew, what a mouthful) is not only a church but More...

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Sep 07, 2011

Emily rated it:

I think I give everything three stars. I think the star rating system is messed up. But, that's a soapbox discussion for another day. I enjoyed The Rapture of Canaan. Reynolds writing is top notch. It is however, very Oprah book club-- well written, well drawn characters, who go through a whole lot of crud. The good thing is the crud moves along quickly in this one. I didn't feel like I was bogged down forever, and looked forward to opportunities to read. On the flip side, I wish Reynold More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

May 18, 2009

Trevor rated it:

This is about a very sheltered girl that lives in an extreme religious town in the present day. Though her community leaders and family keep her in overly-modest, old fashioned clothing and do not allow television or any media in, she struggles with temptation from within. She discovers her sexual liberty with one of the town's boys, James. The experiences feel right to her - so right, that they believe the Lord is involved and that sex is some form of worship because of the way it makes them fe More...

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Apr 18, 2008

Jennifer rated it:

I really enjoyed reading this book! The intensity of religious faith was conveyed in an admirable, yet slightly disturbing manner. Including a story of young love among this religious commune seemed only necessary to complete the equation.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Mar 02, 2011

McKell rated it:

Both times I've read this book I've found it EXTREMELY interesting. Ninah has grown up in the small isolated community of Fire and Brimstone and God's Almighty Baptizing Wind. The leader of their religion is her own Grandpa Herman, who makes the rules for everyone. Almost everything is forbidden, and if you fall into temptations punishment is inevitable and somewhat brutal. For Ninah temptation comes in the form of her prayer partner, James. Ninah is determined not to sin with James, SO det More...

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Mar 09, 2010

Bethanny rated it:

This book is one of my go to reads, i am sure I have read it a dozen times. It is full of amazing characters and has an interesting plot line. At first the family seems overbearing and cultish but by the end of the book you feel sympathy for all of them, especially the grandfather.

This book has a lot of religion mentioned in it, but by no means is it a "religious" book. The characters are simply that of a young girl getting knocked up and her family being ashamed and lookin More...

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Jan 09, 2010

Marianne rated it:

This book is like no other I have ever read. It is a complete freak show. It pretty much could not stand anyone in the book, the characters are crazy "religious" people and their beliefs are insane. that being said I also worry about how many people there are living like this is the world and polluting their children into these wicked ways of thinking. It was an interesting book, I read the entire thing in two days because I was hoping for a positive ending, I won't spoil it for yo More...

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Jul 07, 2009

Kimberly rated it:

"The eye of a needle is like the gateway to Heaven," Nanna said, "Hard to tell who's going to be on a straight enough path to get through it." But I knew that it took more than being on the straight path. You had to be stiff enough not to bend when you tried to slip through. You had to be careful not to slip to the left or the right and think you were going through the middle all the time.

Having grown up in the Bible belt and attending my fair share of "fi More...

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Nov 11, 2008

Maritess rated it:

Wow.

Amazing.

Sherrie really takes you into the heart of her freaky religious world that is convincing and vibrant. i read this thing 3 times.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Nov 16, 2009

Amy Wilder rated it:

This marked a return to reading fiction for pleasure for me. For a little while after I graduated college I just wanted mental breathing room with no words in my head.
Then I read this, I stayed up all night to finish it, and I was back to being a reader for pleasure again.
It's not a light read - the story is about a girl whose life is painfully circumscribed by her community's religious strictures - but through that and despite it she finds courage to embrace herself and all her fla More...

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Aug 09, 2009

Heather rated it:

I read this book in only two days, much of this time with a knot in my stomach. Having read the back summary I spent the first hundred pages with this sense of dread. I knew this 14 year-old girl was going to end up pregnant, yet kept hoping it was some sick joke. I knew I could not prevent the inevitable yet could not put this novel down. I will warn you that many situations within this novel were extremely uncomfortable. Thankful the author spares us much of the detail.

Though the b More...

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Aug 12, 2010

Jamie rated it:

this book was a good one, but very over religious. i am a religious person but, in this book the community take religon to a scary level. in this book a little sin like not praying, or lying, then that night you have to sleep on nettles, or be put in a sort of cage and dumped into a pond over and over again until they think you've had enough. i think it was disgusting they did this, and i thought it was a little comical when the main character's baby has it's hands stuck together when it is born More...

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Jan 02, 2009

bookczuk rated it:

The whole time I was reading this, I had the setting placed in the South (Arkansas, or Alabama) or maybe TExas or even possibly some remote midwest place. But I just read a review that said the story is set in South CArolina. South CArolina????? No Way! There may be folks that are holier than thou, talk in tongues and think the Baptists are sinful, but this just didn't strike me as a SC Story.

The other thing that has distracted me is that, as a pediatric nurse, I kept worrying about More...

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