Amity & Sorrow by Peggy Riley

May 28, 2013 Robin (Saturndoo) rated it did not like it

Shelves: 2013-read

Normally I am drawn into books about the polygamist lifestyle as I find it very interesting. For some reason, this book just didn't satisfy that curiosity. The plot was interesting but the author failed in the delivery as there are many different areas she could have explored. This would have been a much better book if more time was spent on the past lives of these women rather than their boring escape.

The book's pacing was VERY SLOW but then again why hurry when it's going no where. The writing ...more

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Jan 06, 2013 Diane S ☔ rated it really liked it

Cults, members of cults, a mother and her two daughters, a farmer in Oklahoma and his somewhat adopted son, Rust,and an old man, these are the characters that make up this debut novel. I found the writing addictive, this novel taught me more than any other book about the reasons people join cults and the effect that being the member of a polygamous cult has on its people. Amity, who is twelve, is the main narrator and we see the world through her eyes. When her mother takes her and her sister es ...more

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Apr 13, 2013 Tara Chevrestt rated it did not like it

Shelves: 2013-release, netgalley, kindle

I couldn't stand this book for many reasons.

1. I'm all about STRONG women and this does not contain one. I was expecting the adventure of a group of a women smart enough to up and walk away from a cult and while the mother took her daughters away, she is so brainwashed and dumb and was such an ENABLER all along, turning a blind eye to the most ridiculous of crap (Fields are evil??? WTF?) that I could feel no pity for her.

2. Some should have just offed Sorrow. She's a menace to society and the m ...more

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May 22, 2014 Erin rated it liked it · review of another edition

If you're in the mood for a light beach read, this is NOT the book for you. Neither will a reader find much light hearted cheerfulness within these pages. "Amity& Sorrow" is a book about 2 young teenage girls and their mother fleeing from a polygamous community. It is a rather ambitious novel and the writing style does take some getting used to.
In the early stages of reading the book, I was torn between putting the book down and continuing onward. I am happy to say that I chose the latter and b ...more

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Apr 21, 2013 Tania rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction, favorite-books

Two sisters sit, side by side, in the backseat of an old car. Amity and Sorrow. Their hands are hot and close together. A strip of white fabric loops between them, tying them together, wrist to wrist.

This was a beautifully written debut novel about the ties that bind. It’s a story of God, sex and farming. Amaranth and her two daughters, Amity and Sorrow, flees from a religious sect, where she was the first of 50 wives to Zachariah, a self-proclaimed prophet. They end up in rural Oklahoma, where ...more

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Feb 08, 2013 Patrice Hoffman rated it really liked it

Shelves: provided-by-netgalley

There comes a book that simply makes you think. Amity & Sorrow is definitely the type of book that makes me think about religion, family, mothers, sisters, and home. Peggy Riley has managed to make a beautiful novel from some pretty difficult subjects such as incest, polygamy, cults, and abuse. Riley manages to make this novel not one of sadness or lasciviousness yet still tell the truth in a very insightful, truthful way.

Amaranth and her daughters, Amity and Sorrow, are found by a farmer named There comes a book that simply makes you think. Amity & Sorrow is definitely the type of book that makes me think about religion, family, mothers, sisters, and home. Peggy Riley has managed to make a beautiful novel from some pretty difficult subjects such as incest, polygamy, cults, and abuse. Riley manages to make this novel not one of sadness or lasciviousness yet still tell the truth in a very insightful, truthful way.

Amaranth and her daughters, Amity and Sorrow, are found by a farmer named Bradley after having crashed their car on his property. Amaranth's been driving for four days straight to put as much distance between herself and her husband Zacariah of whom she is afraid will find her. Bradley is a little taken aback by the woman and her girls dress and the fact that they are bined together by fabric. Bradley is unable to conceal his concern or his crabby nature. Bradley offers them refuge at his home until they can evaluate what to do and where to go.

Early in this novel Riley subjects the readers to one of the major issues that concerns this novel Sorrow's miscarraige in a gas station bathroom. Although Riley makes it evident that there is something amiss with this family and that perhaps they have been abused maybe sexually, physically, and mentally. Riley slowly pulls down the layers that are these people we meet on their way to finding a new life.

The characters in this novel are especially well drawn and have such depth and richness. Bradley, the widow, was my favorite character. I loved his honesty in telling Amaranth to get her self together and she's the reason her children are the way they are. Amaranth's character explores the depth's a mother will go to in order to protect her children and family. Amity is only one ready to move forward but she's still evidently naive. Sorrow is just what she is named for. She longs to be back at the temple with her father who she believes is the only true preacherman. I don't blame her for the way she is but I found her to be very defective and inexorable. She reminds me of a lot of people in my family that are "super" Christians in regards to her belief in her faith.

The book switches between the past and the present seemlessly. I'm happy that Riley included the past and how Amaranth came to be a part of a religious cult. That is always the first thing on anyone's mind. The next is how/why did you leave. Amaranth's story is similar to nonfiction accounts of how she became an accomodating first of 50 wives.

Amity & Sorrow is a culmination of a lot of ideas that can be discussed and researched for ever. I've tried to keep this review as spoiler-free as possible. So I conclude by saying that I did like this book a lot with its clever plot and poetic lines. The ending was perfect, although a little dreadful, but I don't see how it could have ended any better. Lover's of women's literature will need to read this book.

...more

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Apr 04, 2013 Naomi rated it liked it

Read my full review: http://bit.ly/13ID9uT

My opinion: Although I had liked the general story of this book, I couldn't get past the writing style of this author. Although I do feel it was intentional to fit the storyline, I really couldn't get used to it. There was just something off to it that I can't at this immediate time put my finger on. Now, I have to admit that I have Goodreads friends who loved the writing style which was present in this book.

On a side note: Although I was approved for t ...more

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Mar 10, 2013 Jane rated it really liked it · review of another edition

The idea was intriguing, but it was the opening that captured me.

A woman driving, desperate to escape her past, with her two daughters who were much less certain about whether they should go, whether they should leave the only home they had ever known.

Amity & Sorrow HBK dark.inddAfter four days they stopped. Because, and only because, Amaranth crashed the car. She had no money and no idea what to do. A local farmer found them. He noticed their strange dress, their rather old-fashioned manners, b ...more

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Apr 24, 2013 Kwoomac rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary-lit, 2013, unlikely-hero, reviewed, fast-read, mormons, capital-d-dysfunctional, netgalley

Amity and Sorrow tells the story of a family growing up in a cult in Utah. There is just one man, Zachariah, the fifty women he takes as wives and the more than twenty children he fathers. Zachariah goes out in search of lost women, promising them a safe haven. They live off the grid so now one really knows what's going on out there.

The story is told from the perspective of Amaranth. She was his first wife, saved by Zachariah when she was just eighteen and already struggling to survive. When Za ...more

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Mar 30, 2013 Blair rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley, contemporary, 2013-release, first-novels, cults-communes-captivity, read-on-kindle

Amity & Sorrow opens on a dramatic scene, as a mother, Amaranth, and her two children - teenage Sorrow and twelve-year-old Amity - find themselves stranded in an isolated petrol station. After four days of driving, Amaranth has crashed her car and has no option but to accept help from Bradley, the farmer who owns the surrounding land, and Dust, the boy who works for him. It soon becomes clear that the trio have fled from a cult-like religious community, where Amaranth was the first of fifty 'wiv Amity & Sorrow opens on a dramatic scene, as a mother, Amaranth, and her two children - teenage Sorrow and twelve-year-old Amity - find themselves stranded in an isolated petrol station. After four days of driving, Amaranth has crashed her car and has no option but to accept help from Bradley, the farmer who owns the surrounding land, and Dust, the boy who works for him. It soon becomes clear that the trio have fled from a cult-like religious community, where Amaranth was the first of fifty 'wives' to the leader Zachariah. Mystery surrounds their departure - who started the fire that forced them to leave, and what has suddenly made Amaranth so determined to run as far away as possible after so many years? Meanwhile, Sorrow is equally determined to get back to her father, while Amity is both intensely curious about this new world and totally in thrall to her older sister.

I was really interested in the plot of this book and felt there were so many interesting avenues it could potentially explore. Who isn't fascinated by the mentality of cult leaders and members? Unfortunately, Amity & Sorrow fell far short of my expectations. I was surprised, upon doing a bit of research, to find that the author is a debut novelist who, although born in the US, is now settled in the UK. The reason for this is that the book has such an old-fashioned, traditional feel about it: despite the controversial and sometimes shocking subject matter, the main focus is often on domestic details such as the companionship between the 'wives', the everyday difficulties of farming, and the development of a tentative relationship between Amaranth and Bradley. I wouldn't have been surprised to discover it had been penned by a seasoned writer who had written a number of novels about small-town and rural American life. I guess this is an achievement in itself - maybe it's what Riley was aiming for, and if so then she deserves praise for recreating that particular type of storytelling so effectively. However, this kind of writing isn't of interest to me at all, and I was constantly frustrated by the lack of insight the narrative method provided into the characters' motivations and feelings.

Sorrow is, in a number of ways, the centre of every major event of the book: the plot revolves around her actions. However, she isn't given her own voice - instead, there's a third-person narrative which switches its focus between Amaranth and Amity - and remains a frustratingly enigmatic character. I found some of Sorrow's behaviour extremely difficult to understand, even after the revelations about her past, and thought her relationship with Zachariah should have been explored further. I had the same difficulty understanding exactly why Amaranth (and so many other women) had been drawn to this way of life, or why she had chosen to stay for so long, or why she didn't (view spoiler).

While the themes of this book fascinated me, I found the narrative and characters as dry and arid as the parched landscape surrounding Bradley's farm. I struggled to believe in so many things about the story, from major plot points to small, but interesting, details (such as why Amaranth chose to keep wearing the cumbersome clothing she had been required to wear in her old life). I think it was written for a very different audience than me, or at least it reads that way. This book has had a lot of positive reviews, and I think a lot of readers would get much more out of it than I did, but I can't really recommend it at all. ...more

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Aug 15, 2012 Anne rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Although Amity & Sorrow is a fairly short novel at just 284 pages in the advance paperback edition, it is an intense and at times very difficult story to read. The subject matter is quite harrowing, and a subject that is rarely touched upon in fiction, and the writing is quite unique and distinct - it takes a little while to get used to the style.

Amaranth and her two daughters; Amity and Sorrow are fleeing their home, they have driven across country for four days and the only reason that they ha Although Amity & Sorrow is a fairly short novel at just 284 pages in the advance paperback edition, it is an intense and at times very difficult story to read. The subject matter is quite harrowing, and a subject that is rarely touched upon in fiction, and the writing is quite unique and distinct - it takes a little while to get used to the style.

Amaranth and her two daughters; Amity and Sorrow are fleeing their home, they have driven across country for four days and the only reason that they have stopped is because Amaranth has crashed the car. Stranded in the middle of nowhere, not knowing where they are, or where to go, they are discovered by Brad - a farmer who seems unconcerned by their plight, doesn't comment on their strange dress and allows them to camp out on his land.

Amaranth cannot let go of her memories and despite the fact that she knows that she had to flee, her thoughts return time and time again to her husband; the father of her girls. Amaranth is his first wife, the first of his 50 wives and she was instrumental in establishing the cult that they have left behind. Amity and Sorrow have no idea what it is like to speak with ordinary people, to allow anyone to see their hair, to walk through a field. They have no conception of what is acceptable behaviour in the real world. All they have known is life as part of a huge family, with rules, with terror, with abuse.

Amity relishes this new world, but Sorrow wants nothing more than to return to her father and their old life.

A lot of this story is told in 'flash back' form - when Amaranth remembers their life and how they were treated. The reader has quite a lot of reading between the lines to do - as events emerge slowly and are often hinted at, rather than explained fully.

Reading Amity and Sorrow reminded me of watching films by director M Night Shyamalan, especially the film The Village. There is a darkness about the writing and about the story that can be quite creepy at times.

Amity and Sorrow is an intriguing story with an ending that is unexpected and quite shocking and leaves the reader with lots of questions.

Peggy Riley is an accomplished author, with an unusual and quite quirky writing style that although fairly difficult to engage with at the beginning, becomes enchanting by the end. ...more

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Jan 24, 2013 Janet rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2013, book-club-pick

She didn’t know that preparing for the end of the world would make it that much more likely to come.

Amaranth is the first of the fifty wives of the prophet, and mother of two daughters, Amity and Sorrow. Sorrow is the eldest and holds a special place at their temple. She is the oracle, the one who transmits the word of God to the congregation. Amity is the younger sister, less zealous and sweeter tempered, with a gift for healing.

The children don’t go to school, don’t know their address, don’t k She didn’t know that preparing for the end of the world would make it that much more likely to come.

Amaranth is the first of the fifty wives of the prophet, and mother of two daughters, Amity and Sorrow. Sorrow is the eldest and holds a special place at their temple. She is the oracle, the one who transmits the word of God to the congregation. Amity is the younger sister, less zealous and sweeter tempered, with a gift for healing.

The children don’t go to school, don’t know their address, don’t know how to read, don’t know anything not decreed by the prophet. This ignorance is encouraged as a way of keeping the group off the radar of outside society, who might object and attempt to intervene, especially when it comes to the children.

But the prophet’s behavior is increasingly erratic, and a police officer does come knocking at the door. The ensuing confrontation spins out of control and Amaranth, fearing for their lives, takes a car and flees with her children.

It takes all Amaranth’s courage to leave, and she is haunted by the feeling that the prophet is in pursuit. She is unused to the outside world, not to mention driving, and soon crashes in the area of Oklahoma known as no man’s land. There they are offered refuge by Bradley, a struggling farmer, and Dust, his ward.

Amaranth struggles to rebuild a life for her family. This is a hard task, complicated even more by Sorrow’s fury at being forced to leave the only home she’s ever known. She is determined to return to what she knows is her rightful place as a religious leader and is willing to do whatever it takes to achieve this, no matter the consequences.

The resulting struggle between Amaranth and Sorrow is primal and riveting. Amity is caught in the middle, which turns out to be a dangerous place.

This is not an easy story, but I found its depiction of life within a cult gripping and memorable. Peggy Riley’s writing is lean and evocative. The narrative switches back and forth between the present day and flashbacks of how Amaranth came to join the prophet and what finally made her leave. The wonder of Amity at the outside world is beautifully conveyed. The portrait of the world of Amaranth and the prophet gives the reader a taste of a world with few familiar moorings. A memorable story of faith and redemption.

...more

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Apr 16, 2013 Lou rated it it was amazing

Shelves: literature

The devout and the devilish, they take centre stage in this tale, which characters fit that description would not be hard to surmise once completing this story.
Amity and Sorrow two sisters born into a family that consists of many mothers and one father. This was a really engrossing tale, the narrative has you really in the tale, with the right words usage and just the right sentencing, the author will have you captivated in the uncovering of the bizarre world that the two girls were raised in an ...more

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May 21, 2013 Lyn (Readinghearts) rated it really liked it

Recommends it for: anyone looking for an interesting story of life after living in a cult.

Recommended to Lyn (Readinghearts) by: Little, Brown and Company through Netgalley

Shelves: 2013-read, borrowed, christian, contemporary, netgalley, new-to-me-authors, read-for-review, character-studies, emotional

The current cultural spotlight on polygamous cults has peaked my interest in the subject, and it was for this reason that I decided to accept the invitation of Little, Brown and Company to read an ARC of Amity & Sorrow: A Novel ,Peggy Riley's debut novel, and review it. I started the book with trepidation as several of my friends thought that it was just okay. At first I thought I would agree, but the more I got into the story, the more that I realized that this book was going to be one that spo The current cultural spotlight on polygamous cults has peaked my interest in the subject, and it was for this reason that I decided to accept the invitation of Little, Brown and Company to read an ARC of Amity & Sorrow: A Novel ,Peggy Riley's debut novel, and review it. I started the book with trepidation as several of my friends thought that it was just okay. At first I thought I would agree, but the more I got into the story, the more that I realized that this book was going to be one that spoke to me on a certain level.

The success of cults in our culture is a subject that has fascinated me for quite a while. For this reason I am drawn to books where the cult phenomena takes center stage. I admit, my purpose in reading these stories is to try to shed some light on why cults are so successful.

Amaranth is the first wife of Zachariah, the patriarch of a polygamous cult. The central story in this book revolves around what happens to her when she decides to flee the cult and take her two daughters, Amity & Sorrow, with her. The three of them end up in Oklahoma, stuck on a farm in the middle of nowhere with the man who owns the farm, his father, and his adopted son. The compelling story of what transpires between the girls, their mother, and the inhabitants of the farm, and how it transforms the lives of everyone involved, is only half of the story, though. The other half of the story is about their life in the cult, which is told through the memories of the three characters that escaped the cult. It is this part of the story where the author attempts to answer the basic question about the psychology of a cult that is my prime fascination. These two sides of Amity & Sorrow's story and the way that the author was able to successfully entwine them was what drew me into this book.

I also liked the way that the author used the characters of Amaranth, Sorrow, Amity, Bradley, his father, and Dust to represent the various layers of the story. Through the individual stories of these characters we see the contrast between the world of the true believer, the world of the non believer, and the world of those still trying to make up their minds.

When discussing this book with friend, the most common negative comment that I came across was the author's unconventional writing style. I do admit, the writing style was different, and for the first few chapters I found it a bit distracting. After I got into the story, though, it ceased being something to overcome and became an integral part of the story as a whole. In fact, as the story continued, I felt that the author's writing style, like the behavior of some of the main characters, became less strange and more -- normal, for want of a better word.

All in all, I found this book, its characters, and what it had to say about the psychology of a cult interesting. It showed me various sides of a question that fascinates me, and took me on a journey that I was glad to take. I thank Little, Brown and Company for the opportunity to read and review it. ...more

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Sep 17, 2013 Amy rated it it was ok

Shelves: realistic-fiction

This book was interesting, and I am still trying to put all the pieces together. I was interested in reading it because I have a number of other polygamist novels and they always intrigue me. I can honestly say that I got a polygamist perspective, but there were soooooooo many holes in the story that just didn't make sense. Ultimately, the book fell short of its goal!!

Here are some of the problems I found--
I saw no way in which Bradley was mourning the loss of his wife. He was just angry.

Amarant This book was interesting, and I am still trying to put all the pieces together. I was interested in reading it because I have a number of other polygamist novels and they always intrigue me. I can honestly say that I got a polygamist perspective, but there were soooooooo many holes in the story that just didn't make sense. Ultimately, the book fell short of its goal!!

Here are some of the problems I found--
I saw no way in which Bradley was mourning the loss of his wife. He was just angry.

Amaranth is so caught up in her own world that she never stops to consider that her daughters need help. This was actually appalling to me. Her daughter was molested by her own father and she just lets it go. Not only that, she returns to the place of the crime. And then she leaves her daughter there!!!!!!!! What kind of fool?????

They land on a farm in the Midwest with no telephones, no Internet, an old black and white tv with rabbit ears, and no contact with the outside world. They aren't in Burma or any other third world country. It makes you imagine it is the 1950s. It just doesn't add up.

The gets small glimpses into Amaranth's life before she joined this man, but none of it really adds up. There were stupid rules like no going in the fields with no real explanation of why.

The most disturbing aspect of this story (yes, I am going to discuss it again) is the fact that this mother has no regard for these children she tried to save. She doesn't have any idea what is going on with Sorrow and how much pain she is in. But even worse is that her daughter Amity is suffering psychotic episodes and harming others, but the mother seems oblivious to it. She has no concern for anything but getting food. And then she sleeps with Bradley which further complicates the issues. After she goes back to the scene of the crime, she leaves her daughter and doesn't even go to the police!!!! What kid of idiot would do this.

In the end, though I found the story intriguing, I found it ultimately disturbing! ...more

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Jun 27, 2013 Wanda Hartzenberg rated it really liked it

Shelves: cult

Amity and Sorrow
Peggy Riley
A Debut novel and an impressive one at that.
I could not resist this book once it became available for review.
The subject matter has always been one that fascinated me.
I loved the story. The pace is fast, the world building genuine and extremely disturbing.
The writing style itself took me some time to get used to but by the end of the book it added to the plot and no longer distracted.
The disturbing life story interspersed with humor was a fascinating read.
WaAr
Kindle pu ...more

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Oct 07, 2013 Sarah Beth rated it it was ok

I received a copy of this book from Net Galley.

I've read several novels that deal with polygamy and always found them interesting so I was drawn to this novel about a mother and her two teenage daughters who are fleeing from their polygamous compound. Amarenth was one of fifty wives, but decided to flee her husband when she finds proof that her husband is not as honorable and honest as she once thought. Yet her daughters Amity and Sorrow have never known a life outside of polygamy - they cannot I received a copy of this book from Net Galley.

I've read several novels that deal with polygamy and always found them interesting so I was drawn to this novel about a mother and her two teenage daughters who are fleeing from their polygamous compound. Amarenth was one of fifty wives, but decided to flee her husband when she finds proof that her husband is not as honorable and honest as she once thought. Yet her daughters Amity and Sorrow have never known a life outside of polygamy - they cannot read, they have never heard of a map, and have never seen a working television. "No phone, no electricity. They cooked with propane and heated their house and outbuildings with wood from their forests. They weren't on the grid." The family ends up with farmer Bradley after wreaking their car in Oklahoma, and struggle to adjust to life after the compound.

I had a hard time connecting with the characters of this book, in part because this is written in a sort of dreamy language that alludes to its meaning rather than clarifying intent. Amaranth, previously called Amy, fell into the life of polygamy as a desperate and lonely teenager, who was tricked by her husband. She seems to fall for the polygamous life by degrees and inches, until the final straw forces her to confront the reality of what her life has become; "Who was her husband, who claimed to be God? Who was her child to believe him? Who was she to have sanctioned this when it all started so long ago, back when their faith was made of charity and compassion, a dream of creating a family for women who had no one? How had love led them here?"

Most distasteful is Sorrow, who fights her mother every step of the way in her attempt to be reunited with her father. Sorrow believes herself to an oracle and a chosen one. Sorrow is unforgivable in her willingness to hurt anyone that stands in her way, including her sister. Although Sorrow deserves some leeway because she simply longs for the only life she has ever known, her ruthlessness is unwarranted. I wondered the whole book how Amity, but especially Sorrow, could ever have a normal life after the childhood they had experienced. On the other hand, this seems more possible for Amity who is willing to break what were formerly rules in her old life and wishes to explore the new world she finds herself in.

All in all, I found the characterization in this weak and the relationships stilted. The use of flashbacks helped clarify details about why these women were fleeing, but I found the narrative style too metaphorical at times: "She can grow on his land and be planted. She can learn to root herself and hope to flower. She can plant what was sacred and see what would grow" Finally, I'm unsure of what sort of life Amity will know now that she and her mother have found freedom - in the form of a struggling farmer in the middle of rural Oklahoma who is struggling to provide for himself and his father, let alone taking on other people. ...more

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May 04, 2013 Jennifer Stephens rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed, fiction

Amity and Sorrow is quite the unusual novel by Peggy Riley. It opens on the scene of a mother, Amaranth, driving her two daughters, Amity and Sorrow, down an Oklahoma country road. It quickly becomes evident that they are on the run from someone or something. Because the daughters are literally bound to one another via their arms in the backseat, and because the language is evocative of the south, I first assumed this was a story about an escape from slavery. Which it is, I suppose, but not in t ...more

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Oct 21, 2013 Renita D'Silva rated it liked it

I have mixed feelings about this book. Let me start with what I liked:
1) Peggy Riley's writing is beautiful. Love her style,spare yet stunning-a hard balance to achieve. Really enjoyed the descriptions, the sense of place.

2)The story is very original and compelling, it drew me in from the first page and I wanted to know what happened next.

3)I liked Bradley the farmer, his father the old man and his interactions with Amity and Sorrow, especially with Amity. I adored Dust and Amity. I even under ...more

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May 30, 2013 Sonja Arlow rated it liked it

We are introduced to Amaranth and her two daughters, Amity & Sorrow when they flee from their polygamist cult only to crash their car in the middle of nowhere. The background of these three then slowly unfolds showing disturbing & creepy details about the rules and abuse of cult life.

While the storyline was captivating, the way it was written made me feel completely disconnected with all of the characters. There was just something off about it that I cannot immediately put my finger on.

Only the ...more

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Jun 13, 2013 Terra rated it it was amazing

I had no idea what to expect with AMITY AND SORROW, but I'm so glad I picked it up. Sure, the plot is compelling (who wouldn't want to read about a mother and her two daughters escaped from a crazy religious cult?), but there's so much more to this book. The writing is excellent, the sister dynamics are superb, and the ending will haunt you for days. This is much more than sensationalism.

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Sep 20, 2018 Cassie Gutman (happybooklovers) rated it it was ok

I was particularly drawn to this one by the descriptive copy—anyone who's followed me for a while knows I'm fascinated by cults and the idea of "utopia" and what leads people to choose this life.

As much as I wanted to love this (and I didn't hate it), it overall just fell a bit flat. It was fine, nothing was wrong, and it was a decent read, but I felt as though we jumped between Amaranth (the mother) and Amity and Sorrow too much, and I never understood how each woman/girl felt about the things ...more

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Apr 19, 2013 Diana rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

For as long as I can remember, I have always been fascinated by cults. Any kind of cult. Being a born and raised Texan, I think my fascination was fostered by the idea that there were so many different cults popping up in my backyard: Yearning for Zion, Branch Davidians, and Heaven’s Gate (ok, so Heaven’s Gate wasn’t located in Texas, but Marshall Applewhite was the chair of the music department where I went to college and was a Texan). I remember reading and watching programs about the Children For as long as I can remember, I have always been fascinated by cults. Any kind of cult. Being a born and raised Texan, I think my fascination was fostered by the idea that there were so many different cults popping up in my backyard: Yearning for Zion, Branch Davidians, and Heaven’s Gate (ok, so Heaven’s Gate wasn’t located in Texas, but Marshall Applewhite was the chair of the music department where I went to college and was a Texan). I remember reading and watching programs about the Children of God and Charles Manson, much to my mother’s chagrin. Which makes me wonder why it is that I haven’t read very much cult-related fiction. I was very pleasantly surprised when I received an advance copy of Peggy Riley’s debut, Amity & Sorrow.

Amity & Sorrow is the story of a mother, Amaranth, and her two daughters, the eponymous characters. The story starts off intensely, with the three of them on the run from the compound of the fundamentalist cult that they were a part of. A mysterious fire had been set, and Amaranth takes the opportunity to flee with her girls. Amaranth crashes the car in Oklahoma, having been driving for four days without sleep. They are rescued by a local farmer named Bradley, who begrudgingly offers the sanctuary that they need. Amity and Sorrow have been sheltered within the cult and learn about life outside of it. While Amity blooms under the new influence, Sorrow wants nothing but to return to the life she has known. Amaranth does a little learning about herself and the life that she has left behind, but the resolution of what has happened to her recent past life calls her like a siren song.

This story is simply written, with little description or embellishment. I’ve never been a big fan of overly flowery writing. You never really have a concrete idea about how old the girls are, or what people look like. At first, not knowing really irritated me. However, with further reading, I came to the conclusion that it makes sense, as the cult the women belonged to discouraged vanity. Vivid descriptions of people and visual judgemnts had no place in these people’s minds. Ms Riley does touch upon how they are dressed and how people perceive them, but you get few distinguishing descriptions of the characters.

This book is crazy, disturbing, and engrossing. There are two stories that unfold: Amaranth’s life within the cult, and the development of the three women outside of the cult’s influence. What I think is interesting about this story is that while it does focus on life within a fundamentalist cult, it also touches on the impact and repercussions of life after. It was written in such a credible way that sometimes it made me wonder if the author had at some point in her life been involved in a cult. Simple things as plugging in a television (let alone knowing what a tv is) or checking out a book at the library are foreign ideas to the girls. I would never have considered these things.

I found Amaranth to be an extremely fascinating character. Throughout the entire book, you get her life story in a series of flashbacks. You read about her birth, her role as the first wife of Zachariah, her relationships with the other wives, amongst other things. She’s one of the most interesting and complex characters I have read in a long time. I love the relationship that she develops with Bradley. He’s not a romaticized hero, which I really liked. He lives simply and like a slob, chain smokes, drinks, but he’s a good ol’ boy at heart.

The differences in Amity and Sorrow are amazing. You have two girls at opposite ends of the spectrum. Amity is the younger, and she is often overlooked. She is in the shadow of Sorrow, the first born of the new generation of followers, and the “Oracle”. While Amity thrives in this new way of life, looking at everything in curiosity and with a thirst for knowledge, Sorrow clings to the old way of life. Because she was the Oracle, she was greatly revered for her role and spoiled, and longs to go home. Having these complete opposites within the story, you get a pretty good scope of the recovery process.

There was one quote that struck me more than any other in the story: “Her Barbies had no wedding gowns —- not a one of the eight Barbies who lived with the single Ken in their plastic house, on their cardboard beds, in sin.” This was Amaranth reflecting on her wedding day to Zachariah. Holy crap. Does that not bring it close to home? Uhhhhh…..

I thought that the book had a great flow, and I didn’t feel for one minute that it was too slow. If there was a problem with slowness, it was all me. I just couldn’t read fast enough when it came down to it. Amity and Sorrow really made me think, and I’m pretty certain that I’ll be thinking about it for a long time. I found it to be an ultimately satisfying read. I would highly recommend it to anyone that has an interest in cults, but warning: it may exacerbate your interest to a higher and creepy degree (as I’m sure it has done for me). I will definitely be keeping an eye out for Ms Riley’s future works. ...more

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Apr 17, 2013 Ali rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I was very lucky to come across a paperback proof of Amity and Sorrow just a week or so after it had been published. I had already seen a great review of it elsewhere and knew I wanted to read it.
It starts with a car journey. A woman and her two not quite teenage daughters are in the car, they have been driving for four days. The mother Amaranth has taken her daughters to flee – running away from the only life they have ever known. That life was as part of a polygamous cult, Amaranth the first I was very lucky to come across a paperback proof of Amity and Sorrow just a week or so after it had been published. I had already seen a great review of it elsewhere and knew I wanted to read it.
It starts with a car journey. A woman and her two not quite teenage daughters are in the car, they have been driving for four days. The mother Amaranth has taken her daughters to flee – running away from the only life they have ever known. That life was as part of a polygamous cult, Amaranth the first (and only legal) wife among fifty. Her husband, the father of her daughters Amity and Sorrow was the leader of the cult, the founder of their temple which just days earlier was engulfed in fire. Sorrow is the elder daughter, her place within the cult unique, she is an oracle, and her sister Amity has a gift for healing. These girls are ignorant of the modern world, never having seen TV or computers, they can’t read or write, their father and the life they have always lived has deliberately kept the world at bay. When Amaranth stops it is only because she has crashed the car, they are in Oklahoma – surrounded by dusty rain starved fields.
“Four days and the seasons have changed around them, the dirty ends of snow from home melting and running to make rivers, mountains flattening to make plain land then fields. Four days Amity had been tied to her sister, to keep her from running, until the car hit a tree and spun over a stump and Amity took the strap off and Sorrow flew out of the car and ran.
The sky is spinning orange when the man comes out from his fields. Dirt rides in on his overalls, spills down from his turned-up hems. His every step scatters it like seeds. “Hey” he calls to Amity and he raises his hand to wave. “
The man who comes out of the fields is Bradley – a struggling farmer with a small gas station. Having once been left by a wife – he has no interest in Amaranth and her story, though not really wanting to get involved he allows them to stay on his land. The three take up residence on his porch, Amaranth nervous of venturing into the house. Living with Bradley is Dust, a young Mexican boy who Bradley cares for as if he were his own son, while upstairs is Bradley’s father whose bible is a first edition of The Grapes of Wrath.
"You ever heard of a Mr. John Steinbeck?" the devil says.
"No, sir."
"Dumb and ignorant to boot. This ain't no Bible. This here book is The Grapes of Wrath. You heard of that?"
"Not exactly."
"Either you has or you hasn't"
"God the Father says that anyone worshiping the beast will receive a mark on her forehead and drink the wine of God's wrath and that must be pressed from His grapes of wrath, sir."
"Well," says the devil. "Maybe you ain't entirely dumb. Just mostly. You all are dumb for God, ain't you?"
Amity nods. She supposes they must be. She could hardly hope to keep a thing like that from the devil."
Amity tentatively gets to know Dust and keeps Sorrow’s secrets. Sorrow is enraged at being taken from her home, badly damaged, her behaviour becomes increasingly erratic as she is determined to get back, whatever it takes. Amaranth plunders Bradley’s store of food and seed, making food to nourish her daughters and planting unknown seeds in the parched ground in hope.
Slowly Bradley and Amaranth find a new level, and over the course of the novel, the story of how Amaranth came to marry the man she shared with the wives who followed her, and how and why she came to flee is revealed.
The story is often a dark disturbing one as the truths are revealed. This is a story of fundamentalism, faith and redemption. Peggy Riley’s writing suits this enormously memorable story perfectly, a pared down and quirky style matching the strange other worldliness of the sisters with their caps, long dresses and clogs. Most of the story is seen through the eyes of young Amity – who has only known the life her mother has taken her away from, yet she is ready to experience the new world she finds herself in, unlike her sister. However Amity has a fierce and touching loyalty to her sister and is desperate to save her. I adored the character of Amity, her wonder at the TV and her search for “the house of The Grapes of Wrath” (the Library) I found hugely poignant, I also loved the character of Bradley’s father, who starts to teach Amity to read. There are themes in this novel which may not sit well with everyone, but I found it an enthralling and unusual novel, well written and powerfully told with deceptive simplicity. Amity and Sorrow is a remarkable first novel, and I look forward to reading more by her.
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Mar 12, 2013 Big Book Little Book rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Caroline for www.bigbooklittlebook.com
Copy provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review

This has been one of the hardest reviews to write. I’ve started, deleted and started again. I ignored, re-scheduled and stared at a blank computer screen but enough is enough. I will attempt to express the complicated feeling I have for Amity and Sorrow.

I have to confess that had I not been offered this book to review, If I had simply seen Amity and Sorrow in a book shop, I probably wouldn’t have pic Caroline for www.bigbooklittlebook.com
Copy provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review

This has been one of the hardest reviews to write. I’ve started, deleted and started again. I ignored, re-scheduled and stared at a blank computer screen but enough is enough. I will attempt to express the complicated feeling I have for Amity and Sorrow.

I have to confess that had I not been offered this book to review, If I had simply seen Amity and Sorrow in a book shop, I probably wouldn’t have picked it up.

For me reading is escapism, an indulgence and a pleasure. I am all about the “Happily Ever After”. I admit that I avoid books that are likely to be too heavy, books that depict abuse, or books that are likely to make me feel too uncomfortable. God, Sex and Farming... To say that I was reading outside of my comfort zone would be an understatement!

Although I found the subject matter explored within Amity and Sorrow uncomfortable and harrowing, this book was so much more. I never felt as though Riley sensationalized her subject matter, three women escaping from a polygamist religious cult, to make a quick buck. But, much like the characters it introduces, this is a modest book, understated but no less heart wrenching.

Amity and Sorrow is told from the women’s 3rd person perspective as they find themselves attempting to acclimatize to their new, alien like, surroundings and make sense of their place within the world without the strict rules of their home or the guidance of their “Father God”. The present day narrative is seamlessly interspersed with flashbacks which take us in a reverse chronological journey, through the events that led to the decision to escape and beyond to the circumstances in which Amaranth first became involved with her husband and cult leader. Each flashback adds another layer to the quiet horror of the women’s story.

I found the ending distressing and unsettling, nevertheless it was completely right for the story. Riley has too much respect for her characters and their journey to belittle their traumas and their achievements or to tie up the book with a pretty bow, and a fantasy happy ever after. Instead she offers the reader a glimmer of hope and new beginnings, but ultimately leaves the reader with more questions than answers.

I read the book with a love-hate attitude towards most of the characters. Like family, no matter how much you fight or how much they frustrate you there are underlying threads of love and affection, which keep you rooting for them and in this case kept me turning the page.

While I applaud Amaranth for her strength of character for removing her daughters from a harmful situation, and I could even begin understand how she got herself entangled within the polygamous cult, I had the most issues with her decisions made following their escape. At times I felt like reaching into the pages of the book and shaking her, and saying ‘look at your daughters, see how they are still hurting, look at the dangers that surround them still.’ In retrospect I can see that she was in survival mode, doing the best she could in a undoubtedly difficult situation, while still broken and healing herself.

But then I guess that that is the difference between a good book and a great one. That very fact that over a month after finishing, I am remembering, and analyzing, and questioning and still wishing for that happily ever after.

Verdict: There is no doubt that Amity and Sorrow is beautifully and sensitively written. The imagery memorable, easily transporting you into the dust and heat and hardship of rural Oklahoma, the pacing is perfect and the narrative borders are poetic. While it is unlikely that I will ever re read Amity and Sorrow I have no doubts that I will be buying Peggy Riley’s next novel. ...more

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Aug 26, 2012 Ellie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: literary

Amaranth is on the run with her two teenage daughters, Amity and Sorrow. Exhausted after driving for days without sleep, she crashes the car, leaving them stranded. Help comes in the begrudging form of a farmer, Bradley, who lets them sleep on his porch despite their weird ways. For she is running from a cult, where she was the first wife among fifty and her daughters have never known anything other than the rule of the Father.

The girls very much reflect their namesakes. Amity, once she has got Amaranth is on the run with her two teenage daughters, Amity and Sorrow. Exhausted after driving for days without sleep, she crashes the car, leaving them stranded. Help comes in the begrudging form of a farmer, Bradley, who lets them sleep on his porch despite their weird ways. For she is running from a cult, where she was the first wife among fifty and her daughters have never known anything other than the rule of the Father.

The girls very much reflect their namesakes. Amity, once she has got past the breaking of rules, is eager to make friends and wants to help everyone. Her joyful discovery of the world beyond the confines of the cult lifts the novel from what could be a disturbing tale. For Sorrow is broken beyond repair. Older than Amity, her experience within the cult were different and she is thoroughly brainwashed. When we meet her, it is during a harrowing scene of a miscarriage in the gas station toilets and whilst it doesn’t take long to piece two and two together, the extent of her devotion to the man who, quite frankly, abused her.

Amity is an endearing character and it’s her faith in her sister that makes you want things to turn out well for Sorrow. Otherwise, her pyromania and unpleasant nature would paint her as evil, but they are far more complex than that. You can tell Amity is torn between thinking for herself and protecting Sorrow, because everyone’s always done what’s best for Sorrow. There’s a thing with a kitten which is just awful (fair warning to animal lovers) and really makes you doubt any hope redemption.

All the names appear relevant; Amaranth’s significance may not be revealed until the end but Hope was certainly a sign of hope within the cult. You certainly got a sense that the women looked after each other and the sense of community was not necessarily a bad thing, even if the end result turned disastrous. Although Amaranth’s guilt is littered through the pages; as a mother, how did she let this happen to her children when all she wanted was to be saved? Even the name of Bradley’s current crop, rapeseed, is an ominous reminder of what has passed.

The novel alternates between the present day and the family’s time within the cult. At first, the timescales confused me a little, but the past plot line runs in reverse chronological order, so it is only at the end where you come to realise Amaranth’s motivation for joining him. It is interesting to see how something escalates in reverse.

I loved the dynamics on the farm. Bradley’s wife left him and he doesn’t have much faith in women but slowly forms a quiet friendship with Amaranth despite telling them he wants them gone. His father is an unlikely participant in the family’s wellbeing, bed-bound and curmudgeonly but sparking seeds of inspiration in them. Bradley’s adopted son, Dust, is charming and patient with the girls. ...more

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Aug 19, 2012 Lindsay rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: debut

'She has had to run far and fast to pull herself loose from him, to rip those stitches, but still she can feel how bound she is...'

Amity and Sorrow are sisters, and we meet them as they are on the run with their mother Amaranth, from their home which is now on fire. It was the only place the two of them have ever known; they know nothing of the outside world. Their mother has driven for four days solid in a desperate bid to escape the life she has been living, to take them away from her husband, 'She has had to run far and fast to pull herself loose from him, to rip those stitches, but still she can feel how bound she is...'

Amity and Sorrow are sisters, and we meet them as they are on the run with their mother Amaranth, from their home which is now on fire. It was the only place the two of them have ever known; they know nothing of the outside world. Their mother has driven for four days solid in a desperate bid to escape the life she has been living, to take them away from her husband, their father, and the polygamous cult that they have grown up in. When they come to a stop, crashing the car at a gas station in the Oklahoma countryside, feeling scared and hungry, they meet Bradley, a farmer, who is sad and lonely with his own life no longer with him, and although he is initially suspicious of the three women with their unusual clothing, and though he is not overly welcoming at first, he does offer them hope and a place to stay.

The sisters react in contrasting ways to this dramatic change in their lives; whilst Amity enjoys her newfound freedom and all the things she is discovering, Sorrow wants nothing other than to return home, to her father.

Interspersed amongst the main narrative recounting what happened to the three women having escaped are several chapters recalling events before they left the cult, so we gradually learn how life was there, Amaranth the first of fifty wives, and we begin to understand her motives as the past slowly unfolds to us and reveals its secrets.

This is a captivating story that drew me in; I felt compelled to read on and discover what had lain behind Amaranth's choice to be part of the cult, and to find out how the sisters would react to this whole new world that they were suddenly exposed to. The relatively short chapters of episodes in their lives encouraged me to keep reading on and not put the book down.

I was convinced by the contrast between the sisters; it is only possible to try and imagine their lives in the cult for anyone who has never been part of such a thing, yet I believed in both their reactions - Sorrow wanting to get back there, missing all that she has known and believed in and been a key part of, and yet also Amity embracing the new aspects of life offered to her now, so much that is unknown.

This felt to me like a highly original story with characters that I grew to understand and care about more deeply as I read on. It's also a story that made me think and ponder the different lifestyles people lead and the difficult choices people make. I liked the structure and pace of the story and I would very much recommend this fascinating debut novel to others.
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Feb 25, 2013 Miranda Ruth rated it liked it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: contemporary fiction for those with strong stomachs - deals with extreme religious and sexual abuse

Recommended to Miranda Ruth by: Amazon Vine

In an ultra-libertarian society, how do you define right and wrong? It’s a problem that has been addressed frequently in American fiction. When Amaranth and her two teenage daughters flee a fundamentalist cult, they reverse the journey of Steinbeck’s Joads in The Grapes of Wrath and find themselves in the Oklahoma dustbowl, throwing themselves on the mercy of a hardscrabble farming family when, having driven non-stop for days, she crashes her car on their land.

The scene is set for the kind of cl In an ultra-libertarian society, how do you define right and wrong? It’s a problem that has been addressed frequently in American fiction. When Amaranth and her two teenage daughters flee a fundamentalist cult, they reverse the journey of Steinbeck’s Joads in The Grapes of Wrath and find themselves in the Oklahoma dustbowl, throwing themselves on the mercy of a hardscrabble farming family when, having driven non-stop for days, she crashes her car on their land.

The scene is set for the kind of claustrophobic drama that Tennessee Williams does so well, and there is a feeling of inevitablility as the narrative unfolds over the next few months, interspersed with flashbacks to the escalating horror that Amaranth has escaped – physically, at least. The worst damage, however, is at first invisible. Amaranth and her daughters are as deeply damaged as you’d expect, and not since Emma Donoghue’s Room has a novelist presented us with characters less equipped to deal with the modern world. Never mind the Internet; these girls can’t even read.

It’s not that difficult to figure out the real reason why Amaranth has finally broken free of her polygamous cult-leader husband; in fact, it’s horribly clear from the first few pages when the older girl miscarries a baby in a gas-station restroom. You may feel, as I did, that we’re in entirely predictable territory here and there’s little point in reading on.

But Riley is a skilful writer with a particularly acute grasp of dialogue and character, and the main theme of her tale is an original and troubling one. Why are women so often complicit in the abuse of themselves and their children, and so reluctant to report it to the authorities? Can it be because the favour of even the vilest abuser can confer a warped status on his victims? Riley’s answer is clearly yes, and sometimes there’s nothing you can do about it.

That’s not a conclusion that everyone would accept, and this novel will make excellent material for reading group discussions. These characters aren’t likeable, but by the end of the story you’ll understand the reasons for that and understand, even if you can’t condone, the choices they have made.

Riley has taken some of the archetypes of classic American fiction and given a contemporary twist to the well-worn theme of a dream gone bad. And in doing so, she’s shown that sometimes the hardest thing to get right about escaping sexual abuse is knowing the moment before it will be too late to run. ...more

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Mar 22, 2017 Lindsay Munroe rated it liked it

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“All great journeys are made in faith.” – Amity and Sorry

It is most certainly faith that leads a young mother, Amaranth, to steal her two daughters away from the zealously-religious, polygamist commune that has been her home for the past 20 years. After driving for more than four straight days, exhaustion takes over and a weary Amaranth falls asleep at the wheel, running their car headlong into a tree in the middle of Oklahoma. There, they are saved by a rape farmer n ...more

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May 22, 2013 Sharon Vander Meer rated it really liked it · review of another edition

The fire that sets this story in motion flames through “Amity and Sorrow” in every cleverly crafted scene. It is a dark story about sisters who grew up in what might be considered by some a cult atmosphere. In desperation, their mother Amaranth, snatches them away terrified by escalating threats from outside and unsettling changes from within.

Their flight is interrupted when in utter exhaustion she crashes her car into a tree. Miraculously none of the three are seriously injured, and are rescued The fire that sets this story in motion flames through “Amity and Sorrow” in every cleverly crafted scene. It is a dark story about sisters who grew up in what might be considered by some a cult atmosphere. In desperation, their mother Amaranth, snatches them away terrified by escalating threats from outside and unsettling changes from within.

Their flight is interrupted when in utter exhaustion she crashes her car into a tree. Miraculously none of the three are seriously injured, and are rescued by a farmer who reluctantly and with bad grace, befriends them. The story travels back and forth from the uncertain present into a disturbing past. Amity and Sorrow are bound together by more than the strap that links them and keeps Sorrow from running back to the only home she has ever known, despite threats that await her.

“Amity and Sorrow” follows Amaranth, whose trust has been betrayed by the man she believes loves only her, and looks at the “perfect” world created by this man who through polygamy takes advantage of the broken and shattered lives of women with no place to go. His two daughters are caught in the middle with no understanding of what life outside the community is like.

There is a touch of mysticism, harsh lessons in how religion can corrupt and be corrupted, and a wrenching coming-of-age story.

The strict and structured world as Amity and Sorrow knew it is nothing like the farm where their mother insists they take refuge. There is more at work in the lives of these girls than their mother knows. Her only hope of saving them is to keep them away from the man who is their father. Their multiple layers of conservative clothing, prim aprons and cap-covered hair cannot protect them from what lies ahead.

This is a fascinating tale of a mother’s love, renewal, and the power of the mind to create what it will. Amity and Sorrow are at the mercy of a dangerous past they can relate to and a future they fear. Riley’s scenes are gripping and visual, and her character development is powerful.

Author Peggy Riley is a writer and playwright who lives on the North Kent Coast. “Amity and Sorrow” is her first novel.
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