After a middling beginning (wait, is that an etymological contradiction?), this book picked up steam, then lost some steam, then became downright steamy, then doused itself with cold lake water, then I give up on this metaphor. It was an easy read but seldom a very compelling one, partly because I found the antagonist (Grandpa Herman) unconvincing and that made the whole frame of his religious fringe community unconvincing as well. Overall: Not bad, but nothing special. Probably best suited for YA female readers.

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 Reynolds would have fleshed things out a bit. I understand the main character is meant to be seen as brainwashed and naive, and that's ok, but she seems to remain naive, despite her transformation. Also, the surrounding characters seem thin. So, overall I enjoyed it, but found it lacking somehow.

This is the weirdest book I have ever read, but it was ok.

I am rereading this book that ha been sitting on my bookshelf for years. Apparently I saved it because I loved it so much. This time around, I have moments when I am not even sure I want to finish it. What a difference years can make in reading tastes. I am sure this will not be a 4 star book for me this time around.

A little strange, kind of all over the place, I didn’t love it nor did I hate it.

(3.75) I LOVED the first half of the book. Then it started becoming too much. I felt like new elements kept getting added and added to the book to the point where I didn't want to pick up the book anymore. I thought the book could have been better if there were less crazy things going on and more of a focus on the bigger events.

The story is about a teenage girl who is growing up in a tightly knit deeply religious community that is lead by her grandfather. They view outside influences as evil and take somewhat extreme measures to fight sin as it crops up amongst them.

The story was slow for the first 2/3. But the end gets more interesting. It is interesting to reflect on our perceptions of what is good and bad and how those perceptions affect how we view and accept others.

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 riveting, strange but riveting. This book taught me to see that God means something different to each person depending on what they have gone through in their life. I also learned that we should not just believe what we are told to believe :) but have some faith and ask God who He is so that we can come to know who he really is (like Ninah).

This was a captivating story written from the point of view of a fourteen/fifteen year old girl living on a religious compound that was founded by her grandfather after a split in the Baptist church. I think the story shows how something started with the best intentions can turn controlling and fanatical. It shows the extent to which the human psyche can deny reality when it is manipulated to the extreme. Ninah was the name of the main character/narrator and, though she was only fifteen, she seemed to be the only sane one of the bunch by the end of the story. There were times when she questioned the doubts she had about her community but they always seemed half-hearted. This is my first time reading Sheri Reynolds and her writing style was very engaging. I found myself drawn into the story immediately. It was a very interesting read that I would definitely recommend.

One of the best books I have ever read! It was loving and heartbreaking and inspirational. Ninah was born into a community of holy rollers, with strict rules and regulations. As she falls in love, she begins to question the way things are done. I fell in love with Ninah and wanted her to come out whole. She's a wonderful, three dimensional character. I cried at the end, when she is finally released in her love. Beautifully written. I would highly recommend this book to anyone.

I started this book with just one expectation, that I wasn't going to like it. I just finished a coming of age story set in the south that started off so promising and ended cliché and disappointing. In the beginning of this book it seemed like I'd be in for the same experience. Then about 20 to 30% into the book I found myself very engaged.
The young protagonist has a very real voice, her grandmother and grandfather, the other leading characters of the book are also very interesting and well written.
The grandfather runs a fire and brimstone Christian sect called, appropriately enough, "The Church of Fire and Brimstone and God’s Almighty Baptizing Wind." There's no particular mention made of last two words of the church's name so I guess nobody got the joke but me.
There's a pretty large congregation and everybody's related so at times it's difficult to realize who's being talked about and what their relationship is to everyone else, so it seems the auxiliary characters are all pretty much interchangeable. But when they move to a front position they are finely drawn, even if only for a paragraph or two.
The language, although sometimes adjective heavy never feels forced, and the situations although many times outrageous seem believable in the context of this religious sect.
And with what's going on in America about religious fundamentalism it makes this a very engrossing read.
I was going to give The Rapture of Canaan three stars but as the narrative progressed and engaged me I realized how good this book is.
Would I be remiss in saying it enraptured me?

I got about 25 pages in and knew I could go no further.