the book had a really interesting story but ended with a bland ending. I was hoping the end would have been as surprising as the rest of the book.

This was pretty good. Again, I wasn't sure if it was supposed to be "YA fiction" or not, so I gave it the benefit of the doubt. It's probably not a great grown-up book. Too heavily symbolic and ultimately unsatisfying for that, but it should be OK young adult.

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 stories in it, as well as the main story, and her future.

The author did everything she could to shock you while trying to make Ninah feel like it was completely normal... but she almost did it to well. The story is past the unbelievable line into ridicules by the end. Which is a shame.

There was one thing from the book though I've taken with me and deeply thought about upon completion of it. Being a girl who loves to read stories about revenge... I liked this part of the book best.

"Grudges are bad things, Ninah," she said at last. "There's only so much room in one heart. You can fill it up with love or you can fill it with resentment. But every bit of resentment you hold takes space away from the love. And the resentment don't do no good noway, but look what love can do."

“All great loves begin as seeds sowed upon the rocks.” - Me. Just now. To begin with, I must confess that I am not a fan of tales of romance. I am a fan, however, of insular fundamentalist Christian communities that toe the line between sect and cult. After stumbling upon this book in my workplace’s book nook and reading the synopsis, I decided to attend the Church of Fire and Brimstone and God’s Almighty Baptizing Wind. The Rapture of Canaan is by no means epic. Rather, it’s introspective, taunt, gut-wrenchingly intimate. It is a slow simmer of a soup, served to satisfy, if not to satiate. Great care is spent building up people, places, scenarios, and just when you feel as though the plot is becoming stuck, a twist comes along to wallop you upside your fool head.

Good.

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 community having such an ability to be so objective about what she's been taught (even if what Leila says and what she experiences in school give her extra knowledge or ideas). Also, James' motivation was never really made clear. I'm sure that what he did would have been considered an ultimate sin, even worse than fornication. Wouldn't he have been more afraid of the consequences for that? I guess one could put it down to teenage confusion, not helped by having to sleep on a bed of thorns, or the knowledge of what they did to Ben.

The strange mixture of sincere belief and hypocrisy of all the characters made the story intriguing, but at the same time made me a little sceptical. I found the writing to be a bit self-consciously pretentious at times (especially the opening & closing paragraphs which could have been edited out).

However, all that said, it was fairly well written, the characters (especially Ninah and James) were well developed, and the plot & setting fascinating. There were parts of it I really enjoyed & it left me wondering what would happen next.'

Child abuse comes in many forms and bringing your child up in a cult is one of those forms. The first half of this book I wasn't sure I was going to make it through. It wasn't the interesting kind of cult - it was the bad kind where one dude professes to know what's on God's mind, and he makes all the rules and controls all the money.

The 2nd half, things got better, but still wasn't great. This just isn't the kind of book I enjoy reading.

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 you one way or the other, and I am completely aware of the book being fiction, I completely embrace that and wish that it was 100% fiction, but I bet in the back woods some places there are communes like this, God help us all.

Seems like it will either deeply offend me, or be too full of irony to take seriously
This is too weird to willingly continue, and Oprah has bad taste.
had to finish it, but did not want to. ode to the necessary evils in life

Synopsis: Ninah is a member of a cult-like "church," the awesomely-named Church of Fire and Brimstone and God's Almighty Baptizing Wind. Basically the church members are all related and the women can't cut their hair, have to wear dresses, condemn the sinners who aren't part of their church, use pain as punishment, etc. Common punishments are beatings, sleeping on nettles, and sleeping in an open grave. There are characters named Mustard and Barley.

MAN, I love this book. This is an old favorite, but I hadn't read it in a few years. Ninah slowly realizes that these people are insane, and when something happens that she gets in trouble for, she's got to figure out how to avoid punishment - not in a wimpy way, she actually thinks that the church leaders will kill her.

I really liked the look into an INSANE culture, and I looooved Ninah's grandmother and her relationship with Ninah.

This is not a book about religion, really. She's TRYING to be good (according to the crazy Church), but when she becomes closer to James, technically her nephew by marriage, she realizes that while both of them try to follow the strict rules of their community, neither of them really believes some of the craziness they're taught. So together they try to deal with it. Then some STUFF happens. And it is awesome.

*I read this in audiobook form.

This book was my favorite book so far, very interesting

A fast read and (mostly) an engrossing one, although there are some melodramatic parts (weaving a cross? barbed wire? whut?). I was a bit sorry when Ninah fell in love, though; I could tell the rest of the story would be centred around that, and I found the beginning and its portrayal of the cult more interesting.