Customer Reviews

Believer, The: A Novel

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I have to admit I found what I learned about the Shaker religion interesting ... wierd but interesting ... no wonder it died out! I have to admit this was not my favorite christian reading by far ... normally I really enjoy my books but I can't say I did ... I enjoyed the knowledge more than anything ... but I would not recommend this book ... it held my interest more from a learning prosepective but I don't think I will be reading anymore of her books or about this religion ... I normally follow my authors ... and was disappointed ... I am sure others feel the complete opposite however and am glad . .. I feel guilty but it just was not something I truly enjoyed. I felt sad that the family was broken apart .. I felt bad that so many died ... I just was not happy throughout the book and I read my books yes for knowledge but also for enjoyment and happiness which I did not feel I got in this book. Other's however I am sure read for other reason ... and are going to feel otherwise fortunately! Sorry!

As a young boy, Ethan escaped from what promised to be a life of violence and dishonesty when he was rescued by a kind man who took him to live in a Shaker community near Harrodsburg, Kentucky. Ethan embraced the Shaker life, grateful for the peace and plenty his Shaker brothers and sisters provided. But fifteen years later, another orphan arrives and sends his well-ordered life into a tailspin.

The death of Elizabeth's father has left her at the mercy of a man who terrifies her. In order to provide for her younger brother and sister, Elizabeth has no choice but to marry him. Until she remembers her father mentioning the Shaker community, a kind and peaceful people who turn no one away. Elizabeth leads her young siblings to Harmony Hill, where they try to conform to the strict and sometimes harsh rules of the Shaker life. But the Lord she loves is vastly different from the deity the Shakers worship. Still, she could probably conform to their odd beliefs as her little brother has done, except for two loves that the Shakers tell her are both sinful: her young sister, whose wild spirit will have to break before she becomes a Shaker; and the handsome young man she can't seem to stop thinking about - Ethan.

Ann H. Gabhart is an amazing writer with a gift for bringing history to life. As I read The Believer, I felt as though I stepped backward in time, to the deceptively peaceful Shaker village of Harmony Hill in the 1800's. The characters are vivid and real - from the very first pages, I shivered in fear with the young Ethan, and my heart broke for Elizabeth at the loss of her father. Ann Gabhart skillfully blends so much fact into her stories that I came away feeling like I've been given a glimpse inside the Shaker meeting rooms. I loved The Believer, and I recommend it to anyone who likes historical fiction with a satisfying touch of romance.

If you enjoy Shaker fiction, be sure to look for Ann's other Shaker book - THE OUTSIDER

I really didn't know much about the Shaker's, so I found the belief system that they had to be a bit weird. They got the name Shaker, because they do these dances to shake the sin off of themselves. (Ethan was thinking to himself about how he must find dance to rid himself of his weird feelings he was having for Elizabeth)

There belief in no marriages, to live a life of celibacy is very strange to me too. If we all believed this way their would be no next generation. I find this belief hard to accept and contradictory to the bible. The way the Shaker community would grow was to accept orphans or people in need of refuge and hope that in time they would accept the Shaker ways.

In the book Elizabeth seeks shelter for her and her siblings because she doesn't want to marry her grubby landlord. He father had told her about the Shakers and so she thinks this is the answer to her prayers. Ethan was found by Brother Issachar when he was six and now he is twenty one and has truly accepted the way of the believer.

When Ethan meets Elizabeth he feels very differently around her than he ever did with the other women in his community. Its a struggle that he deals with and one that Brother Martin picks up on immediately and makes Ethan feel bad.

I don't normally read these types of books, but I thought I would give it a try and it was very hard for me to read. Not that it wasn't a good book or written well, just not my type of book. It was a very nice heart felt story, just based on a strange belief that I am not use too.

I would also like to make sure that people understand that this is not a Amish book despite the lady wearing a covering on her head.

"Shakers got their name from their worship style. They sometimes get so stricken by a feeling from the spirit that their bodies shake or they whirl about in a sort of dance." This author's curiosity for this religious sect grew as she walked down some of the streets of a restored Shaker community about thirty miles from her home in Kentucky. The Shakers never turned away someone in need. They were generous with there food and providing a roof over the travelers head in exchange for hard work in the community.

"The worldly-joining of a man and women in marriage causes much strife. That is why we live a life of purity here at Harmony Hill without the sin of matrimony to cause problems among us." This is the Shakers view of marriage.

Since they believed in taking a vow of celibacy the only way their community could grow was by taking outsiders into their group in hopes they would accept their ways and stay. Everyone had a story to tell about how they arrived at Harmony Hill. Ethan Boyd was six when he was found by Issachar, who saved his life and brought him into the Shaker community to be raised.

Elizabeth Duncan sought help from the Shaker village to escape matrimony. It was a safe place to bring her siblings since the Shakers thought matrimony was a sin. But the longer Elizabeth lived there she realized she wasn't ready to live there forever and have everyone be your brother and sister. She wouldn't see her real brother and sister for days because of the work details. .

The believer is a sequel to the Outsider! Again, Ann spins a tale that grabbed my heart strings when I saw the struggle these young ones were having living by the law--which was easy when their emotions didn't get in the way! That's what communal living was all about. No feelings. Everyone was the same. No heart felt conversations--everything was done in a group!! No one was on a one to one relationship with anyone else. That was forbidden. What was the truth? Ethan and Elizabeth were both in a desperate search of it. Their minds were not in harmony with their hearts.

This author captures the time period and the point of view of a soul awakening to what the real mission in life is for them. It wasn't about a religion but a relationship with God and with each other?

Nora St. Laurent
Finding Hope Through Fiction

I will admit I was a bit wary when I picked up this book initially. I had several problems with the first book in the series. This was not because of the storyline or the style of writing. Instead it was due mainly to the belief of the Shakers themselves which I found to be contradicting with the Bible actually said. It felt to me that the core beliefs of the Shakers sounded like they were not really Christians. However in this book, there is more emphasis on the characters, storyline, and romance as opposed to the faith of the sect. Therefore I enjoyed this book very much. Ethan and Elizabeth were both characters I really enjoyed reading about and wish there was more of their background story. Both of them were struggling with the Shaker faith: Ethan wondering if he should leave the faith and Elizabeth if she can truly adapt to this new and strict lifestyle.

I still cannot understand the Shakers attitude towards young children. It baffles me as to how they expect a child who has been living in the "outside world" for years to suddenly adapt to their strict and somber way of life. Elizabeth's young sister was constantly referred to having a demon in her simply because of her adventurous spirit, which any child would have, and because of her curly hair! It also sadden me that they expected her to give up relationships with her sister and brother almost immediately. It was as if these people had forgotten what being a child was like. However it was still truly interesting to learn more about their lifestyle and it was reassuring to see that they accepted that it was not for everyone. This Shaker sect does not seem to be as harsh or judging as the sect in the previous book. While they still tried to maintain a sense of strict order, they were open to accepting the Duncans and did their best to protect them from harm.

The ending of the story is a bit predictable but I still enjoyed the story overall. The author takes a subject matter that is not normally known to most people. Many readers are not very familiar with the Shakers so this series is a great way to introduce their history. The stories so far have been historically researched and very well written. I'm interested in learning more about this subject and hope that there will be future books in the series.

One more note: I've seen this book classified as an Amish book purely because the girl on the cover looks like she's wearing a kapp. This is NOT an Amish book.

For many years I lived near the Shaker village that the author describes in her novel. It was a peaceful place to visit, and going there and studying about the Shakers became a hobby for me. The most impressive thing to me about THE BELIEVER is the author's accurate description of this interesting religious sect.
However, I was also hooked from the very beginning by the actual writing. This is a fascinating romance written by a great author.

I bought one of Ann H. Gabhart's books by mistake, and when I read it I found it very facinating. So, I bought the other two that she had written about the Shakers. I had never heard of them before reading that first book, but I found them very interesting and well written.

The Believer is a very dramtic book that tells the story of a young woman who stays true to the Christian Faith against all odds. At a very young age, she has no choice but to join a religious sect that is very different from how she is brought up in Christianity. Her perservance to her faith does pay off and the story ends on a very good note. Would definatley recommend this book to anyone looking for a good Chirstian drama to read.

This book is very informative about the belief of the Shakers. I learned things I never knew about their beliefs. The romance is really wonderful. The coming together of two different beliefs.

THE BELIEVER is a romantic and insightful story that will leave Christian readers wanting to learn more about the Shaker religion, the main focus of Ann H. Gabhart's story.

The Shakers, whose beginning originated in England in the 18th century, are known only to a few, but Gabhart has set out to change that. Ann Lee, the vivacious leader of the Shakers, was believed to be the second coming of Jesus Christ in female form. Her group came to America in 1774, settled in the state of New York, and eventually spread into neighboring states. Interestingly, the Shakers espoused communal living, celibacy and a belief that perfection could be attained in this present life, but they forbade marriage. Their name "Shakers" came about since they worshiped in such a way as to "shake all over" when the "spirit" came upon them.

It is in this curious setting that Gabhart centers the bulk of her fictional tale of the growing faith in God and in the growing love between Elizabeth Duncan (a teenaged orphan and Christian) and Ethan Boyd (a Believer --- someone who has become part of the Shaker community). Ethan is rescued by a Shaker man named Brother Issachar when he was just a boy to escape from his abusive father. Ethan, from childhood up, lives as a brother in the Shaker community but finds himself increasingly discontent and troubled by "sinful" thoughts that counter the Shakers' strict rules for living.

Elizabeth, after the death of her father, finds herself in the undesirable position of either marrying an older predatory landlord to protect herself and her younger brother and sister or make a run for it in the dead of night. She decides that her best option is flight, and the three manage to escape after Elizabeth's brother Payton burns their tiny cabin in order to prevent the awful Colton Linley from getting hold of their personal belongings. Elizabeth, fearing swift reprisal, urges Payton and little sister Hannah on as quickly as possible to the neighboring Shaker village her father had visited the year before.

After an arduous journey, Elizabeth and her siblings meet up with Brother Issachar and Ethan. Encouraged by their kindness, the trio enters the Shaker community and asks for refuge. Little do the three realize how, in return for food and lodging, they must give up their lives for the community. Working in silence morning until evening in a place where the sexes are divided and talking is discouraged, Elizabeth and Hannah rankle against those in authority over them. Young Payton, however, soon gives in to the Shaker ways and by outward appearance becomes one of them.

All the while, Ethan and Elizabeth find themselves thrown together in unlikely circumstances where a budding attraction takes root and blossoms. For her part, Elizabeth tries to refrain from interacting with Ethan in respect to his commitments to the Shakers and their belief that marriage is evil. Ethan, too, tries to fight his increasing love for Elizabeth but to no avail. It isn't until the villainous Colton makes a violent appearance in the village that Ethan's love takes a more assertive turn, and it is made clear that the Shaker path is not his own.

Gabhart does an exemplary job of portraying the contrary nature of Shaker tradition with all its legalistic implications to that of Elizabeth's Christian beliefs. Readers will enjoy the insight she offers into this strange religion and how it affected the lives of those who complied with it.

--- Reviewed by Michele Howe