Customer Reviews

Bless the Child

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

"Bless The Child" is one of the best and most well-written books I've ever read. Having always been a Stephen King's fan on the supernatural-occult kind of thriller novels, I imagined it difficul that there could be another writer that could impress me even more. This book prooved me how deeply wrong I was!!! I found the book from a friend last year, I read it 3 times, with the same and even more enthusiasm and interest each time and it was the book I was really sorry, for having to give it back. I therefore, definitely, want my own copy. Unlike many books, this one is not a book you read once and then put it away. The reader gets so captivated from all the characters and the way each one of them interferes with the plot and contributes to it, that you really have to read it many times to really enjoy it as well as understand it as much as possible to every extent. Although a novel with quite ficticious aspects, (i.e. Isis's amulet and Sechmet's stone) Cash's wanted to make a novel based on real therories and practises, from many different cultures from allover the world, spanning a big historical period. For that reason, extensive research is obvious in her careful depictions and explanations of various schools of esoteric ideology and practices. Her characters and descriptions are well built and are definitely believable. (Ellie's and Peter's characters are fine examples that prove it). This breath-taking from start-to-end novel, will definitely trigger your appetite to actually do research and learn things on some of the subjects in the thematology used by the author to create it. An interesting bibliography is provided with this book for this reason.

Having seen the movie before reading the book. I was prepared for a cutthroat struggle between good and evil. The material presented in the book, however is so much more multi-layered than the movie, it is almost a crime to allow the movie to have the same title.

Like the movie, the story revolves around the bond between Maggie and her granddaughter, Cody. Severed by the child's abduction by her mother and her new spouse, the bond triggers past life experiences to both Maggie and the child. Distraught, when she discovers that her daughter's spouse is the head of a Satanic cult and is going to use the child for some nefarious purpose, Maggie seeks help wherever she can find it, and an eclectic posse of assistants does she amass: a former cult member, an adept in the occult, a confused Catholic priest, a love-sick police detective, and a wise martial arts sensei.
As Maggie strengthens herself spiritually for the task ahead, we the readers are privledged to share in her enlightenment without any affront to our own beliefs. All the great mysteries are touched upon and Ms. Spellman knowingly provides a collection of reading material at the end of the novel for those interested in furthering their own spiritual quests.

A very satisfying junket from start to finish--would love to read a sequel which would reveal Cody's mature abilities.

"Bless the Child" is a pulp novel, but a classy one, and it kept me engaged to the very end. Even the truly absurd plot elements are believable due to Spellman's deft prose and her occasional sly one-liners ("Nicholas Sayles was almost beautiful, if you didn't take his soul into account"). She also has a true gift for writing vivid, believable characters, evil as well as good, and the banter she writes between buddy cops Devlin and Garibaldi is delightful.

Where Spellman falls short is in the rather dull, even annoying protagonist, Maggie O'Connor. I found myself not caring all that much about her, and wanting to skip over her parts to get to the other stuff. The book's main villain, Eric Vannier, is also fairly dull, at least until the end, when he comes alive. Spellman has a tendency to drop plot and character points, both minor (Ghania is introduced as speaking perfectly good English, but then inexplicably speaks broken English to Cody in a subsequent scene, only to go back to perfectly good English for the rest of the book) and not so minor (Sayles's death is not shown on-page). I must say that the sex scenes, which strive to be loving and sensual, are unintentionally funny, and if Spellman intended for ageing southern belle Amanda's use of the racist term "darkie" to be cute and colloquial...well, it isn't.

However, this is a most enjoyable yarn, one I've read several times. The movie based (loosely) upon it is absolutely dreadful; I advise readers to skip it completely and stick with the book.

Cathy Cash Spellman's "Bless The Child" is one of the best and most intense books I've ever read. I found the book about 5 or 6 years ago and have read it numerous times since. Unlike many books, this one did not lose any of it's appeal in repeated readings. The first time I read it, I was so captivated by the story and character development, that I actually dreamed about the characters several times! Cash's extensive research is obvious in her careful depictions and explanations of various schools of esoteric ideology and practices. Her characters and descriptions are well thought out and quite believable. As a child I lived through horrors similar to those young Cody is subjected to, and I found Spellman's descriptions of Cody's plight to be chillingly realistic. If you have any interest in this genre of book, you are unlikely to be disappointed with "Bless the Child"

One of the best books I have ever read, from a seriously talented author.
I couldn't put it down.
True the movie was utterly dreadful, but the book came first and the two are worlds apart. So if your a fantasy fan looking for an unforgetable page turner get this one you won't be sorry.

Cathy Cash Spellman gave me thrill shriving goosebumps once again. She totally suprised me with this book. She used great Figurative Language, and Sense Image Sight. She suprized me with this book because I watched the movie first and I really didn't like the movie but I decided that I should read the book, and I loved it. It really was scary at parts but it kept me reading. It had my undivided attention the entire time. I thought that she did an outstanding job with this book. After reading Painting the Window and finding it a good book. I didn't let the movie "Bless the Child" discouarge the continous urge to read the book. I am glad that I didn't.

i absolutely LOVE/ADORE/CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF this book. i have the original hardcover from 1994. the book is a truly fascinating read. a real page turner. i read this book on average about 3 times a year. it reaches out and grabs you with scenes that make your skin crawl or put you into the frustration that maggie feels. i was so excited when i heard that there was going to be a movie out about the book, however, disappointment quickly set in when i realized that they cut out many of the main characters and characteristics of the remaining people that are so vital to the book and really make the book sing and come alive. without the conflict interaction of several missing vital characters from the book, i am afraid that the movie will only be another movie to see if you have nothing else to do. if only they had taken the book and made the movie closer to it, i think there would have been a huge blockbuster for the end of summer in it.

I discovered this book three years ago and I loved it! The book is gripping and fascinating, unlike the movie adapatation. Please, please, please do not jduge this book by the the recent movie release, which drops basically the entire plot of the Isis Messenger, the use of Peter, Ellie, and other major characters, and pretty much destroys the entire plot! Basically the movie just liked the names of Maggie, Cody and Jenna, and wanted to be able to give the movie more weight by claiming it was based on a novel. Read the book, I promise it won't disappoint.

THIS IS A CLASSIC HORROR NOVEL WRITTEN BY A NONHORROR WRITER! A GRANDMOTHER MUST SAVE HER GRANDDAUGHTER FROM OCCULT FORCES. SHE HAS ONLY A KIND-HEARTED COP, A PRIEST, AND A RABBI AS ALLIES. THIS NOVEL IS COMBINATION OF TERROR, ROMANCE AND THRILLS.

Spellman obviously did her research before she wrote this book. I enjoyed her well-crafted story permeated with Christian mysticism, Egyptology, black magic, rituals, and more. It took a little determination to get started, though. The first couple of chapters had me thinking it was going to be a "chick book." After I warmed to the story, though, it was tough to put down.