Customer Reviews

Wild Grows the Heather in Devon (Secrets of Heathersleigh Hall)

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

 

 

I approached reading the series by Michael Philips on Heathersliegh Hall with interest. I had read his two book series entitled Caledonia and found the story fascinating and captivating.
I started reading the Hethersleigh Series in early November 2003. I couldn't stop and had all four books finished by mid January 2004. I'm a mother of two year old triplets who doesn't have a lot of time on her hands so to say I read all those and kept up my home is a miracle!
The books were fabulous, captivating, intriguing, and very moving. I laughed and cried. I hadn't had a book move me to tears in a long time!
I'm amazed at the depth of informaion and detail Mr. Philips put into these books. I highly recommend this series to everyone!

Michael Phillips is one of my favorite authors, but he usually always gets too wordy in his novels. This one is no exception. There are a few places in the book, though, that kept me reading, hoping that I would actually find out the well-kept secret. I would think that secret would have been revealed in this book of the trilogy. The lessons learned are quite good, though, but the explanation is often monotonous, repetitive, and boring. As I start the second book in this series, it picks up quite a bit. It even fills you in on everything that happened in the first. Wish I would have started on the second! Anyways, be warned that the book is a hard to get into, but the Christian values and attitudes are wonderful!

Having been a Michael Phillips' fan since reading his ESCAPE TO FREEDOM, I looked forward to an idyllic country setting and the unraveling of a mystery in turn-of-the-century England as promised on the book jacket of WILD GROWS THE HEATHER IN DEVON. But the book only half satisfies. While Phillips' picturesque prose does capture the serene beauty of the Devon countryside and the manners of the period, the mystery of the hidden missive set forth in the prologue remains concealed through to the 447th and final page. The book is too long, too tedious, and the plot at times unconvincing. Charles Rutherford's conversion turns on a single encounter in London. Jocelyn accepts her birth defect as given deliberately at the hand of God, rather than as something God allowed to happen for the growth of her character. Amanda we sense from the beginning to be the prodigal. Better were the plot if she became the prodigal early on in the book with the resolution to her story coming at the end. Alas, we must await the next book in the series (or perhaps the one after that) to find out what happens to her. The build-up and lack of resolution are unfair to the reader. Despite the book's didactic tone superimposed on lengthy conversations, the author does deal with the intellectual ferment of the times: questions of Darwinism, communism, and a woman's right to vote. He also probes emotional and spiritual dilemmas as well, for he recounts Jocelyn's journey through the pain and rejection of a dysfunctional childhood to her wholehearted faith, and the burning questions and open rebellion a teenager Amanda who does not adopt her parents' faith and sees God as remote and unreal. He does not skirt these issues. When the secrets of Heathersleigh Hall will be revealed remains just that--a secret. If the reader has the patience, perhaps he will discover how Amanda's future and the hidden note will come together in a later volume. Perhaps at that time the discovery of that missive will somehow begin to pierce the cloak of independence Amanda has drawn about her. As a reader, I am not sure I have that kind of patience.

Mr. Phillips does a marvelous job of beginning to re-tell the parable,'The Prodigal Son'. One of the many things I enjoyed about the book was the time setting and place. It proves that children of the early 20th century had many of the some problems children have today (rebellion and wanting to belong to society). Amanda Rutherford and her family struggle through everyday challenges as they adapt to the newly adopted Christian life-style. As Amanda tries to pull away from her parents, they pray strongly for her to choose the Lord Jesus as her best-friend. With the "Suffragette Movement" in full-swing, Amanda is anxious to join in with it with a dream to change te world! Her parents and siblings watch to see what will happen as they continue to pray faithfully.... I have already recommended this book to many friends, and I hope you will read and enjoy it to!

Mr. Phillips writes very interesting descriptions of the time period and the country. I find his characters very real and identified with the mother and father in their efforts to raise their children and teach them their values. I especially liked the prayers he included. I am not very articulate and so I appreciate finding prayers that express my feelings, and address issues that I am dealing with. I think this is a very "gentle" book and am looking forward to reading the next in the series.

I picked up this book, hoping for an enjoyable, relaxing book to read in the evenings. The cover is misleading in this way. It looks like a romantic, fun book. What it turned out to be is, a book full of wonderful mysteries which are not resolved, a full coverage of the woes of man, their whys and wherefores and a study of God without a bibliography of verses to back up his premises; why God chooses to do certain painful things and what attitude a person ought to take in the face of these events. Apparently, it is intended as a satire on child psychology but immediately informs the reader of what is being done wrong when if kept as a satire, the reader would catch onto the obvious mistakes being made by the ignorant parents. It is a good book to give answers to questions one might have about life but it is not a book to relax with nor a book which will carry you enjoyably through an evening. It makes you think in depth which is good when you are in that frame of mind. Otherwise, it is enough to give one a headache. The hero of the story comes across as an unlikely mix of a very rich politician who portrays a wonderfully kind heart toward a wife with a serious problem. He also gives evidence of being a know-it-all, with a ready answer to each problem which arises. He puts them forward in such a preachy manner that one soon finds himself skimming the pages to find the rest of the story. I enjoy deep thought but I don't enjoy mixing it with the few relaxing moments I seek of an evening. It would be better to promote it with a cover which communicates its true theological content because it is a good book along those lines. However, I felt cheated and tricked throughout the book. To make matters worse, it doesn't come to a conclusion on several of the mysteries posed, indicating one should now buy the next book. If the next one is anything like this one, I hesitate to start anew since I have no way of knowing if the second one will indeed draw the story to some sort of satisfying close. I feel left "up-in-the-air" and a bit disappointed. None of what is presented is untrue nor can I disagree with the author's premises as a whole; they just come in an unexpected and rather forced manner, leaving the reader with a let-down at the end.

This book is wonderful! Not only does it capture the true flavour of the times (the Technological Revolution in England) but it gives you a whole host of characters to learn about and love. The story of how Charles and Jocelyn Rutherford discover Christianity will inspire you. Make sure you read every book in this series!

I enjoyed this book very much and am waiting for the series to be finished before I pass full judgement. I was able to identify with Jocelyn Rutherford as she struggled to accept her physical deformity. I found the book to be interesting, especially for people who enjoy learning about different time periods and lifestyles. I heartily recommend this book to woman who enjoy reading a long series, as I do. Michael Phillips always gives you your moneys worth - don't you just hate short stories?!

I just finished this book, and was a little disappointed. The paperback version of this book is a whopping 447 pages, and the description of the characters takes about that long. I believe the author may have been setting the stage to read the rest of the series; however there was little substance to this book. The author puts in "teasers" of a secret that exists in heathersleigh hall from two generations before its main characters. There are glimpses of subplots for books yet to come and/or read; however, I was greatly disappointed when none of these sub-plots were revealed in all 447 pages.

The opening chapters of this book descibe an event concerning the first generation of Rutherfords. In this "hush-hush" event, it appears that possibly a birth was concealed (as a midwife is present, along with a vicar), and the senior Rutherford exclaims that he wants only a son to inherit his estate.

Suddenly, the reader is thrown into two generations later, when the senior Rutherford's grandson now runs Heathersleigh Hall and is loving things of the world, and reveling in the early 1900s when "change and thoughts" are prevalent and exciting. Charles Rutherford (the grandson) experiences a spiritual awakening when he is introduced to Christianity and embraces it fully, leaving his political/worldly ways behind. Charles' wife, Jocelyn, also embraces the Christian lifestyle, as do their two younger children. However, the oldest daughter, Amanda, has nothing to do with their new life, and rebels. The novel climaxes with a "prodigal daughter" theme which leaves the reader wondering what happens to turn Amanda (presumably) back to the Christian way of life. However, the author assumes you will want to read another of his novels before you find out.

Also, the title of this series "the secrets of Heathersleigh hall" is not revealed one iota. There are teasers where the secret may be revealed; however, I was disappointed to not receive any more "! ;clues" to the secret in all 447 pages.

The author does a beautiful job of portraying the lifestyle and scenery of the privileged Rutherfords; however, the character development could have been done in half of the time. Overall, I do not believe that I will want to read the rest of the series.