The Looking Glass: A Novel (The Locket Series) [Deckle Edge] [Hardcover]

Richard Paul Evans (Author)

Book Description

Series: The Locket Series | Publication Date: September 28, 1999

When I started to write "The Looking Glass," I intended to create a story about the healing power of hope and love. But as this story developed, a message began to emerge that I had not foreseen, a message about the distorted mirror in which we view ourselves, binding ourselves with shackles of self-doubt and fear.

"The Looking Glass" is aptly named, for it is about seeing the reality of ourselves: to see a true reflection of who we are.

It is the story of Hunter Bell, a Presbyterian minister turned gambler, and the founder of a gold camp named Bethel. (Which you may remember was Esther's hometown in "The Locket.") He is running from the bitter memories of his past, his ministry, and ultimately, from his God.

Venturing into a blizzard to chase away wolves drawn close to his cabin by hunger, Hunter finds a beautiful young woman in the snow, wounded by the wolves and half dead with the cold. Her name is Quaye McGandley, and she is an Irish woman sold into marital slavery to a brutal husband who then brought her to America against her will. As Hunter nurses her back to health, he finds that his tender ministrations to Quaye have opened his heart to his greatest fear -- that he might love again.

It is my hope that you, and those with whom you share my book, might through its message better see the divinity within yourself and the reality of who you are: worthy of love, gentleness, and grace.

With hope,

Richard Paul Evans

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Heartfelt but hackneyed, this ponderous new novel by the author of The Christmas Box carries heavy doses of spirituality. After "Presbyterian minister turned prospector and gambler" Hunter Bell is run out of Goldstrike camp (aka "Sodom West") in 1857 by a vigilante group that suspects him of cheating at cards, he strikes it rich in the Oquirrh mountain range in western Utah. Despite his material fortune, Hunter remains unhappy, haunted by the death of his wife back in Pennsylvania. (When his prayers for her recovery went unanswered, Hunter headed west "in search of gold instead of God.") "How quickly it is forgotten that Midas's gift was a curse, not a blessing," he reflects in one of the journal entries that precede each chapter. The chance for a new life comes when he discovers Quaye Mac Gandley unconscious in the snow, surrounded by wolves. Quaye has had a terrible time. At 14, she was sold by her impoverished father in Ireland to the American adventurer Jak, whose activities include murder, attempted rape, extortion, abduction, pimping and wife beating. We know Quaye and Hunter are right for each other since they share a love of literature, especially the sonnets of Elizabeth Barrett Browning. The two tormented souls slowly recognize their mutual need via several incidents laden with homilies. Hunter eventually reaches a new, gospel-inspired level of understanding. "The measure of a person's heart, the barometer of good or evil, was nothing more than the extent of their willingness to choose life over death... the path of God was, simply, the path of life, abundant and eternal." In spite of wooden characters, pervasive platitudes and a predictable plot, this "story of redemption" will undoubtedly find its audience. 11-city author tour. (Oct.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Popular author Evans has written yet another sentimental, action-filled, and crowd-pleasing love story. This time around, he takes a trip back to the Wild West, choosing 1850s Utah at the height of the gold rush for his setting. Hunter Bell is a former minister running from the emotional pain of his past. He has forsaken God after his wife died in childbirth, and he is now seeking to make a fortune in Utah's rough-and-tumble mining towns as a card shark, hoping to send money back east for the care of his young daughter. He wins a large pot playing poker but is forced to flee into the wilderness to stay one step ahead of the vigilantes who want his winnings. He ends up in Indian Territory, where he discovers a huge vein of gold. Word of his find spreads far and wide, and an entire town is hastily erected around his claim. Enter Quaye and her extremely abusive husband, Jack Morse, who is tempted by the lure of gold and easy money. Quaye was sold to Jack during the potato famine to get her out of Ireland and has consequently accepted her husband's humiliations and beatings as her lot in life. But the grip of her stoicism and self-effacement are gradually loosened once Hunter rescues her from a raging blizzard and brings her into his cabin to recover. They begin to heal each other, and Evans whips up the sort of dramatic intensity he has perfected, and which his legions of fans seem to love. Patty Engelmann

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster; 1ST edition (September 28, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684867818
• ISBN-13: 978-0684867816
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 5.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #321,519 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Richard Paul Evans
When Richard Paul Evans wrote the #1 best-seller, The Christmas Box, he never intended on becoming an internationally known author.

Officially, he was an advertising executive, an award-winning clay animator for the American and Japanese markets, candidate for state legislature and most importantly, husband and father. The Christmas Box was written as an expression of love for his (then) two daughters. Though he often told them how much he loved them, he wanted to express his love in a way that would be timeless. In 1993, Evans reproduced 20 copies of the final story and gave them to his closest relatives and friends as Christmas presents. In the month following, those 20 copies were passed around more than 160 times, and soon word spread so widely that bookstores began calling his home with orders for it.

His quiet story of parental love and the true meaning of Christmas made history when it became simultaneously the #1 hardcover and paperback book in the nation. Since then, more than eight million copies of The Christmas Box have been printed. The Emmy award-winning CBS television movie based on The Christmas Box starred Maureen O'Hara and Richard Thomas. Two more of Evans's books were produced by Hallmark and starred such well-known actors as James Earl Jones, Vanessa Redgrave, Naomi Watts, Mary McDonough and Academy award winner Ellen Burstyn. He has since written 10 consecutive New York Times bestsellers and is one of the few authors in history to have hit both the fiction and non-fiction bestseller lists. He has won three awards for his children's books including the 1998 American Mothers book award and two first place Storytelling World awards. Evans's latest book, The 5 Lessons a Millionaire Taught Me About Life and Wealth, is now available.

Of his success, Evans says: "The material achievements of The Christmas Box will never convey its true success, the lives it has changed, the families brought closer together, the mothers and fathers who suddenly understand the pricelessness of their children's fleeting childhood. I share the message of this book with you in hopes that in some way, you might be, as I was, enlightened."

During the Spring of 1997, Evans founded The Christmas Box House International, an organization devoted to building shelters and providing services for abused and neglected children. Such shelters are operational in Moab, Vernal, Ogden and Salt Lake City, Utah and Lucre, Peru. To date, more than 16,000 children have been housed in Christmas Box House facilities.

As an acclaimed speaker, Evans has shared the podium with such notable personalities as President George W. Bush, President George and Barbara Bush, former British Prime Minister John Majors, Ron Howard, Elizabeth Dole, Deepak Chopra, Steve Allen, and Bob Hope. Evans has been featured on the Today show and Entertainment Tonight, as well as in Time, Newsweek, People, The New York Times, Washington Post, Good Housekeeping, USA Today, TV Guide, Reader's Digest, and Family Circle. Evans lives in Salt Lake City, Utah, with his wife, Keri, and their five children.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book touched my heart!, March 7, 2003

By 

Gypsi Hart - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Looking Glass (Mass Market Paperback)

I read and brought this book a few years ago and I love it now as much as I did back then. It is a very special book that is both spiritual and romantic. It might not have the ending that everyone wanted, but I feel that if the book had ended any other way, it would not have been as good. I cried at the end of the book and once in a while a pick it up and read it again.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beyond The Average Romance Novel, November 28, 1999

By 

Petrea Galloway "reelmountain" (Northern California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Looking Glass: A Novel (The Locket Series) (Hardcover)

This thoughtful work was a total surprise to me. The author has a unique style and possesses a marvelous ability with words. Stretching the contemporary vocabulary is rare and appreciated. The story is believable, engaging and thought provoking.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another great Evans book - it tugs at the heartstrings., November 10, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Looking Glass: A Novel (The Locket Series) (Hardcover)

The Looking Glass is a welcomed addition to the literary works of Richard Paul Evans, a typically touching and emotion filled volume from this wonderful author. I was especially pleased to discover an album of piano music by the same name, The Looking Glass, which I found contributes immensely to one's feelings as the book is read. The music helps the memory and lessons of the book linger, well beyond the hours spent reading.