Customer Reviews

No Shame, No Fear

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"The door flew open and they burst in--a dozen or so, armed with swords and cudgels. Their leader was a fair, stocky man with a bully's face who announced himself Robert Danson, sheriff, and told us we were all under arrest.
"Edward Beale stood and asked, 'By what authority?'
" 'This is an illegal meeting under the act newly passed by Parliament.'
" 'We are a peaceable people,' said Edward. 'We have come here to wait upon God in the silence --'
"Danson seized Edward and threw him to the floor. The old man fell hard. I gasped, and heard the intake of breath throughout the meeting. I was shocked that they would treat an old man so; and frightened, too, as I realized what was to come.
" 'Seize them all!' cried Danson.
"The soldiers began to strike left and right, hitting anyone within reach. They struck people with fists and clubs. I saw Samuel Minton fall, and his wife on top of him. Judith's brother Tom was struck across the face. Hannah Davies, with her child in her arms, was flung toward the door."

Those sanitized versions in grade school US history books that we all grew up with, of the Quakers coming to Colonial America in order to be able to worship as they pleased, do not begin to hint at the real picture of what these people were subjected to in Britain shortly after the death of Cromwell and the restoration of the monarchy.

Set in 1662, the graphic, gut-wrenching depictions of the violence and "intolerance" of Quakers in Britain makes NO SHAME, NO FEAR the most significant piece of YA literature I have ever read in regard to that cornerstone--the freedom of religion--upon which our nation was founded.

But the relationship between the book's two narrators, 15 year-old Susanna, daughter of Quaker parents, and 17 year-old William, just back from Oxford, and son to a prosperous and influential Anglican merchant, makes NO SHAME, NO FEAR also one of the great love stories of the year.

"I thought about her all the time; imagined being alone with her, being free to touch, to kiss. The strength of my feelings took me by surprise; I had known nothing of this before.
"But I had to keep her secret. I knew my father would see any connection with a servant girl as beneath me, and if he found out she was a Quaker, he would be furious. And yet I sought her out, not just in the safety of Mary's shop, but around the town."

From reading NO SHAME, NO FEAR it is fair to conclude that the supposedly good people of 17th century Britain spent a lot of time (literally) throwing horse manure at those they despised. Ann Turnbull's vivid depictions extend to details of that era's housing, cooking, laundering and bathing, commerce, apprenticeships, court, health care, and prison systems.

Susanna is working for Mary, a fellow Quaker who runs a print shop, and at one point deep into the story when nearly all the Quakers in town are jailed--asphyxiating, being gnawed on by lice, fleas, and rats, and sharing one coed slops bucket among dozens of prisoners--William offers to operate the press for Mary, who had intended to find and hire on some muscled ex-convict to do the work. In observing William's attempt to master the process by trying to actually print a pamphlet, we get a true sense of the work involved:

" 'Concerning the PERSECUTION...' It looked at once more impressive in print.
" 'Well? I did it!'
" 'Then do another.'
"We printed another page, and a third. Nat came in from the kitchen to watch.
"By the fifteenth page I was tired, and by the twentieth my neck and shoulders ached and the strain must have shown in my face.
" 'Could thou run off sixty?' Mary asked, a glint of laughter in her eyes. 'A hundred? Five hundred?'
"I smiled and shook my head. 'Find thyself a vagrant.' "

"Love is careless in its choosing - sweeping over cross a baby
Love descends on those defenseless
Idiot love will spark the fusion" --David Bowie, "Soul Love"

"I went up to my room and flung myself flat on my back on the bed and gave way to thoughts of Susanna and the feelings she aroused in me. She'd be with the Mintons now, sharing a bed with Judith. Suppose I'd brought Susanna here, to my own bed? I imagined smuggling her in, holding and kissing her as we reached the secrecy of my room; imagined how she'd feel without stays, with her hair loose and falling across my neck and arms."

There is no sanitized happy ending to NO SHAME, NO FEAR, but merely an end to a chapter in the couple's young lives. Ann Turnbull is now hard at work on the sequel.

England in 1662 is a country struggling with the aftermath of a civil war. Susanna is a fifteen-year-old Quaker girl who has left her country home to become a servant in the city. Seventeen-year-old Will, who comes from a wealthy family, has finished his studies and has now come to the same city as Susanna to begin his apprenticeship. When Will and Susanna meet, they fall in love. But they are of completely different social classes and religions, and there are many obstacles standing in their way. Meanwhile, persecution of the Quakers is increasing, and Susanna begins to fear for her safety and that of her friends and family. Can Will and Susanna find a way to be together, or will they be kept apart by the society they live in?

This book was a wonderful historical romance for teens. I particularly enjoyed reading about this historical setting, which the author brought to life in detail, because I have not read many books set in this time period. I truly enjoyed reading about Will and Susanna and their struggle to be together. I highly recommend this book to teen readers who enjoy historical fiction.

NO SHAME, NO FEAR is set in 1662 post-war England. The civil war had been fought because of clashes in faith and culture. The nation is still feeling these effects when seventeen-year-old William returns to his home in Hemsbury to begin an apprenticeship arranged by his wealthy father. Meanwhile, Susanna, a Quaker girl from the neighboring countryside, travels to Hemsbury to work as a servant. William and Susanna meet by chance and begin a secret courtship.

William has a great deal at risk as he begins to court Susanna and becomes interested in her Quaker lifestyle. Will's father is outraged by the changes in his son's behavior and blames Susanna for this. Will the love between Will and Susanna be strong enough to overcome all of the obstacles put in their path?

The story is told in the alternating viewpoints of both William and Susanna. This structure is very effective in allowing the reader access to all aspects of society during this time period.

I thoroughly enjoyed NO SHAME, NO FEAR, and I think you will too. I hope we see more young adult novels from the very talented Ann Turnbull.

--- Reviewed by Renee Kirchner (renee.kirchner@usa.net)

It is the year of 1672, right after the civil war of England. Susanna is a 15 year-old-Quaker. Will is the son of a rich merchant and soon to be apprenticed to a merchant. Susanna and Will meet in the countryside, going there sepparate ways. He was on his way home from Oxford and she on the way to a Meeting. They meet again when Susanna goes to work for a printer in the same villiage were Will lives. Will keeps going to see her and they fall in love. He starts going to Quaker Meetings and decides he likes the ways of Quakers more than the way of the Anglicans. Susanna and Will suffer the harsh treatment that is put upon them for being Quakers. The book shows the innocence of the Quakers and how they must suffer for their religion. The Quakers were treated very un-fair, when they did nothing that made them deserve too go to prison. This book showed how two teenagers put up with the mistreatment and saw the light in good anyway.

This is the story of Susanna Thorn, a fifteen-year-old girl raised as a Quaker in mid-1600s England. Persecution against the Quakers has always been a fact of life for Susanna and her family, and in fact, the story begins with Susanna leaving home to find work in the nearest town because her father has been jailed for practicing his faith. Once Susanna moves into town, she meets Will Heywood, the son of a locally prosperous merchant. Will's life has been mapped out for him: apprenticeship, taking over his father's business, becoming an alderman. However, Will has found that his life is missing something spiritually and he begins to realize that he is drawn to the Quakers' faith, as well as to Susanna. That none of this fits with his father's plans is an understatement; Will must come to terms with himself and his beliefs. Susanna finds herself caught up in her love for Will and her strong convictions for her church.

Turnbull tells the story in chapters that alternate between Will's first-person account and Susanna's. This gives the story depth and helps us to understand why Susanna reacts as she does in the face of persecution and how Will finds his own strength to stand up to his father. The story moves along at a good pace and the storyline is believable. This is an excellent account of the religious persecution of Quakers as well as an excellent relationship novel. Turnbull makes us feel what the characters do and she pulls us into their world effortlessly. This one is recommended.

This gentle love story is a well researched historical fiction of the trials and tribulations of Quakers in Shropshire, England in 1662. Susanna tells her story of what it is like to leave her Quaker family in the country to become a servant in the nearby town and to fall in love. Her mistress is Mary Faulkner, a widow, a Quaker, and owner of a bookshop and printing business. William, the son of a wealthy town alderman has just returned home after finishing his studies in Oxford. His father is so proud of him and has been negotiating an apprenticeship for him with a wealthy silk merchant in London. However, William has become intrigued by the Quaker ways and with Susanna. If he is to follow his heart and the light within himself, he will have to defy his father and suffer persecution with his new Quaker friends.

Turnbull writes descriptive scenes of the differing lifestyles and the persecution which is not glossed over but neither is it sensationalized. With the first person narrative, the reader can well imagine the raids in the meeting place and print shop, the conditions of prison and a workhouse, public ridicule and hate, and the humiliation of being in the stocks.

I admire how Turnbull handles this religious topic without being preachy. Through William's character the reader discovers the Quaker ways and the consequences of adopting this new form of worship. By looking within themselves, the characters find common sense, wisdom and strength to endure persecution and provide support to other Friends.

The story is compelling and informative but lacks a certain excitement and intrique. I would definitely recommend it as essential reading for young readers to understand the roots of the Quaker movement.

This emotional novel tells the story of true young love between William Heywood and Susanna Thorn.The alternating viewpoints between Will and Susanna let you catch every detail in this passionate love story. It was like reading a fairytale and wishing you were there with the characters. Once I started reading it, it had caught my eye and I couldn't bear to put it down, not even for a second. The twisted end of the novel left this reader drowning in tears, full of questions, and longing for the sequel.

~Kelseaaa

My main problem with this book is how the characters react to their situations. I like how Quaker life is described and what those people had to go through is a main aspect of the novel, so I attempted to finish this book. I couldn't.
I had about 5 pages left to go and I couldn't finish (that's saying a lot).
Besides some iffy scenes, the thing that really got to me was the chemistry between the two main characters. I wanted to like William, but his relation to his family and how he handled problems was pathetic. I cringed as the same young man who resisted violence couldn't even resist a girl and to make things worse he isn't the kind of boy who she seems to be able to trust. I won't give the whole story away here, I'll just say that I was deeply dissapointed in the weak characters and character development. Central characters should never get lost in the spotlight of secondary ones...but that is what happens here. I advise you pass this one up and wouldn't recomend it for younger readers(esp. preteens) because of some racy content.

What I liked most about this read is that I felt like I learned something about the Quakers and the hardships they experienced. The author did a nice job revealing what the persecution was like during this time period. Nothing felt sugarcoated or downplayed. At some points, I felt the author was defensive and biased about their religious beliefs, but I understand that she probably did this to portray the injustices against the Quakers. I also liked the characters and the quiet strength the female heroin possessed.

To me, I feel like I walked away from this book thinking more about the Quakers than the actual love story in the book, which is not what I had expected when I saw the the inscription: "A novel of love and persecution" on the cover. I like the book and feel like it was good historical fiction rather than a great romance.

In 1662 England, fifteen-year-old Susanna Thorn lives daily in the fear of her parents being arrested. Their crime? Quakerism. From a modern viewpoint, it is difficult to imagine what harm simple, honest, peaceful "Friends" could do. However, the right to worship freely did not exist in 1662 England. The church of England was THE religion. Those of other religious sects openly living their beliefs were at risk of persecution and even prosecution. The Quakers in particular, who believed in equality of class and gender, were a serious threat to traditional English society.

It is unsurprising, then, that Susanna's story opens with her home being raided and her father imprisoned. With her family's livelihood at stake, Susanna goes to work as a lowly print shop's assistant in the local town of Hemsbury. Meanwhile, seventeen-year-old Hemsbury native Will Heywood is living under very different circumstances. The only son of a wealthy merchant, Will has just returned from London, where he received a classical education and now has plenty of opportunities awaiting him. So when Will meets Susanna and is drawn to her faith just as Quaker meetings are outlawed, his life seems to have taken the worst possible turn.

This riveting, bittersweet read had me thinking about the persecution members of my church (Mormonism) have faced and asking myself if I had the strength to follow my religion so unashamedly in the same position. In fact the severe, unending persecution these characters endured made it difficult to read. The simple, unadorned writing, however, made the pages fly by. Overall, a sweet story of young love amidst seemingly insurmountable obstacles.