Customer Reviews

Pocketful of Pearls (Elect Trilogy #2)

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Very few Christian authors would take on the subject of a "toxic church" and its affects. In her first novel, Grounds to Believe, Shelley Bates lays the groundwork for this, letting the reader interface as outsiders into this strange world of the Elect. In her second novel, A Pocketful of Pearls, the reader feels each sharp pain of the heroine, Dinah, as if they themselves were enmeshed in the tight web of the Elect. This is a gripping novel which is difficult to put down; have kleenex ready as you cheer on the heroine's brave attempts to right her world. And look forward to A Sounding Brass, the last novel in the trilogy. Absolutely tightly written prose, emotional and fulfilling, so don't miss any book in this series!

I don't like to tip off the reader by telling the entire story in advance, or there is no point in reading the book. But I will say this... Be prepared for a page turner when you pick up this novel. It isn't a warm-and-fuzzy feel-good read, but it is powerful and will make your heart swell to unbelievable proportions as you rejoice and cry with the heroine. (Can you tell I write fiction, LOL!) Also, the author's ability to lure the reader into the mind of someone raised in a cult is SO on target. I've worked with abused women for nearly 18 years and I can tell you for certain that she has the internal thoughts and struggles of the victim down to a science. What can I say? I REALLY loved this story. Unlike most novels dealing with the harsh subject of childhood abuse, Pocketful of Pearls offers the reader grit, but served with a whole lot of bravery and hope. The characters are realistic and not super-human, yet strong in their own ways. This is a must read for people who want to get sucked into a novel and experience emotion by traveling the journey with the hero and heroine. Great plotting, too. I can't say enough wonderful things about this story. Again, I won't destroy it by sharing too many details, but rather than being a depressing story, Pocketful of Pearls is a healing one.

Shelley Bates has a fantastic way of getting deep into the sludge of apostate and deceptive Christianity (Cults) and addressing the hard-core issues in a non-offensive way that can also be extremely uplifting. Without going into the details of the story, from the very first page, I found myself connected in a deep way to the heroine, Dinah, as she battles a life-long indoctrination in a toxic church and begins to see sparks of light and truth dawn on the darkness. Her relationship with the hero, Matthew is believable and handled with care under the circumstances of the abuse Dinah has had to endure. The ending is satisfying and encouraging. This is definitely a page-turner that will give you a great understanding of the true love and grace of God.

This book was an absolute treat!! I got so wrapped up in the story that I didn't even stop to eat!! The author makes the world of The Elect so real and you empathize with the main character so strongly. Didn't realize this was part of a series and so am looking foward to reading the other books!!

In the opening pages of POCKETFUL OF PEARLS, Dinah Traynell and over 100 mourners are dressed in black for the funeral of Dinah's father. These people don't wear black just for funerals; they wear black as a part of their religious group, The Elect. The reader enters Dinah's controlled world and the high expectations for behavior of every aspect of her life. Yet something isn't right from the beginning chapter when Dinah slips away to the family barn and vomits her supper to expose her bulimia.

This closed culture around a small town, Hamilton Falls in Washington State, begins to change with an act of kindness to a stranger, Dr. Matthew Nicholas. Like any homeless man, Nicholas, actually a former university literature professor, knocks on the Traynell backdoor and asks for some food. Dinah decides to feed him a day later to hire him to help with work around the farm. The Traynell family is one of the "favored" families in this culture, which means the Shepherd for the flock, Phinehas, often visits the home and stays the night.

These visits from Phinehas trigger Dinah's. Under the cloak of spiritual leadership, Phinehas has consistently sexually abused Dinah since she was fourteen. The life and the secrecy are frightening and Dinah feels like she can't escape.

"After ten years, she [Dinah] still marveled --- in a faint, homeless kind of way --- that no one knew. She had kept their little secret. The ugliness. The pain and degradation. All were locked inside her body with no way out. No way to ask for help. And so. Of course, no one saw --- or wanted to see. No one cared. Not even God."

When Dinah's younger sister becomes pregnant, Tamela is "Silenced" so that no one in the Elect can speak to her for seven years. She leaves the community and has her baby. Suddenly Tamela arrives at the family home with her four-month-old child, Tamsen, and leaves the baby in Dinah's care. Eventually the story reveals that Phinehas is the father of Tamela's child. Later, Dinah learns that Phinehas is more than her sexual abuser. Her mother, Elsie, reveals that the "Shepherd" is Dinah's father. Years earlier, this spiritual leader abused Elsie and she became pregnant with Dinah. The information helps Dinah understand why Elsie's husband allowed Phinehas's continual sexual abuse pattern.

Matthew Nicholas looks homeless but he's actually fleeing a false sexual abuse charge from a student at his university in California. Ultimately he is proven innocent and begins a walking trip. On the trip, Matthew is robbed of his possessions and becomes homeless when he meets Dinah.

Early on in the story, Dinah grows discouraged with life and decides to end her life by drowning in a nearby river. Matthew follows and rescues Dinah. The experience forms a bond of trust, so she confides in him and reveals a part of the culture and lifestyle that no one has ever known. The new relationship gives Dinah someone to help her understand her world and escape the rigid culture. Matthew becomes a friend and listening ear for Dinah so she can flee this toxic church situation. Through displaying a real relationship with Christ, Matthew helps Dinah understand the true spiritual life found in the Bible.

Readers will be lost in the vivid world that Shelley Bates paints with incredible detail and masterful storytelling. Ultimately, through the story, readers learn the distinction between a religious life of rules and a true relationship with Christ. The characters ring with realism in their speech and flawed personalities. The resolutions of the mountain of difficulties will help readers learn how to handle their own struggles.

--- Reviewed by W. Terry Whalin, writer and editor in Scottsdale, Arizona. His latest book is BOOK PROPOSALS THAT $ELL, 21 SECRETS TO SPEED YOUR SUCCESS (Write Now Publications). [...]

This vivid story explored the fascinating world of a heroine who has not been able to escape abuse due to growing up in a "Christian" cult, and her own family's enmeshment in this cult. Yet Dinah is able to have a strong spirit and find those who she can help, and who can help her in turn. The author shows how once she meets those who won't harm her, and can show her a healing faith, how her struggle is with her own undestandable guardedness and wish for control. I liked how many characters were believable and well rounded, and how Dinah and her mother changed throughout the book.

Christian based. OMG. You're not human if you don't grab for the Kleenex box while reading this one. Well written, highly engaging, detailed character development, and the main character is inspirational, faithful, and unforgettable.

Pocketful of Pearls is the first Shelley Bates book that I have read, so I didn't know what to expect - I was elated to find it to be an intelligently-written, deep, and engaging Christian novel! That is quite a feat, considering that most "Christian" novels consist of nothing more than fluff parading as depth; there is no fluff to be found in "Pocketful of Pearls"!

Though in the beginning of the novel I had some minor discrepancies with character development and subtext, I quickly got over it as I became wholly engrossed in the plot as it unfolded. The characters are not perfect, but are perfectly loveable, and while they may be a bit dramatic or exaggerated, they are still very realistic given the setting. I was intrigued from the start by the idea of the main character growing up in a "toxic church", and continued to be fascinated with the social structure and practices of the church as I learned more about them. I look forward to reading Bates' other novels which are also set in the same church.

I highly recommend Pocketful of Pearls to anyone over the age of 16, due to some of the sensitive material covered. The story of Dinah Traynell may be shocking or grotesque to some, but Bates handles it in such a tactful way, and artfully uses her character's situation to show the power of God's love and redemption, so as long as the reader has a measure of maturity, it is a novel that I know you will learn from and love!

Grade: A-

xtending Christian charity to a drifting vagabond goes against the teachings of her strict "church", yet Dinah does so, never guessing that one act will change her life forever. Matthew's entry into her life is the seeming catalyst to a chain of events that will turn her world on its ear. Even before he arrived, the pangs of upheaval had begun with her father's death. Now, she dares to want more than what the Elect will allow her. Her sister's sudden return from exile, just long enough to drop off her baby into Dinah's care, exacerbates things, especially when she learns that the baby is the child of the man who raped all the women in her family. Unable to stand the spiritual and physical abuse anymore, Dinah realizes that her life has nothing to do with God, and everything to do with a sick and twisted charlatan. Though she risks losing everything she has ever known, Dinah is forced to make a stand for truth.

**** Seldom does one find a hard hitting Christian novel; the norm for the genre is sweetness and light. Yet, this book defies the standard to deliver a compelling story that shines a light on cultic activity that diverts just a shade off of true faith. This is a wonderful book that illuminates II Peter chapter two. ****

Reviewed by Amanda Killgore, Freelance Reviewer.