Salted With Fire (George MacDonald Original Works) [Hardcover]

George MacDonald (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1996 | Series: George MacDonald Original Works

Maggie looked in at the window as she passed it on her way to get a last sight of her father. The sun was shining into the little bare room and her shadow fell upon him as she passed him; but his form lingered clear in the close chamber of her mind after she had left him far.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 325 pages
• Publisher: Johannesen (August 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1881084442
• ISBN-13: 978-1881084440
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,161,725 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Shorter Work with an Impressive Spiritual Lesson., June 28, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Salted With Fire (Sunrise Centenary Editions) (Leather Bound)

I have just finished this novel and I was very pleasantly surprise at how good it was. The first couple of chapters are a little dull, but as the story gets moving, it is as good as any of George MacDonald's other stories. Now there is quite a bit of Scotch dialect and the story focuses more on one event than do some of the author's other works, but I found the spiritual insight very, very helpful. This book was the next to the last one that this author wrote. And he wrote it when he was 71 years old, so it represents an entire life of spiritual development.

The story revolves around a young preacher, Mr. Blatherwick, who because he is self-confident and prideful, makes a very big mistake which dogs him like the hound of heaven throughout the story. He refuses to face himself, his faults and his need for a redeemer until his conscience almost drives him mad. He had become a preacher to make a name for himself, and in reality he had nothing to offer and everything to hide.

The characters here are very sympathetic and well drawn. We follow a grieving young girl, a compassionate older minister from the neighboring town, the wise shoemaker and his daughter, and the dissapointed and alienated parents of the young preacher. The ending is quite a shocker.

23 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Where pride rules, the soul is lost and the heart is dead., November 5, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Salted With Fire (George MacDonald Original Works) (Hardcover)

James Blatherwick, the only son of Marion and Peter Blatherwick, is an arrogant, self-centered, independent individual who is firmly convinced that he requires no outside assistance, not even from God. He is proud, self-possessed and has no doubt that his intellect will guide him through the direst of circumstances.

It is, while disappointing, not at all surprising that such a one as he is preparing to enter the church as one of God's ministers. Is he dedicated to God, does he revere the Almighty Creator, are his motives pure and altruistic, does he ache for the lost, hurt for those who hurt, cry with those who cry? Not hardly. The ministry offers him the opportunity to display his intellectual prowess and scholastic achievements as well as provides a vehicle by which he may readily obtain prominence, position, power, influence, and a quite comfortable living with minimal exertion-not unlike many pastors, priests, and ministers who I have personally had the distinct misfortune to encounter in this century.

Rather than called of God, for he does not know God, to minister to His flock, Blatherwick has chosen the ministry as a profession. He cannot minister, for he cannot love. He cannot heal, for his heart knows no compassion. He cannot do anymore than repeat, from the pulpit, the words that he has memorized, the words that hold absolutely no meaning for him, the words which he himself does not truly believe.

There abides, however, a loving and patient God who will take whatever steps He deems necessary to redeem and recover His lost sheep. While Blatherwick feels himself quite safe and secure within his thin veneer of pride, the Almighty begins to work.

There resides in the same town in which Blatherwick is comfortably ensconced, a humble cobbler and his daughter, both, having never attended seminary, know more of God than Blatherwick could have conceived possible. It is through the love, patience, understanding, and lives of these two children of God that Blatherwick begins to enter the 'fiery furnace' of redemption and repentance.

The redemption of a single soul is, indeed, a process of rebirth, for intrinsic to this procedure is often to be found agonizing and excruciating birth-pangs. It is doubtful whether it could be accomplished otherwise. The old must die, and he does not die willingly, while the new struggles midst cries of pain, sorrow, and suffering to the surface. As the new birth is taking place midst the death of the old, there are prayers innumerable ascending toward the Throne of God. The angels and saints in Heaven, the children of God on earth-all participate in this glorious event.

You are cordially invited to attend both the death and the rebirth of James Blatherwick. In attendance there may be many with whom you have had no prior experience. I ask that you pay particular heed to one old cobbler and his loving daughter, Maggie. I also request that you not be shy, for this is truly a wondrous occasion. The Blatherwick family will be only too pleased to welcome you to the birth of their new son.