Customer Reviews

The Shrine at Altamira

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

 

 

I usually don't read fiction of this sort, but was overwhelmed when I was finished. In what I found to be a relatively short novel, L'Heureux manages to lead us through these three peoples lives, showing us not the hardships of what a loving, caring family goes through, but what can happen when that love becomes misguided and hateful. Yet, for all the traumatic experiences these people experience, they are the ones who are most just in their absolution, not those who live happily ever after. The atrocity of the actions and feelings the main characters inflict and endure make the outcome that much stronger. What could easily have been another Danielle Steele heartwarmer had the storyline been a bit tamer has become one of the greatest testaments to the power of love, and the destructive power that love carries with it.

John l`heureux one of my faverite authors has once again created another spellbinding novel. A harrowing horrifying novel dealing with the darker side of love and it`s tragic effect on young people. This novel is beyond words its simply a must read for any John L`Heureux Fan.

I can only say that this author's talent is beyond description... Well done and unforgettable.

I have just finished reading "The Shrine.." for the second time. The first time, I cried, my mouth fell agape with shock and I felt pinned by some kind of unexpressable anger. The tears and emotional upheaval were absent upon the second reading (I had recently finish Bret Easton Ellis' "Glamorama"-a gory, macabre tale that surpassed "Shrine's most heinous moments), but that does not mean I was not again affected. L'Heureux may not wow with his language, but he does give us terrific character insight. No character ran full-circle here. Instead, the evolution was constant, as situational changes spark change in humanity. And we do see people in all their hideous, sensitive, symphathetic and confused forms. A stirring read.

I was absolutely enveloped by this book. If you've ever wondered how the participants in a destructive relationship feel, this book is for you! It was almost as though I felt the emotions the protaganists felt. It was incredible. The book is very simply written, but the style suited the characters' personalities. To be honest, reading this book was like understanding what those crazy teenagers are thinking - their devotion to a boyfriend/girlfriend at such a young age - seriously believing that they are in love. I was struck by the writer's ability to express, in writing, what some people must feel when they are hopelessly in love. (Of course, I would never want to feel that helpless.) I was literally kept up all night reading this book through to the end

This is a heartbreaking novel about the cycle of child abuse and the misguided
love that propels it from one generation to the next. L'Heureux captures the
anguish, hate, love, despair and, ultimately, hope that catalyzes the vortex of
emotions experienced by the main character.

Maimed as a child by his alcoholic father, he seeks out love as an adult only to
act in a more heinous way than he ever could imagine. How this act destroys
his son's and his own life, and how it leads hem to the only salvation left to
him is the theme of this book. Maimed in body, he becomes maimed in soul -
unable to sort out the good from the evil, the love from the hate.

L'Hereux's novel seems so real that the pain of reading it can be almost un-
bearable at times. If you liked this book you might also like Ellen Foster
by Kaye Gibbons.