Audiobook
$0.00
with membership trial

Hardcover
$5.60

Paperback
from $14.99

Select delivery location

See All Buying Options

Follow the author

Ann H. Gabhart

Follow

Believer, The: A Novel Paperback – Bargain Price, August 1, 2009

by Ann H. Gabhart (Author)

4.5 213 ratings

See all formats and editions

Elizabeth Duncan has nowhere to turn. In charge of her younger brother and sister after their parents die, her options are limited. When she hears that the Shaker community in the next county takes in orphans, she presents herself and her siblings at Harmony Hill. Despite the hard work and strange new beliefs around her, Elizabeth is relieved to have a roof overhead and food to eat. But when she feels a strong attachment to a handsome young Believer named Ethan, life gets complicated. Ethan has never looked on the opposite sex as anything but sisters, but he can't shake the new feelings that Elizabeth has awakened in him. Will Elizabeth be forced to leave the village to keep Ethan from stumbling? Or will Ethan's love for her change their lives forever? Following on the heels of the successful book The Outsider, The Believer is Ann H. Gabhart's newest exploration of love and devotion in this quiet Shaker community.

Length

394
Pages
Language

EN
English
Publisher

Revell
Publication date

2009
August 1
Dimensions

8.4 x 5.6 x 1.1
inches
See all details

Ann H. Gabhart
281
Paperback
69 offers from $0.96
Ann H. Gabhart
132
Paperback
67 offers from $5.75

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A Shaker romance sounds like a nonstarter idea for a novel, since the Shakers, a socially revolutionary religious sect, practiced celibacy. But therein lies the tension in this historical romance, Gabhart's second Shaker outing (after The Outsider). Raised by Shakers since the age of six, when he ran away from his river rat father, Ethan Boyd is a Believer—someone who has signed a covenant to join the Shakers. But he's thrown into emotional turmoil when Elizabeth Duncan and her two younger siblings, following the sudden death of their father, seek refuge in 1833 at Harmony Hill, the Shaker community in Kentucky where Ethan lives. Elizabeth is also escaping from a predatory landlord with designs on her. A number of supporting characters are well drawn, including Elizabeth's siblings Payton and Hannah and the kind Shaker, Issachar, Ethan's benefactor. Other characters are more like caricatures—Elizabeth's landlord is an Oilcan Harry, mustache-twirling kind of villain. On balance, the book rings with researched authenticity and will appeal to Amish romance fans. (Aug.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From the Back Cover

Will a forbidden love destroy all they know? Elizabeth Duncan has nowhere to turn. In charge of her younger brother and sister after their parents die, her options are limited: she can give in to the unwanted advances of an odious landowner--or she can flee. When Elizabeth hears that the Shaker community in the next county takes in orphans, she presents herself and her siblings at Harmony Hill. Despite the hard work and strange new beliefs around her, Elizabeth is relieved to have a roof overhead and food to eat. But life gets complicated when she finds herself attracted to a handsome young Believer named Ethan. Ethan has never looked on the opposite sex as anything but sisters, but he can't shake the new feelings that Elizabeth has awakened in him. Will Elizabeth be forced to leave the village to keep Ethan from stumbling? Or could Ethan's love for her change their lives forever? Living just thirty miles from a restored Shaker village in Kentucky, Ann H. Gabhart has walked the same paths that her characters might have walked in generations past. Gabhart is the author of several books, including the bestselling The Outsider.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B003GAMZKO
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Revell; Original edition (August 1, 2009)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 394 pages
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 4.45 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.38 x 5.56 x 1.05 inches

Customer Reviews:
4.5 213 ratings

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Videos

Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video!

Upload your video

Important information

To report an issue with this product, click here.

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.

Ann H. Gabhart

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Ann H. Gabhart caught the writing bug at the age of ten and has been writing ever since. An award winning author, she's published many books for both adults and young adults. Her books cover several genres from historical to small town family stories to cozy mysteries (mysteries published with author name A.H. Gabhart). Her ideas are sparked by events in Kentucky history and by experiences in her own family. Her first Shaker novel, The Outsider, was a finalist for the ECPA Christian Fiction Book of the Year. Love Comes Home won the Selah Book of the Year award, and These Healing Hills was the Faith, Hope & Love Readers' Choice Women's Fiction Book of the Year.

Ann lives on a Kentucky farm not far from where she was born. She and her husband have three children and nine grandchildren. Ann enjoys hiking on her farm with her grandkids and her dogs, Frankie and Marley. See more about her books at www.annhgabhart.com or join the conversation on her Facebook page, www.facebook.com/anngabhart.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5

213 global ratings

How customer reviews and ratings work

Sort reviews by

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

GlacierHeart

The Believer

Reviewed in the United States on November 2, 2012

Verified Purchase

Elizabeth Duncan has run out of options. With her last living parent gone, two siblings to care for, and no where to live, she turns to the last hope that remains. Remembering the Shaker village in the next county that her father told them stories about, she packs up her brother and sister and presents herself and siblings at Harmony Hill. Despite the strange beliefs that swirl around them, she is relieved that the Shakers provide a roof over their heads in exchange for the labor of their hands. Even though they are provided for, Elizabeth finds herself attracted to a young Believer named Ethan. He is beginning to see her as more than a sister, and Elizabeth fears she will be asked to leave the village in order to keep him from sin. Will she be able to leave her siblings behind forever? Or will Ethan bring himself to acknowledge the love growing in his heart?

This was quite the tender love story, despite the oxymoron of a Shaker romance. Ethan was quite naive to anything and everything in the world, but curious, just like every normal child who knows nothing of the outside. Having grown up in the Shaker village keeps him from experiencing life as he should have, and he is very childlike even as a young adult. A good story line and an entertaining plot. I enjoyed everything about this book, and I really fell in love with all of the well written characters. I give it six stars.

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Ginny

Believer or Believer?

Reviewed in the United States on January 8, 2015

Verified Purchase

The Shakers Movement isn't just fiction, but a true lifestyle for a few. There aren't many left. They keep themselves shut off from the world, live in a community with assigned chores, male & female in separate housing & say that marrying is a sin. The only way their numbers grow is by converts. Ethan was taken as a young child by his dangerous biological father. He was able to escape by jumping off a raft. Brother Issachar found him & took him to his Shakers' Compound. That's where Ethan grew up, learning & adhering to their beliefs. When Elizabeth's father died & she buried him their evil neighbor came for her to marry. She ran with her brother & sister to the Shakers for safety. This is a story of not having to be in the Shakers to be a believer, but just needing to be a believer in the Lord. It's about thinking for yourself with God's guidance & not letting a cult leader tell you how to think or live. I'm thankful to be a member of a church that preaches the Word & loves its members.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Peggie Bell

Enjoyment and teaching team up

Reviewed in the United States on August 7, 2014

Verified Purchase

This book is a definite page-turner. The sincerity of the characters, and the obvious historic research kept me reading and longing for more I know little about the Shakers, and thus found this novel quite interesting. Though I had figured out what the eventual outcome would be, there were many twists and unexpected happenings.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Laura

The Beliver - The title says it all

Reviewed in the United States on October 21, 2010

Verified Purchase

The Believer is a very dramtic book that tells the story of a young woman who stays true to the Christian Faith against all odds. At a very young age, she has no choice but to join a religious sect that is very different from how she is brought up in Christianity. Her perservance to her faith does pay off and the story ends on a very good note. Would definatley recommend this book to anyone looking for a good Chirstian drama to read.

Helpful

Joy

It was a good book and I do recommend it

Reviewed in the United States on August 1, 2014

Verified Purchase

It was interesting to learn some of the Shaker ways in this book. Don't agree with all of them, but then where would this world be if everyone agreed with everything. It was a good book and I do recommend it. One can feel for the main characters and understand some of their troubles. Good Ending. Won't spoil it for you.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Tammy Taylor Saxon

Love this book.

Reviewed in the United States on April 3, 2016

Verified Purchase

Years ago as a young girl I read this book and have never forgotten how much I enjoyed it. Just read it again and enjoyed it 45 years later as much as I did then. A very easy and decent read.

Reviewed in the United States on January 5, 2015

Verified Purchase

The book. Was a very interesting. Read, though it was fiction, about the life of Quakers, their beliefs and ideas... The book was a good read, although it seemed labored sometimes....

Reviewed in the United States on August 19, 2015

Verified Purchase

This was a very well written story. I was drawn in from the very first page and through the whole book. Loved the character's and the descriptions of their lives.

Helpful

Image Unavailable

Follow the author

Believer, The: A Novel Paperback – Bargain Price, August 1, 2009

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

From the Back Cover

About the Author

Product details

Videos

Important information

About the author

Ann H. Gabhart

Customer reviews

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.