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    Rapture of Canaan
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    Rapture of Canaan
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    Rapture of Canaan
    Audiobook (abridged)3 hours

    Rapture of Canaan

    Written by Sheri Reynolds

    Narrated by Melissa Hayden

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    Unabridged, Digital Only, 3 hours

    Read by Melissa J. Hayden

    "Folksy lyricism...a colorful supporting cast...a fresh story. As they say in church, 'Hallelujah'." (Los Angeles Times Book Review)
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateApr 16, 2009
    ISBN9781101058169
    Unavailable
    Rapture of Canaan
    Author

    Sheri Reynolds

    Sheri Reynolds is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of five novels, including The Rapture of Canaan. She lives in Virginia and teaches at Old Dominion University, where she is the Ruth and Perry Morgan Chair of Southern Literature.

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    Reviews for Rapture of Canaan

    3.5/5

    594 ratings23 reviews

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      I now wonder why I allowed this book to sit unread on the shelf, because when I finally picked it up two days ago, I found it next to impossible to put down. I sat up most of the night reading this - I literally could not put it down.
    • 4/5
      A coming of age story set in a Southern fundamentalist Christian community, this novel provides some insight into the often puzzling willingness of people to remain within the confines of such a community. Ninah, growing up in such a community with family all around her, providing emotional support and companionship in a way that is almost unheard of in today's society, reaches an age where, inevitably, she begins to explore her own sexual urges. The experiment ends in tragedy and an unwanted pregnancy. The author's ability to depict characters that you don't even want to like in so even-handed a way that they become momentarily sympathetic (as in Grandfather Herman's willingness to eat Ninah's prunes). The writer acknowledges the cruelty and restrictiveness of such a life, weaves it into her story and still paints a reality that allows us to understand, if not sympathize, with why people might choose such a life for themselves.
    • 4/5
      One moment I was laughing out loud and the next in tears. Angry, oh so angry at times. I wanted to jump into this book and bring forth some of my own Fire and Brimstone. Definitely an emotional roller coaster. Love, in all its forms. Enjoy!
    • 2/5
      The book was extremely boring to me. I did not like the characters one bit. At a point, I had to put the book down and go away from it. the messages in the book were really insightful and interesting
    • 4/5
      lost my review which was so good.
    • 2/5
      I'm sorry. I couldn't get through this one. It just wasn't my cup of tea. I'm passing it on to others, though. Maybe they will like it better.
    • 4/5
      Having married into a Pentecostal family and attending an independent church I could relate to so much if what Sheri wrote in her book The Rapture of Canaan. The crazy beliefs and lack of freedom brought back memories of how I felt when I began to attend the Pentecostal church. Sheri’s writing style for this book was spot on and very believable. I found it hard to put down when I had other things to do. I just wanted to see what Ninah was going to do next. So many times I wanted her to just run and run and run. I enjoyed Nanna, and her independent thinking. I found it frustrating that she didn’t speak up and change some things but her love and devotion to her husband was inspiring. We don’t find many people who believe in dedicated love like this anymore. As frustrating as this community seems to be, it is how life really is in so many cultures. I feel Sheri did a wonderful job relating her thoughts in this area very well and kept me coming back for more. For me, I would have ended the book differently but I did change my situation in my life story so that’s all that matters.
    • 3/5
      So my cousin that lives in New Jersey is always going to the book sales at her local library. When she completes a run she gives me a full review of her finds. At the last sale she picked up The Rapture of Canaan and encouraged me to read it. That same day I went and checked it out from my local library. I pushed all my other books aside and got caught up in the rapture. The Church of Fire and Brimstone and God's Almighty Baptizing Wind (whew, what a mouthful) is not only a church but an entire community Pastored by Herman Langston. Langston is more of a dictator than a pastor and Ninah Huff's grandfather. Ninah is a young teenager coming of age in the Fire and Brimstone community. Even amid all the Leviticus type rules created by Langston, Ninah seems to be a "normal" teenager. One of these rules that I found to be the most ridiculous was where the "sinner" was made to sleep in a grave all night. Ninah starts to catch the eye of James another teenager in the community. James is one of the few young men in the community that is not kin to Ninah. Ninah mentions her feelings for James to her grandmother "Nanna" who in turn mentions it to Herman. Herman then determines that Ninah and James can start "praying" together. No matter how many prayers are prayed they could not overcome the temptations of the flesh. Ninah soon discovers she is pregnant after a few of these prayer meetings. As cliche as it may sound, upon this discovery all hell breaks loose.The characters in this book were very "real." Herman Langston was a Christian fanatic that ruled his flock by manipulation and control. What happens to Herman in the end was my "good for you" moment in the book. Nanna, Herman's wife, was the "rock" of the community who also bore the wrath of Herman. Nanna was the voice of reason and the main source of love for the family. Nanna was Ninah's saving grace. She truly came off the page as a loving grandmother. Ninah was a very mature teenager. Considering the dynamics of this community Ninah was never allowed to be a child. As I read a long, I found out that she was not allowed to be a mother either. Another stand out character was Ninah's father, Liston. He loved Ninah unconditionally and one of the few people bold enough to challenge Herman. Reynolds deals with some very serious issues in Rapture and there were some shocking revelations throughout. The writing was good and the book flowed but there was still a "flatness." I must say that Reynolds did her research when it comes to the details of the "charismatic"/Holiness church. I grew up in the Holiness church (not as bad as Fire and Brimstone) and some of the things I could relate to really made me "LOL." It would be easy to say that the Fire and Brimstone community was a cult. Reynolds made communal living seem so appealing and conceivable. Their seclusion was a blessing and a curse.The Rapture of Canaan was a quick read and a great coming of age story. I would highly recommend it as a weekend read or to young adult readers.
    • 4/5
      Finch Nobles, badly burned and scarred as a young child, is caretaker of a cemetery in a small Southern town. Still scorned by the townspeople to due to her appearance, she converses with the deceased for solace and friendship. A Gracious Plenty is a heart-rending account of how one person must reach to the dead for what the living do not provide. Bizarre, yet somewhat humorous, characters show what a thin line there is between life and death. Overall, I found this to be a very touching story.
    • 5/5
      This novel focuses on the life of a young girl living in a highly religious town. Upon becoming pregnant, and giving birth to a highly unusual child, her life turns upside down.
    • 5/5
      A definite page turner. I read this book in two sittings and was never bored. I found myself easily wrapped up in the turmoil and beautiful use of language that plays out in this coming of age novel. I only wish I had someone to discuss the theme and religious/cult like story line with once I finished. I will definitely be seeking out more of Sheri Reynolds novels which seem to be just my style!
    • 4/5
      I’ve always been intrigued by small religious communities: the Amish, the Mennonites, etc. who seemingly live in their own time and space. The author does a great job in this book with setting the scene. While reading this book, I too was walking around the compound of The Church of Fire and Brimstone and God’s Almighty Baptizing Wind. I was very angry at whoever wrote the description on the back of the novel however, as they gave away events in the story that don’t happen until well into half the novel. Even so, I enjoyed the story of Ninah and was rooting for her the whole way through.
    • 3/5
      An interesting book set in a Pentecostal community where EVERYTHING pleasurable is forbidden. Story is told by Ninah, a young girl who is coming of age in this tormented community. The story opens your eyes to these types of communities and why lies beneath that can rock the foundation of those communities. A book that would generate a great discussion for a book club.
    • 5/5
      I found this book to be a page turner. The author gives a chilling account of life under oppressive patriarchal rule in a small religious sect in the South. The characters were richly developed and complex. The writing was beautiful. The opening paragraphs were pure poetry. I highly recommend this interesting and thought provoking book
    • 5/5
      I came to this book with some trepidation, not even sure why I'd bought it in a thrift store and started reading it almost immediately. Another female, Southern coming of age story. I've been burned by one or two such this year. However, this book is something different altogether. The story of a girl, Ninah, yes, coming of age in a small isolated religious community (The Church of Fire and Brimstone and God's Almighty Baptizing Wind), run with an iron fist by the community's founder and the narrator's grandfather, Herman. A fundamentalist Christian community, one might say, although many of these fundamentals seem to be only in Herman's mind. He keeps the community's 60 or so members on the straight and narrow through some frequently bizarre means, such as making members who have broken one of his many rules spend a night sleeping in an open grave to think more directly about the wages of sin.But Reynolds has a deft and knowing touch with character, and everyone we meet here, even Herman, is drawn in rounded, human terms. The book is the story of Ninah's self-discovery, her inevitable introduction both to the outside world and to the happy/tragic aspects of adulthood. The story, I have to say, I felt to be a little slow getting going, but overall was compelling and credible. You care about the characters, and especially the protagonist, and you believe what they're going through. And, perhaps best of all, Reynolds' writing style is direct and winning. She has a relatively light and wonderful facility with metaphor, never overdoing it and almost always dead on target. Here's the passage that won me over to the narrative, found in my edition on page 37:"At Fire and Brimstone, we all looked alike, and that made me lonely, too. We didn't all have the same color eyes or the same textured hair, but it really didn't matter. Our shadows came in two varieties: male and female.We were all lanky. We all dressed alike. We slept in the same hard beds and washed with soaps made from the same iron pot. All the men wore beards clipped close and work boots that left the same muddy tracks. All the women pulled their hair into buns and left their faces bare for the sun to adorn as it would.We may has well have been skeletons, unidentifiable. We may as well have interchanged our bones.I used to pray that God would stunt my growth and keep me little--so at least my frame wouldn't be confused with anyone else's.Pammy was the relative closest to my size, and as we grew towards being lost in bodies all the same, I'd do my best to make my shadow different, even from hers. Afternoons as we marched through fields, I'd study our shapes bruised on the ground and pull myself up taller of fling out my arms to keep from getting confused about which shape belonged to her and which shape belonged to me."Simple, clear, compelling and effective. Like the book as a whole.
    • 3/5
      This was an intersting story of a sect/cult religion the punishments were awful for their "sins' ie. drinking you spent the night in a grave, if you lie your bed was filled with nettles for you to sleep on so you feel Jesus' pain.Those parts were hard to read but it was a well written story that I couldn't put down.The reason for only 3 stars is the ending it was very unsatifying and left you wanting the rest of the story.However this is a book I would recommend.
    • 4/5
      A wonderfully written novel birthed from emotion. As wonderful as Rapture of Canaan is written, I can not imagine how much better it could have been had Ms. Reynolds planned this novel as her other great works. Masterful!
    • 4/5
      Rapture of Canaan was one of Oprah's earliest picks for her club, and it was a nicely written book. It is an engrossing tale about an extremely tight knit religious commune, called The Church of Fire and Brimstone and God's Almighty Baptizing Wind, and how young Ninah struggled to balance her faith in God with her own freedom. This is a coming of age story, not only for Ninah, but also for the Fire and Brimstone church family. The author weaves together a moving story of faith and religion, fear and strength, and life and death. I would recommend this novel to anyone who does not mind the religious content; I quite enjoyed this book.
    • 5/5
      Book about teenage love and sexual relationships. Also discusses the affects of religious beliefs. Child is born with hands clasped together in prayer.
    • 3/5
      I really enjoyed this book. I am absolutely fascinated by old southern fundamentalism. I have never been exposed to it & it intrigues me. I think that the author, Sherri Reynolds, presented the setting in a very believable way, not too outlandish or grotesque. I do wish the novel ended with more hope. It wasn't a bad ending, but it leaves one thinking kind of grimly, "what's next?".
    • 4/5
      very strange book, but I still enjoyed it. definately a unique subject...
    • 3/5
      I honestly did not care for this book. I was unable to connect with the characters and I found that the story moved around rather slowly. Maybe I don't have the life experiences or belief system that allowed me to connect.
    • 3/5
      Ninah lives in an isolated religious community which her Grandpa Herman rules with an authoritarian flair. Everything is forbidden, and desires are repressed. Ninah finds herself lusting after her prayer partner, James, and after intense ‘prayer’ sessions, Ninah is pregnant. Drama ensues, and God’s mysterious ways are demonstrated as truly unknowable.