The Blessed: A Novel

by Ann H. Gabhart Narrated by Renee Ertl

Overview

Trapped by obligation, one woman longs for the freedom of true love.

It is 1844 and Lacey Bishop's life is a tangled mess. When circumstances move Lacey to a nearby Shaker village, she is not prepared for the new life that awaits her. In the midst of her deep loneliness, Lacey works to fit in with this odd group. But everything shifts when she finds herself drawn to a Shaker man in a village where such relationships are forbidden.

Can Lacey ever find true happiness in this mysterious place?

“Ann H. Gabhart takes us on a remarkable journey into the lives of the Shakers and their community. With a compelling style, she weaves a story of love, compassion, and a young woman's determination to find God's truth. From cover to cover, The Blessed captivates and challenges-an absolutely wonderful read.”
-Judith Miller, author of A Bond Never Broken

“When you step into the world of Ann Gabhart's The Blessed, you'll find it inhabited by a truly delightful cast of characters. Theirs is a multileveled love story . . . between a man and a woman, yes, but also between a woman and a child not her own. Certainly, a tender and inspiring read.”
-Ann Tatlock, award-winning novelist

“Ann Gabhart has written a fine and fair rendering of the Shaker ways and how the beliefs of this communal society touched the lives of those within the community and those without.”
-Jane Kirkpatrick, award-winning author of The Daughter's Walk

Editorial Reviews

Ann H. Gabhart's new novel takes us into a mid-19th century woman's internal struggles about her faith and her heart. After teenager Lacey Bishop argues with her, she joins the household of a preacher, his wife, and their orphaned child. When the wife dies, the minister convinces young Lacey to marry him; then, in an unexpected move, he brings the family to live in a Shaker community. For Lacey, his unilateral decision is fraught with complications: She now spends her days and nights wed to a man she only half-knows in a community that shuns marriage as a sin. Worse yet, she feels herself drawn to another man. Is there any safe way out of her soulful quandary? A paperback original.

Library Journal

In 1884 Lacey Bishop marries the preacher whose children she helped raise before his wife died. Then her husband moves his family to a Shaker village, where their marriage is frowned upon, as the institution is considered a sin. It is there that she meets the widower Isaac Kingston, to whom she is attracted. How can two people find true love when the odds seem to be stacked against them? VERDICT The story and writing of Gabhart's latest Shaker historical (The Seeker: The Believer) are somewhat dry. Readers may pick this novel up thinking it is Amish fiction but will be sorely mistaken. Recommended only to the author's fans.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940169084085
Publisher:	Oasis Audio
Publication date:	07/01/2011
Edition description:	Unabridged

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