The Blessed by Ann Gabhart

A Dose of “Shakerism”

If you desire to learn about the Shaker ways, The Blessed will give you a deep insight into their way of life, beliefs and their views of the outside world.

Set in the mid 1840’s you are introduced to Isaac, a troubled young man. Coming from a broken home the death of his father weighs heavy on his shoulders. He also bares the burden of his wife’s recent death. Distraught and wanting his sorrow to end he encounters a kind Shaker brother who invites him to find peace in their Shaker ways.

Young Lacey’s troubles began when she was sent to live with a preacher to help tend his ailing wife who passes away. Her greatest joy has been to help mother and raise Rachel, an infant left on the preacher’s porch. But life’s twists and turns find Lacey reluctantly living among the Shakers, torn from her daughter because it is their way.

Isaac and Lacy find the Shaker ways unnatural and are unable to embrace their beliefs wholeheartedly. Their attraction to each other is forbidden. Will they ever find the peace they seek or will it slip through the cracks of the Shaker existence?

I found the characters well developed and their struggles realistic. The writing was clear and descriptions easily visualized. For my own personal taste there was too much Shakerism and not enough interaction between Isaac and Lacey to grow a believable relationship.

Available July 2011 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.