The Seeker

The Seeker
Ann Gabhart
(Revell)
ISBN: 978-0-8007-3363-6
July, 2010/416 pages/$14.99


When well-laid plans go awry, can she still make her dreams come true?

Charlotte Vance is a young woman who knows what she wants. But when the man she planned to marry joins the Shakers—a religious group that does not allow marriage—she is left dumbfounded. And when her father brings home a new wife who is young enough to be Charlotte's sister, it is more than she can bear. With the country—and her own household—on the brink of civil war, this pampered gentlewoman hatches a plan to avoid her new stepmother and win back her man by joining the Shaker community at Harmony Hill. Little does she know that this decision will lead her down a road of unforeseen consequences.

Ann H. Gabhart brings alive the strikingly different worlds of the Southern gentry, the simple Shakers, and the ravages of war in 1860s Kentucky to weave a touching story of love, freedom, and forgiveness.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Ann H. Gabhart is the bestselling author of several novels, including The Outsider, The Believer, and The Seeker. Her latest novel was inspired in part by the many stories her mother and two aunts told her of growing up in small town Kentucky during the 1930s. She lives with her husband a mile from where she was born in Kentucky.




MY THOUGHTS:
I read and reviewed The Believer last year. The Seeker is another look into the lives of a Shaker community during the early days of the Civil War. Charlotte's new stepmother is one of those characters the reader loves to hate and Charlotte's gentle spirit, compassion and love are in sharp contrast to the black heart of her stepmother. Charlotte's personal maid has been more sister than slave since they grew up together, and she and Charlotte flee to the Shaker community to avoid the stepmother's evil hand. The contrast between the gentle peace of the Shakers and the tumultuous events of the outside world is startling and the stringent rules, the separation of genders, and the unquestioning obedience practiced by the Shakers are fascinating and sad at the same time. This was an interesting novel.



Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Revell as part of their Blogger Review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”