I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Imagine growing up in a world where you can see God’s beauty all around you and follow your heart. Now imagine that world is crushed by the death of a loved one. Jessamine Brady lived in that world with her grandmother until the age of 10. When her grandmother died the Shaker community took her in. This is where I really had to pay attention. I’d heard of the Shakers but really didn’t know anything about them. I thought they were like the Amish. Boy was I wrong. I felt their beliefs were way out there, especially their belief about remaining celibate. Men and women were equal in all ways. They stayed separate. They considered marriage and procreation a sin. I kept wondering how a people could get so messed up. Jessamine remembers her life outside of the Shakers. When she and her sister find a man in the woods and bring him back because he is injured, things change. They are immediately drawn to each other. Tristan had lost his memory. When he gets it back he tells no one hoping to find out who tried to kill him. However, the closer he and Jessamine get the more the Shakers are ready to send him packing. That is exactly what happens and Jessamine goes with him. Tristin’s parents have made a marriage arrangement to save their finances. Will Tristin and Jessamine stay together? If he leaves will she stay in this world or go back to the Shaker world? If you want these answers you will definitely need to read the book for yourself. It was definitely a different take on religion. The author did an excellent job of presenting the history of that time period. ( )

I love to read novels about the Amish and Mennonites. I think it brings a sense of peace to me to share in the simple way of life that these two communities of people live. I had not read anything about the Shakers, however, until I read “The Gifted” by Ann H. Gabhart. My husband and I had visited Pleasant Hill, Kentucky for a week one night. Yes, that’s what I said and I meant it. The sidewalks rolled up at 6:00 pm. It wasn’t the most exciting trip we’d ever taken. I couldn’t wait to leave the place. I guess that was when I was much younger. Now I would relish spending some time in a simple, peaceful place such as Jessamine did in Harmony Hill.

“The Gift” is the story of a Shaker community. The Shakers were a people who simply wanted a very peaceful way of life. However their founder, Sister Ann Lee, evidently thought that everything worldly was a sin. Men and women were entirely separated, never to touch or to have any sort of relationship. The eyes of those bidden to watch for evil were everywhere. Young girls and young men were especially watched so that there was no fraternization at all. You might wonder how they thought to grow their community if there were no babies born. Orphaned children were often brought to the Shakers to raise and whole families often joined and in that way their communities grew, at least for a time. Their existence was only to labor for God and Sister Ann. Any transgressions of speech or actions were expected to be confessed to another Shaker. Sister Jessamine had been brought to the Shaker community upon the death of her great-grandmother. Her mother was dead; her father had left and not returned for her. Sister Jesssamine enjoyed God’s beautiful things on earth, which was frowned upon. One day, she and another Sister were out gathering berries when they happened upon a young man who had been shot and thrown from his horse. Against the Shaker way, instead of going for help, they brought the young man, Tristan Cooper, to their village to be tended to. Sister Jessamine was quite taken by this fair young man and could not help wondering what was so wrong about a love between a man and woman, which was forbidden by the community of Believers. This is the story of Jessamine, her desire to experience the world and her guilt in sinning against the Shaker rules by doing so.

I really enjoyed reading this book. I saw that it is possible that people who have been disillusioned or hurt by circumstances in their lives might want to live a peaceful existence such as the Shakers. Being the type of person that I am, I would never have been able to exist in such a rigid atmosphere. One was constantly being criticized and watched for signs that they were not fully attentive to the Shaker rules of Sister Ann and the Ministry. However, someone who is so desiring of a peaceful life might see the merit in living as a Shaker. You really need to read this book. It gives so much to think about even in the times in which we live today. I found myself trying to determine how I could make my life more peaceful and simple. ‘Tis the gift to be simple, ‘tis the gift to be free.

I received a free Kindle copy of this book for my honest review from the publisher. The opinions expressed here are my own.

You can find my review on my blog:
http://imhookedonbooks.wordpress.com/2012/08/14/the-gifted-by-ann-h-gabhart/
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Ann H. Gabhart has again gifted us with another book about living with the Shakers. When I read about their lives, the work ethic is marvelous, but the idea of living without married love is not for me.
Young Jassamine Brady has lived with the Shakers since before she turned 10 years of age. She had been living with her Grandmother in the Mountains, and became a God loving free spirit. Now she has a hard time keeping fairy tales out of her mind, and just living the Shaker life.
She actually made me think Maria in the "Sound of Music".
You will wonder how such a "free" spirit can stay a Shaker. She is under the watchful eyes all the time of the elders...can you imagine peep holes?
The story begins when she wants to find out about parasols?? Huh! That is what Sister Annie thinks as she drags her through the woods and countryside looking for...um raspberries!
This is where the adventure begins, and life will never be the same. This is the third of the four books in this series that I have read. I also learn quite a bit of history reading these books. Don't miss this enjoyable book about a past segment of American life.

I received this book through Net Galley, and the Publisher Revell, and was not required to give a positive review. ( )

Ann Gabhart delivers another beautifully written story. The Gifted tells the story of Jessamine, a young woman who was sent to live in a Shaker community at the age of 10 after the grandmother who had raised her died. Jessamine's vivid imagination and curiosity about the world outside the Shaker community are a continual source of problems. The strict rules of the community and the Shaker belief that the world is sinful contradict the early teachings of Jessamine's grandmother who told her stories of God's love as well as romantic love. After finding a wounded stranger in the woods Jessamine finds herself being tempted by the world even more.

The Shakers separated themselves from society much like the Amish. Each member in their society worked for the greater good of all. I found myself shocked by the way Jessamine was treated. The Shakers had members who watched to make sure their rules were followed and reported every infraction to those in authority. I couldn't help feeling that most of their members had joined after unhappy marriages or bad family lives. A religion that basically forbids love and emotion felt cold and empty to me. The Shakers claimed they loved all their brothers and sisters equally but I found them to be judgemental with very little real concern for others.

I have found a new favorite author in Ann Gabhart. She has a gift of drawing her readers into the stories she weaves and The Gifted is a perfect example of her ability to bring realism to the characters in her books. This is a great book for anyone who enjoys historical fiction, Christian fiction, or Christian romance.

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.

Disclaimer: I received a free Kindle copy of The Gifted through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review of the book. ( )

Jessamine was left with Granny when her mother died soon after childbirth. Raised the first ten years of her life in a secluded cabin in the woods, she was taken to the Shakers at Harmony Hill when Granny stopped breathing one day. At the beginning of the novel, she has been with them for nine years absorbing their teaching, but as she approaches the time to sign her Covenant, she has more questions of which the Shakers do not approve.

When she finds an injured man and brings him back to Harmony Hill for his wounds to be treated, she can't stop thinking about the handsome stranger. His presence only adds to her confusion regarding the teachings she has received. When he leaves the community, she thinks she will never see him again. But when Sister Sophrena finds the letter that was meant to be given to Jessamine on her 12th birthday, everything begins to change. Soon, Jessamine has to make a choice between the quiet, simple Shaker community and the world in which she has never lived.

When this novel came up for review, I practically jumped through the laptop trying to get it. I have been fascinated by the Shakers ever since my childhood in Kentucky when we visited the Shaker Village at South Union. The market has not been flooded with fictional novels about the Shakers as it has been with the Amish, so this was exciting news. This was the first of Ms. Gabhart's novels that I have had the chance to read, but I loved it. Her knowledge of the Shakers is phenomenal. Occasionally the dialogue seemed a little uneven and stilted, but then again, 9 years with the Shakers might have caused a person to sound like that. It was a very well written novel and I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical fiction or has enjoyed the Amish fiction but needs a break from that subject.

4 very happy stars

“Available July 2012 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.”

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Revell. 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. ( )