Candle in the Darkness (Refiner's Fire Series #1)

Book Description

Book 1 in the Refiner's Fire series. The daughter of a wealthy slave-holding family from Richmond, Virginia, Caroline Fletcher is raised in a culture that believes slavery is God-ordained and biblically acceptable. But upon awakening to the cruelty and injustice it encompasses, Caroline's eyes are opened for the first time to the men and women who have cared tirelessly for her. Her journey of maturity and faith will draw her into the abolitionist movement, where she is confronted with the risks and sacrifices her beliefs entail.

Customer Reviews:

An amazing historical novel!.......2006-09-20

I read this book in 2 days and couldn't put it down last night until I finished it at 2am. The author gave great details on the war and the characters that you feel like you're part of the story. I also like how the character, Caroline Fletcher, stood up for what she believed and still fought to save her family, even though they didn't agreed what she believed in. I also liked how the author compared the civil war to Bible times. It' never occurred to me how similar the war is to the Egyptian times. Overall, this is a great book that can't be put down without finishing it. I'm looking forward to reading more of Lynn Austin's books.

One of the best Christian Fiction books out there.......2006-06-27

I picked this book up after reading another Lynn Austin book, Hidden Places. I was engrossed from the first page. I read it in one day. The characters were great, especially the main character. It challenged my views of the Civil War and slavery. It was excellent. The other two in the series are wonderful as well. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

Excellent Historical Civil War Fiction.......2006-06-24

Wow, what an amazing book. This was about a woman with convictions who dared to risk everything for them. By the world's standards she had it all~ beauty, wealth, intelligence, family with connections, and a gorgeous, rich, & charming finance. She is willing to forsake all to protect and free the slaves she loves.

This is a story about trust and faith in God and how Caroline develops from a shy, insecure young girl into a strong, courageous woman. However, Caroline's deceitful acts did not sit well with me. God's character is not consistent with deception. He is a big enough God to allow the North to win the war without willing someone to do deceitful acts. Caroline really put her father, cousins, finance and others in great danger by doing what she did. The author did not clarify whether Caroline's actions were right or wrong. It is for the reader to decide.

I really liked how the author painted a picture of slavery, people's attitudes towards slaves, and their interactions with them. The historical research involved was excellent. The reader gains a sense of what living in Richmond, the Confederate's capitol, must have been like before, during and briefly after the war.

Another excellent civil war fiction I strongly recommend is a book called "The Velvet Shadow" 3rd in "The Heirs of Cahira O'Connor" series by Angela Elwell Hunt.

Admirable Christian Fiction.......2005-03-01

Caroline Fletcher is a Southerner and she hates slavery. What should she do?

Lynn Austin's novel, "Candle in the Darkness," is a story about love, forgiveness, and doing the right thing. A terrible choice hangs in the balance for one woman: Should she stand up for what she believes in and lose the trust of her family and fiance, or should she let her convictions go and live "happily ever after?"

This book was fairly captivating. I read it in a day, because it is one of those books that you can't put down even if you don't really like it. The characters are believable, and the plot is strong. I can truthfully say I enjoyed it and that Lynn Austin knows how to write.

The only flaw that I saw in this story was something that I see in many Christian fiction books set during the Civil War: Why is it that all these Chrstian authors, if they want to make such a point agains the evils of slavery during that time, choose to tell their story from a Southern perspective? It is slightly annoying that Caroline Fletcher is not an authentic Southerner; why couldn't Lynn Austin just tell her story from a Northern perspective if she wanted a strongly anti-slavery character? I can understand the point she tried to make, but the more I study the Civil War, the more I wish that I could have enjoyed Caroline as the Southerner she should have been. It was practically traitorous that she betrayed her family and could've caused her fiance's death. I am most definitely NOT saying that I would have prefered a character like Scarlett O'Hara, but still, this was the one weak spot in the book.

Still, this book is great for anyone interested in the Civil War. Mildly recommended.

I learned a lot about my self and those around me..........2004-12-02

I really enjoy Christian fiction books and I always have a hard time choosing the right one. For some reason this book really stood out at the book store and I bought it without realizing what the book was fully about. It is such a strong book about going after what you truly believe in and standing up for what is right! After I finished it I wanted to read more and more about Caroline and I also found myself researching more about the Civil War. It is a hard book to put down! One of my good friends borrowed it & fell in love with it immediately! :0)

Average customer rating:

Best one in the series!
Great book, especially if you love historical fiction!
Fabulous Book!
EXCELLENT ENJOYABLE READ
An Amazing Book

Fire by Night (Refiners Fire Series #2)
Lynn Austin
Manufacturer: Bethany House Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1556614438
Release Date: 2003-11-01

Book Description

Book 2 of Refiner's Fire. The drama of the Civil War unfolds through the eyes of two very different Northern girls. Lovely Julia Hoffman has always enjoyed the carefree life of her well-to-do family, but when she fails to attract the attention of Rev. Nathaniel Greene, a fierce abolitionist, she determines to bring meaning to her empty and shallow existence. When she becomes a Union nurse, her eyes are opened to the realities of war and suffering. She also meets Phoebe, who has entered the army under false pretenses--and whose journey to understanding herself, as well as the tumultuous world about her, is revealed with sensitivity and drama.

Customer Reviews:

Best one in the series!.......2007-07-20

If you only have money for one book from this series, I would recommend this one. It is definitely the better of the three stories.

Great book, especially if you love historical fiction!.......2007-05-03

I never had read historical fiction regarding the civil war before this book. This was such an interesting book, and so full of information. I loved the characters. It was really neat to see how some of the women of the time helped in the war. Men made many sacrifices during this war, but so did the women. You will not be disappointed in this book if you love the civil war era. I accidentally got this one first over the first book in the series (Candle in the Darkness), I liked this one much better.

Fabulous Book!.......2006-11-22

I couldn't put it down and read it in 2 days! I recommend this book for anyone who wants to read a great book.

EXCELLENT ENJOYABLE READ.......2006-07-26

This book was better than the first one, I enjoyed reading it very much! I really liked how Julia's character developed and Phoebe was such a likeable character. Lynn Austin is a great writer, she really knows how to keep your interest. Highly recommend this book!

An Amazing Book.......2006-06-29

This is the best book I have read in a long time. The two women and their struggles and triumphs are so very interesting. Every page is full of suspense, and I found myself reading faster and faster not being able to wait to read what was next. I recommend this book wholeheartedly to anyone who loves a historical romance, and even to those who don't.

A Light to My Path (Refiner's Fire Series #3)

Average customer rating:

Beginning reasonable...Ending unsatisfying
A great Book
recommended
Another great novel
Civil War Historical Fiction- A Slaves Perspective

A Light to My Path (Refiner's Fire Series #3)
Lynn Austin
Manufacturer: Bethany House Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1556614446
Release Date: 2004-11-01

Book Description

Refiner's Fire book 3. Kitty, a house slave, always figured it was easiest to do what she'd always done--obey Missy and follow orders. But when word arrives that the Yankees are coming, Kitty is faced with a decision: will she continue to follow the bidding of her owners, or will she embrace this chance for freedom? Never allowed to have ideas of her own, Kitty is overwhelmed by the magnitude of her decision. Yet it is her hope to find the "happy ever after" ending to her life--and to follow Grady, whom she loves--that is the driving force behind her choice. Where will it lead her?

Customer Reviews:

Beginning reasonable...Ending unsatisfying.......2007-07-02

This book starts out as a reasonable "grab in". It depicts the story of a young girl, "Kitty" (later young lady), who has trouble grasping freedom as her own. She later meets a young man, Grady, who's driven by hatred and past sorrows. She begins to have feelings for the man (who's really a young boy) but is almost driven away from him because of his anger and frustration, mainly at white people. This book appears to have the value of forgiveness, but in the end it gives the imnpression that money resolves Grady's anger problems. Also, their relationship, "Kitty" and Grady, seems based on dashing looks and not of true love. The part of faith in this story is not "preachy" at all which is good, but almost has a "backseat" in the whole of the story. Faith has to be a main part otherwise you can't imagine all the main character's happy endings. I believe this to be a good read as far as storyline, but the moral of the story doesn't seem to play out well enough for you to understand.

A great Book.......2007-04-09

This was the first book I've read by Lynn Austin and I just finished reading another one by her called Hidden Places. Both books are excellent. In a Light to my Path, she really shows how only God can take a horrible situation and use it for good.

The characters were very well developed, especially as you continued to discover more and more about them. Grady's character was wonderful in that I felt his rage, his anger, his unbelief and Kitty (Anna)'s character made me cry.

Although the end could have been a little bit more...something, the book was an enjoyable read. I would recommend her books to anyone who is looking for a fresh and unique voice in the Christian book world.

recommended.......2006-12-05

very interesting book. i really enjoyed it. only problem was thatt the language of the people (slave owners, slaves...) did not match the characters, along with the region and time period they were living in. otherwise, very very well-written.

Another great novel.......2006-11-22

It took me a while to get into this book in the beginning because I hate reading how a slave is being torn away from his family and being sbused by his owner. It got better as I kept reading when the story start to show some hope for the slaves. It's amazing to see how ignorant America was back then and how we still are today!

Civil War Historical Fiction- A Slaves Perspective.......2006-06-28

This book is one of those that can be easily read in one sitting. It's the 3rd in a series, depicting slaves' perspectives living through slavery and the civil war. I was gripped at the abuse and portrayal of what it was like to be owned by someone. The realization that one could be ripped away from loved ones or because of the whim of an owner be whipped and/or sent down to "slave row". Mercy was rarely received, and was truly a gift when given.

The sovereignty of God is weaved throughout the pages, as the reader can see how seemingly cruel events were used later to save and protect. God's unconditional love and faithfulness were also portrayed.

I liked how the author used kind-hearted, loving, God-fearing white people in this series to show that not everyone from the white race, or down south were hateful towards the slaves.

The author did a great job of ending this 3 book series. One of the main characters, Grady, was introduced in the first book. The ending was sweet. It could have extended further for additional reunions from others from the first book, but it still is an excellent read.

The Refiner's Fire: The Making of Mormon Cosmology, 16441844

Average customer rating:

The Fascinating Context for Joseph Smith's Claims--10 stars!
A Leap Beyond
More of a fantasia played on the idea of Mormonism than the religion itself.
Garbage
A Powerful Statement of the Origins of Mormonism

The Refiner's Fire: The Making of Mormon Cosmology, 16441844
John L. Brooke
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0521345456

Book Description

Mormon religious belief has long been a mystery to outsiders, either dismissed as anomalous to the American religious tradition or extolled as the most genuine creation of the American imagination. The Refiner's Fire presents a new and comprehensive understanding of the roots of Mormon religion, whose theology promises the faithful that they will become "gods" through the restoration of ancient mysteries and regain the divine powers of Adam lost in the fall from Paradise. Professor Brooke contends that the origins of Mormonism lie in the fusion of radical religion with occult ideas, and organizes his book around the two problems of demonstrating the survival of these ideas into the nineteenth century and explaining how they were manifested in Mormon doctrine. In the concluding chapter, the author provides an outline of how Mormonism since the 1850s gradually moved toward traditional Protestant Christianity. As well as religion, the book explores magic, witchcraft, alchemy, Freemasonry, counterfeiting, and state-formation. John L. Brooke is professor of history at Tufts University and the acclaimed author of The Heart of the Commonwealth: Society and Political Culture in Worcester County, Massachusetts, 1713-1861 (CUP, 1989), which has won, among other prizes, the Organization of American Historians' Merle Curti Award for Intellectual History and the National Historical Society Book Prize for American History.

Customer Reviews:

The Fascinating Context for Joseph Smith's Claims--10 stars!.......2007-09-08

Note: I made some Mormon reader angry over my reviews of books written by Mormons out to prove the Book of Mormon, and that person has been slamming my reviews.

Your "helpful" votes are appreciated. Thanks.

Anyone interested in how Joseph Smith could have become a prophet should first read about the life of Joanna Southcott. Her story proves that believers will continue to believe regardless of contrary evidence; in fact, for the believer, the contrary evidence will be seen as the greatest evidence of all.

The following is quoted from Brook's well-researched history (the first part a summary on the back cover). It's a real eye opener, and in many aspects, Southcott's claims are mockingly similar to those of Joseph Smith. Southcott's "sealings" will leap from the page for anyone familiar with Mormonism (also her testimonies).

"Born in 1750 to a Devon farmer, and growing in a typical rural environment of the time, Joanna Southcott's life was changed in 1792 when she heard the `still, small voice' that would inform and guide her for the next two decades. Her claims that it was the word of God speaking through her were rejected by church leaders, yet her prophecies of the Second Coming and her `sealing' of believers against harm brought her tens of thousands of followers. Some of her writings, she was told by her inner voice, were to be kept secret and revealed only when requested by the twenty-four Church of England Bishops at a time of great danger--hence the existence of her famous Box." (A box of "sealed" prophecies!)

"Central to Joanna's Southcott's writings is the fight between good and evil in the world, which, as in the Revelation of St. John, is to culminate in a terrible battle leading to a great victory for Christ of the Devil."

"The whole nation looked on in 1814 when Joanna--at age of sixty--announced the forthcoming birth of `Shiloh,' which she saw as the second coming of Jesus. The pregnancy was affirmed by leading doctors, but Joanna died and no trace of Shiloh could be found."

Her writing career began this way: She went out and bought "pens, ink and paper and made a start. Writing had never come easy to her. There had always been complaints about its illegibility, but she would not let that put her off" (p. 53).

She wrote 65 books and pamphlets, including "A True Picture of the World."

She even had an "Affidavit signed by the Seven Stars in 1802, confirming that they had found Joanna Southcott's powers of prophecy to be genuine" (p. 110).

One of her followers was Robert Dowland. Dowland went to her meeting and, "Soon afterward he began to communicate with a spirit who confirmed his new faith in verse and, despite the fact that Dowland was barely literate, the words were dictated as fast as he could write them down" (p. 182):

`Come, see Joanna, see the saint arise!
Burst earthly prison, soar about the skies,
To that bright world where joys immortal grow,
And life's unfathom'd pleasures ever flow;
There rob'd in white, she'll join the heav'nly train:
She'll share the glory of the sealed race,
And bask, and triumph, in the God of Grace.'

And guess what? Southcott still has followers today.

A Leap Beyond.......2006-07-13

Leaping way beyond Quinn's, Early Mormonism and the Magic World View (1987), Brooke finds striking parallels between Mormon theology and teachings (such as temple ritual, polygamous marriage, deification, a salvifical priesthood and the coequality of spirit and matter), with those of ancient traditions of alchemy and hermeticism. Disagreeing with Davis, Shipp and many others, Brooke does not see Mormonism as an American institution, with its inherent baggage (racism, anti-Catholic sentiment, etc.); but as a restoration of the ideas of the Radical Reformation. Brooke is not alone nor the first to notice hermetic parallels (see Bloom's, The American Religion (1992) and Owens, "Joseph Smith and Kabbalah" (Dialogue, 1994) for recent studies); but he carries it much further by the study of 53 families involved with the founding of Mormonism, showing these family histories to have strong ties with hermetic ideas rather than with Puritanism (see Davis', "The New England Origins of Mormonism" (1953)) thus, making those new converts a peculiarly prepared people for Mormon conversion. Although an ambitious, important (it won the Bancroft and other awards) and erudite cultural study that provides a wealth of background information on hermeticism and its crossing the Atlantic to Early America, it completely falls short in connecting any of those teachings or practices to Smith or Young. The volume is interesting and significant for the parallels and history that it illuminates, but cannot be recommended as a history or an accurate interpretation of the roots of Mormon doctrine.

More of a fantasia played on the idea of Mormonism than the religion itself........2006-03-05

One of the things that continually interests me about scholarly reviews of my faith is how differently they see what I live. This book admits that it is inspired by Mark Hoffman's forgeries and sees the faith through a filter of Hermetic Gnosticism. The Gnostic idea of Mormonism is also a theme that others, including the noted critic Harold Bloom, have played on. This book does have its interesting moments, but for me it tries too hard to be clever. I wonder why displaying one's erudition is taken as scholarship and why talking about a subject for a couple of hundred pages counts as an explanation of anything.

In music we have an improvised form called a fantasia. A musician will improvise over an idea, maybe a theme from another piece or a couple of pieces and bring them together into his piece. Here Brooke has woven together the ever popular Mormon idea (a strange version of it to be sure) with his permeating idea of whatever Hermetic Gnosticism is (I fear it can mean largely whatever an author wants it mean as long as it is pagan and involves secret knowledge of some sort), and tops it off with the popular notion that Joseph Smith's vision died out after 1860 and that somehow the faith I live every day is not REAL Mormonism. While this might make for an interesting piece, one should not mistake it for the real musical work or the actual religion.

Another of his indulgences is his prediction of the end of Mormon growth and dynamism. He thinks the Hoffman Salamander has done us in. Well, many other critics have predicted that one event or another demonstrates that our growth is finished. We shall see, but I think he is as wrong as all the others.

If you are not a believer, you might find these notions interesting and might even fancy them explanatory. If you are a believer, you will probably find this book at least as oddly irrelevant as I found it.

Garbage.......2004-12-26

This book is so full of errors; some are intentional "errors", that it would take pages to elucidate. Rather than that, I refer you to the "Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies" (FARMS) review. Simply run "The Refiner's Fire" in their "search" box and read the list of reviews of this incredibly WRONG book. I'll give just a few examples of the ignorance:

The Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants contain several explicit condemnations of sorcery, witchcraft, and magic. While admitting that there are only "rare references to magic or witchcraft in the Book of Mormon" (p. 176, 177), Brooke nonetheless insists that the "categories of treasure, magic, and sorcery . . . fascinated Joseph Smith" (p. 168). The Book of Mormon maintains that Christ will "cut off witchcrafts out of thy land" (3 Nephi 21:16), and sorcery, witchcraft, and "the magic art" are mentioned in lists of sins (Alma 1:32, Mormon 2:10). "Sorceries, and witchcrafts, and magics" are also attributed to "the power of the evil one" (Mormon 1:19). In the Doctrine and Covenants, sorcerers are among those who are "cast down to hell" (D&C 76:103, 106), who "shall have their part in . . . the second death" (D&C 63:17).37 These are the only references to magical or occult powers in LDS scripture, and they are uniformly and emphatically negative. Brooke's key terms, such as "alchemy," "astrology," "hermeticism," "androgyny," and "cabala," are never mentioned in LDS scripture.

Even careful readers of the Book of Mormon will appreciate the previously unrecognized "insights" Brooke brings to the text. For example, Asael Smith's writings on Daniel 2 (rather than the book of Daniel itself) are said to have "anticipated [the language] of the Book of Mormon" (p. 78). This unfortunately disregards the uncongenial fact that Nebuchadnezzer's dream is nowhere alluded to in the book.62 Brooke teaches us several new things about the prophet Mormon, too: His erroneous notion that the "lone Nephite survivor [was] Mormon" (p. 159) is, for instance, employed as evidence for the equally false assertion that "the [golden] plates were hidden by the hero Mormon for Joseph Smith to recover" (p. 156).63

Brooke insists on arguing for Masonic influence on Joseph during the writing of the Book of Mormon, nearly fifteen years before he became a Mason

While it is quite true that Rigdon became a Mason, he became such in the 1840s, a bit late to have passed any esoteric lore on to Joseph in the 1830s.89 Professor Brooke also notes that a John Rigdon and a Thomas Rigdon were Masons in 1829, but fails to demonstrate that these Rigdons had any relationship, beyond name, to Sidney. And Brooke indulges in another ante hoc fallacy by claiming that the Mormon temple ceremony could have been influenced at its origin by "the European Lodges of Adoption" (p. 250), despite the fact that "the Rite of Adoption . . . has never been introduced into America

The book is fatally wounded by its methodological leaps, by factual errors far beyond those we have been able to indicate here, by the forcing of evidence, and by its often remarkable misreading of texts. Its publication does no credit to Professor Brooke, to Cambridge University Press, or, for that matter, to the scholars who endorse it on its jacket cover. If the Mormon History Association still awards its prize for the worst book of the year, we enthusiastically nominate The Refiner's Fire as the best candidate in quite some time.

Before you Mormon bashers check "NO" this review was not helpful to you, go to FARMS and read all the errors in this book. It is a travesty of ignorant "scholarship", and is very easly proven so. Those that have already marked "NO" and given it superlatives in their review demonstrate an enormous ignorance of true Mormon, thought, history, and doctrine.

A Powerful Statement of the Origins of Mormonism.......2004-04-11

Although it is a rare experience, every decade or so a book is published in Mormon history that stretches the bounds of imagination and understanding, and recasts the field of study in a different context. Fawn Brodie's 1945 biography, "No Man Knows My History: The Life of Joseph Smith," Leonard Arrington's 1958 "Great Basin Kingdom: An Economic History of the Latter-day Saints," Robert Flanders's 1965 "Nauvoo: Kingdom on the Mississippi," Leonard Arrington's and Davis Bitton's 1979 "The Mormon Experience: A History of the Latter-day Saints," and D. Michael Quinn's 1987, "Early Mormonism and the Magic World View," are all in this category. They have become classics of Mormon studies, creatively reevaluating historical perceptions and affecting in a unique way the studies that followed. "The Refiner's Fire" may be in the same category.

"The Refiner's Fire" ranges broadly to place Joseph Smith and the rise of a new religious tradition squarely within a fresh context that incorporates many of the elements explored by students of Mormonism for the last four decades into a new historical synthesis. Brooke is concerned with Mormon origins, especially the elements that came together to make the Restoration movement such a powerful and compelling force in the 1830s and 1840s.

In a narrative that is much more persuasive than most when approached with an inquiring mind, Brooke argues that Mormon doctrine and cosmology originated neither in Puritan New England nor as a result of the Second Great Awakening that took place largely on the American frontier of the early nineteenth century. Instead, he places the church's ideological roots in Europe in the period of the sixteenth century Reformation, where a core element of religious dissenters questioned traditional Christian concepts and found solace in the hermetic occult.

The author contends that the connections between the occult and the sectarian ideal of restoration with Mormonism helped to forge an exceptionally attractive religious movement throughout the Western world. Integral to this was hermeticism, which claims that humanity could regain the lost and pure world of Adam through the development of a special relationship to God based on religious ritual and sacrifice. The belief in the occult, which had been exceptionally powerful in Europe between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries, had been manifested especially in non-Catholic religions, magic, witchcraft beliefs, Freemasonry, and a host of everyday activities that were accepted as part of the human experience. They ranged from a belief in the visitation of angels to the far more sinister casting of spells on enemies.

Much of this acceptance of the supernatural as an everyday occurrence was lost in the rationality of the "Enlightenment" of the seventeenth century, and our present secular belief system is largely predicated on those ideas. It did not have to be that way, as this book makes clear. Joseph Smith challenged that rational system in fundamental ways when he contended that God was not "knowable" through reason, but only through the supernatural. His "First Vision" was central to that challenge--as was his translation of the Book of Mormon--and his continued reliance on nonrational knowledge thereafter incorporated a fundamental occult tradition into the movement he founded. Brooke brings together an analysis of Mormonism's occult origins in folk magic with its later expression in unique theological ideals.

"The Refiner's Fire" is an important study that will not be comfortable reading for some within the Latter-day Saint tradition. But it should be read, even though its celebration of a radical, supernatural, nonrational, religious tradition of European hermetic purity and danger will be discomforting to those who wish the modern Latter-day Saint church to be a mainstream religious institution. Joseph Smith's assertions more than 170 years ago about angelic visitations, prophetic ministry, Zionic community-building, and a restoration of the gospel in its ancient purity was a unique and powerful message in the emergent United States. "The Refiner's Fire" helps to explain some of that power, for Smith's efforts hit at the center of humanity's desire to know something that is ultimately unknowable through secular rationality.

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Hudson Taylor and China's Open Century/Book Five Refiner's Fire
A. J. Broomhall
Manufacturer: O M F Books
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Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0340368667

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THE REFINER'S FIRE The Significance Of Events Transpiring In Missouri
Alvin R. Dyer
Manufacturer: Deseret Book Company - Salt Lake City, Utah
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000MNESRQ

Average customer rating:

Read "Soldier of the Great War"

One of the greatest novels ever

Perfection Bites

Well,.....

Unbelievable - too unbelievable

Refiner's Fire
Mark Helprin
Manufacturer: Harvest Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Freddy and Fredericka

A Dove of the East: And Other Stories

Winter's Tale

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A Soldier of the Great War

ASIN: 0156762404

Book Description

Marshall Pearl is orphaned at birth on an immigrant ship off the coast of Palestine in 1947, then brought to americanca. His experiences take him from the Hudson River Valley, to Harvard, to sea on a British merchant ship, then finally back to his birthplace, where he serves as an Israeli soldier in the Yom Kippur War. “Superb...A first-rate odyssey, full of insight and humor and hard-earned truths” (San Francisco Chronicle).

Customer Reviews:

Read "Soldier of the Great War".......2007-06-20

I've read all of his books now and I think this is the weakest of his novels. Read "A Soldier of the Great War."

One of the greatest novels ever.......2006-11-03

This is one of those novels that you cannot put down, or even forget long after you've read them. The story of Marshall Pearl's life is so immeasurably beautiful, and so memorable, that this is one novel that everyone should read. And re-read.

Perfection Bites.......2006-06-21

I really, really wanted to like this book. As a notorious non-liberal -- an extreme rarity among modern fiction writers -- Helprin stands outside the cant and blather of much of what gets praised today. As a proud Jew and a Zionist, he is even more of a pariah. "Refiner's Fire," among other things, is very clearly an answer to the neurotic, sniveling, physically weak and incompetent image of the American Jew as perpetrated by Philip Roth, Woody Allen, Saul Bellow and others; Helprin's protagonist, Marshall Pearl, rides, shoots, and swaggers with the best of 'em. I tend to agree with Helprin's politics and attitudes. However ...
However, it is impossible to love perfection, and Marshall Pearl is perfect. He is tall. He is handsome. He is apparently irresistible to women and never, never has a heartache of any kind. He is filthy rich. He is almost abnormally neat and clean. He is brilliant, entering Harvard with, as far as I can see, approximately nine years of schooling and nothing like an SAT or a recommendation. He is a cartoon action hero, whose risks always pay off, whose self-consciously picaresque adventures invariably end in triumph. Almost none of the novel's hundreds of events are even remotely believable, nor is the writing sufficiently surreal to succeed as fantasy. This is a terrible waste, and a shame.
There is no growth, no change, not even the most rudimentary kind of development open to this character. Like Athena, he springs essentially full-grown from his creator's head, and then does -- what, exactly? Who cares? This isn't a novel -- it's an anti-sixties polemic in the guise of a novel. If Helprin wants to hate his generation, that's his problem (talk about neurotic!) -- if I want to read a novel which is pro-Israel and pro-America, I still want to read a novel. I want plot, suspense, surprise, development: none of which are to be found here.
It really is too bad, because the man can write like nobody's business. We cannot divorce ourselves from our times, no matter how much we may want to need that separation.

Well,............2005-10-29

Helprin, Mark, Refiner's Fire. New York: Knopf, 1977.
This is an early novel by an established fiction writer--and op Ed writer for The Wall Street Journal--which gives hints into the events that molded his later life and political views. Subtitled "The Life and Adventures of Marshall Pearl, a Foundling," the novel bumps along, back and forth, through the first 25 years of the protagonist's existence, giving us close views of the English blockade of pre-Israel Palestine, the easy life in upstate New York, rural Colorado, hopping freights, working in a slaughterhouse,an admiral's headquarters in Norfolk, rebel warfare in Jamaica, and scenes of Rotterdam and Paris. The writing is uneven, ranging from breathtaking descriptions of battle scenes to the utmost teen-age gooeyness about romance. It's easy to spot the author's background pool of knowledge and experience: naval service, veteran of the Israeli army, perhaps some farming. What he lacks most is a way to portray with convincing fervor the interior life of women, and a technique for avoiding the adjectival slipperiness of overwriting. What surprised me was the uncharitable description of Israeli army officers guarding a prison compound known as The Fourth Daughter, an area reserved for convicted criminals and the insane, into which Marshall is mistakenly transferred and where he is mistreated almost beyond the reader's ability to follow him.

Unbelievable - too unbelievable.......2005-09-08

I think this book should be in the fantasy section rather than the literature section of your local bookstore. Helprin's use of the English language is spectacular - but most of the book is simply one unbelievable event after the other without any sort of plot. It simply is a description, magnificently written, of a fantastic voyage through hurricanes, frozen mountains, slaughterhouses and Jamaican jungle. The beginning and end of the book are great - the middle borders on silly.

The refiner's fire;: Historical highlights of Missouri

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The refiner's fire;: Historical highlights of Missouri
Alvin R Dyer
Manufacturer: Deseret Book Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Other Denominations & Sects | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0006AXF56

Polio: A Dose of the Refiner's Fire: Surviving Polio

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Polio: A Dose of the Refiner's Fire: Surviving Polio
Jeane , L. Curey Dille
Manufacturer: AuthorHouse
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 142080393X

Book Description

In October 1952, a twenty-eight-year-old mother of two young children was diagnosed with bulbar polio which affected shoulders, arms and breathing. Soon the patient was placed in a chest respirator (which assisted breathing) and a tracheotomy was performed (which provided a clear airway for breathing). Early in the hospital stay, pregnancy was discovered. After a total of 8 months in the hospital, isolated from the children, she returned home with both arms still in arm slings. She had only minimum use of the left arm which made living at home and dealing with children difficult. But a year later, the challenge of losing her home catapulted her back into the world of work. And this transition proved more demanding and, ultimately, far more rewarding than she imagined.

Candle in the Darkness/Fire by Night/A Light to My Path (Refiner's Fire Series 1-3)

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Excellent Civil War Series
Great History Lesson For Teens
Wonderful series swept me back in time
Awsome series!!!
Refiner's fire series

Candle in the Darkness/Fire by Night/A Light to My Path (Refiner's Fire Series 1-3)
Lynn Austin
Manufacturer: Bethany House Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Historical | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Fiction | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 076429122X
Release Date: 2004-12-01

Book Description

Each book in this powerful Civil War trilogy from award-winning novelist Lynn Austin's powerful Civil War trilogy offers a unique and shattering perspective on the conflict while exploring the deep affect the war had on the faith of a nation.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Civil War Series.......2007-06-09

This is an excellent series of books on the Civil War! Although the story line is fictional, they are laced with true history regarding the Civil War. I could hardly put these books down, wondering what would happen next or what decisions the characters would make. We are homeschoolers, and I plan to have my high schoolers read the series for part of our Civil War History unit. They will love them!!!

Great History Lesson For Teens.......2007-03-30

We read the Chronicles of the Kings by Lynn Austin as a family, and because of that (they were "awesome"), my 15 year old daughter wanted to read everything possible that Lynn Austin has written. She read the Refiner's Fire and loved them so much she couldn't put them down, and even read one of the books twice. These volumes will teach your child more about the Civil War that will be unforgettable then any history textbook you'll ever find on the subject.

Wonderful series swept me back in time.......2007-01-16

Amazing series of 3 books from 3 different points of view. These books were heart-tugging page turners! I felt like I really got to know the characters. I felt like I was there in the 1860's.
Fantastic historical fiction. By far one of my favorite series of books. They can even stand alone, especially # 2.

Highly recommended!

Awsome series!!!.......2006-08-11

These books grab you and don't let go..... I read Candle in the Darkness twice now and the second time was better because you can really grasp the message. I hope she will continue this series in another book putting them all together.

Refiner's fire series.......2006-05-02

I just finnished the third book in this series and have been very impressed with the stories. I really enjoyed Fire by Night. The stories had great messages of courage and enduring the trials that God puts into our lives to mold and shape us so we can become His. The books, though religious in nature, were not obviously one denomination or another. They just held simple truths that all christian religions could appreciate. GOOD STUFF!!!!!!!!!!

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