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3.63 AVERAGE
3.63 AVERAGE
*I won this book in a GoodReads First Reads giveaway*
Well written, but honestly a little bit boring.
I think I came into this book not realizing how little time the author actually spent in the cult. And I felt that she built up the horrifying aspects of the cult at the beginning, but didn't deliver in the middle. To be fair, some of the things that went on - the "shutting up", the breaking up of families, the suicides, and the sexual assaults performed by the cult leader - were definitely disturbing. But none of these things personally affected her, and as such, there was no real emotional resonance for me. She glossed over them, said they were terrible, but I never really felt her horror. And let's be real, I should've felt something more for the Paynes or the big reveal about Jim Taylor. Then there was her father....I'm sorry, but I can't see her argument for him being a "good man" who got somehow tricked into doing bad things.
That said, it was well written. And the Aftermath portion was far more in line with what I was expecting from a memoir. That part rang true to me. It was finally about her story and I had a lot easier time connecting to her.
Well written, but honestly a little bit boring.
I think I came into this book not realizing how little time the author actually spent in the cult. And I felt that she built up the horrifying aspects of the cult at the beginning, but didn't deliver in the middle. To be fair, some of the things that went on - the "shutting up", the breaking up of families, the suicides, and the sexual assaults performed by the cult leader - were definitely disturbing. But none of these things personally affected her, and as such, there was no real emotional resonance for me. She glossed over them, said they were terrible, but I never really felt her horror. And let's be real, I should've felt something more for the Paynes or the big reveal about Jim Taylor. Then there was her father....I'm sorry, but I can't see her argument for him being a "good man" who got somehow tricked into doing bad things.
That said, it was well written. And the Aftermath portion was far more in line with what I was expecting from a memoir. That part rang true to me. It was finally about her story and I had a lot easier time connecting to her.
Didn't finish. I am baffled by the prize win and all the amazing reviews for this as no one in book club could finish it and at the almost halfway point nothing much has happened. It is billed as a big reveal on the Closed Brethren but so far isn't at all. Unless you care what colour the roof tiles are or what Great Great Aunt so and so wore you'll be as bored as I was.
This book had a profound effect on me, both when I was reading it, and afterwards. Whilst reading it I often shouted in frustration and couldn’t carry on reading, so disturbing were the things she said about the Brethren. I guess I found it so disturbing because I go to a church which has many of the same thoughts and beliefs as the Brethren without the extremes they took them to. In fact, I knew other Christian friends who were Brethren - but obviously not this type I see now - and I thought them just a stricter version of where I worshipped. But the twisting of Christianity into this cult upset and distressed me. A really good read, if disturbing.
A fascinating memoir about growing up in the Exclusive Brethren, a "Christian" end-of-days sect/cult which advocates complete separation from everything 'worldly'.
The book is also partly a biography of the author's father as he started writing his own memoir of the Brethren before he died, and the author relays a lot of his thoughts and experiences.
The book is also partly a biography of the author's father as he started writing his own memoir of the Brethren before he died, and the author relays a lot of his thoughts and experiences.
Really enjoyed this book. I picked it up because I wanted to know more about the Brethren. I remembered some girls from my primary school who belonged to the Brethren but we never knew much about them. This book certainly helped me in that respect but it was also a lovely memoir of family and faith.
An interesting read about Rebecca Stott, her father, and building a life after leaving the Exclusive Brethren. As Stott's father is dying he asks for her help to complete his memoir but he has been stuck on writing about the 1960's - he needs to face what he became while in the all-consuming cult the Exclusive Brethren became.
Stott was born into the Exclusive Brethren, just as her father had been. When Stott was born the Brethren were a strict religion but in the 1960's and 70's it crossed the line from being strict to being a cult. Under the leadership of "The Man of God" the already demanding religion becomes life consuming with assemblies everyday and multiple services on Sunday, members being told they cannot eat with non-members (and even working with non-members was frowned upon).
All ties with the "worldly" people (sinners in Brethren eyes)were to be cut. This included spouses who were not fully committed to the Brethren life. Television, movies, music, and any books apart from the bible and the brethren ministries are banned. Children attended public school but teachers remove them from lessons that contradict Brethren teachings (science / biology / literature / other religions / etc. )
People lost jobs and livelihoods as they attempted to comply - some committed suicide as they lost everything and suffered loneliness and isolation. Senior members interrogated others about perceived "sins" and members deemed to have transgressed are "shut-up" within their own houses - completely without contact from even their own families until they are deemed to have been cleansed.
Told in three parts: Before, During, and After, Stott traces her family and what motivated her ancestors to join the Brethren in the first place and her father's early life. In During, Stott recalls her own experiences as a young child as more and more restrictions were imposed on her family's life. She also talks to her father's contemporaries to build a picture of the brethren politics at the time and to build a picture of what her father was doing that he so struggled to deal with later.
When Stott was in her early teens her parents made the momentous decision to leave the Brethren. After being told all her life that the outside world was full of sinners and evil suddenly she had to learn to live amongst it.
As she struggled, her father was fighting his own demons - away from the restrictions of the Brethren he became addicted to gambling. Meanwhile her mother held the five children together and struggled to make ends meet.
This is not just a daughter struggling to understand her father and his motivations, but also the experience of a cult survivor and her journey back into normal life at an age when most are just trying to establish a teenage identity.
Whether you have an interest in the Exclusive Brethren or just cults in general this is a fascinating look at the effects of living in what was essentially a doomsday cult.
Stott was born into the Exclusive Brethren, just as her father had been. When Stott was born the Brethren were a strict religion but in the 1960's and 70's it crossed the line from being strict to being a cult. Under the leadership of "The Man of God" the already demanding religion becomes life consuming with assemblies everyday and multiple services on Sunday, members being told they cannot eat with non-members (and even working with non-members was frowned upon).
All ties with the "worldly" people (sinners in Brethren eyes)were to be cut. This included spouses who were not fully committed to the Brethren life. Television, movies, music, and any books apart from the bible and the brethren ministries are banned. Children attended public school but teachers remove them from lessons that contradict Brethren teachings (science / biology / literature / other religions / etc. )
People lost jobs and livelihoods as they attempted to comply - some committed suicide as they lost everything and suffered loneliness and isolation. Senior members interrogated others about perceived "sins" and members deemed to have transgressed are "shut-up" within their own houses - completely without contact from even their own families until they are deemed to have been cleansed.
Told in three parts: Before, During, and After, Stott traces her family and what motivated her ancestors to join the Brethren in the first place and her father's early life. In During, Stott recalls her own experiences as a young child as more and more restrictions were imposed on her family's life. She also talks to her father's contemporaries to build a picture of the brethren politics at the time and to build a picture of what her father was doing that he so struggled to deal with later.
When Stott was in her early teens her parents made the momentous decision to leave the Brethren. After being told all her life that the outside world was full of sinners and evil suddenly she had to learn to live amongst it.
As she struggled, her father was fighting his own demons - away from the restrictions of the Brethren he became addicted to gambling. Meanwhile her mother held the five children together and struggled to make ends meet.
This is not just a daughter struggling to understand her father and his motivations, but also the experience of a cult survivor and her journey back into normal life at an age when most are just trying to establish a teenage identity.
Whether you have an interest in the Exclusive Brethren or just cults in general this is a fascinating look at the effects of living in what was essentially a doomsday cult.
**I received a digital copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.**
Introduction
Rebecca Stott was born fourth-generation Exclusive Brethren, an infamous and extremely conservative Christian-based cult. How did those experiences shape her development and the rest of her life? How much did it contribute to her father's volatile personality?
The story
Ms. Stott promised her father that she would write a book about his life. She spent the first seven or so years of her life in the Exclusive Brethren, an extreme version of the Plymouth Brethren, during which time her father was a very prominent member. She shares her experiences, which are validated and fleshed-out using news clippings and interviews from other former members. Her father died before the book could be completed; however, Ms. Stott attempts to honor his memory as she exposes the volatile and unforgiving world of the Exclusive Brethren, starting in the early years of her great-grandparents and continuing through her childhood and the years immediately following her family's withdrawal.
Literary analysis
I was disappointed in the overall content of this book. The topic - one family's experiences in a cult - was promising and I had high hopes. The book spends a lot of time building up to the actual cult information. The author talks at length about her promise to her father, her struggle to find the time/energy to write the book, her fears surrounding the controversial topic, etc. Once she gets to what is, in my opinion, the meat of the book, it is hard to follow. The timeline bounces around constantly. I regularly had to go back a few pages or even chapters to try to figure out where I was in her historical context. The ending was also unsatisfactory, leaving me feeling like the author had simply run out of things to say and so ended rather glibly.
There were several supposedly Biblical references that were incorrect (e.g. the author states that Joseph was the youngest son of Jacob; this is not true - Benjamin was the youngest son.), as well as grammatical errors. As I received an advance copy, I expect that some of these mistakes have been corrected before publication in July 2017. I found this book difficult to read and considered abandoning it more than once.
Conclusion
I do not recommend this book. There are surely better historical and even personal accounts of the Exclusive Brethren out there if you are curious. The errors and disjointed nature of this book, along with the Ms. Stott's style of writing, were not engaging or easy to read. This is, however, only my opinion as requested by the publisher in exchange for this honest review.
Introduction
Rebecca Stott was born fourth-generation Exclusive Brethren, an infamous and extremely conservative Christian-based cult. How did those experiences shape her development and the rest of her life? How much did it contribute to her father's volatile personality?
The story
Ms. Stott promised her father that she would write a book about his life. She spent the first seven or so years of her life in the Exclusive Brethren, an extreme version of the Plymouth Brethren, during which time her father was a very prominent member. She shares her experiences, which are validated and fleshed-out using news clippings and interviews from other former members. Her father died before the book could be completed; however, Ms. Stott attempts to honor his memory as she exposes the volatile and unforgiving world of the Exclusive Brethren, starting in the early years of her great-grandparents and continuing through her childhood and the years immediately following her family's withdrawal.
Literary analysis
I was disappointed in the overall content of this book. The topic - one family's experiences in a cult - was promising and I had high hopes. The book spends a lot of time building up to the actual cult information. The author talks at length about her promise to her father, her struggle to find the time/energy to write the book, her fears surrounding the controversial topic, etc. Once she gets to what is, in my opinion, the meat of the book, it is hard to follow. The timeline bounces around constantly. I regularly had to go back a few pages or even chapters to try to figure out where I was in her historical context. The ending was also unsatisfactory, leaving me feeling like the author had simply run out of things to say and so ended rather glibly.
There were several supposedly Biblical references that were incorrect (e.g. the author states that Joseph was the youngest son of Jacob; this is not true - Benjamin was the youngest son.), as well as grammatical errors. As I received an advance copy, I expect that some of these mistakes have been corrected before publication in July 2017. I found this book difficult to read and considered abandoning it more than once.
Conclusion
I do not recommend this book. There are surely better historical and even personal accounts of the Exclusive Brethren out there if you are curious. The errors and disjointed nature of this book, along with the Ms. Stott's style of writing, were not engaging or easy to read. This is, however, only my opinion as requested by the publisher in exchange for this honest review.
Shockingly boring despite a fascinating premise. I tried several times but couldn't get past the first third.
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Thank you Net-galley for a free copy of this book for a review!
This book is between a 3 and 2.5 for me, the story line drew me in right away. I love hearing and reading about how life is for other people around the world, especially in a cult environment. As much as i liked learning about the Brethan cult, i got lost a little bit with this authors style of writing, i had to go back a number of time to re read things. I also felt like the author skipped around with the time in the book i sometimes didn't know if we where on her dads story her hers!
This book is between a 3 and 2.5 for me, the story line drew me in right away. I love hearing and reading about how life is for other people around the world, especially in a cult environment. As much as i liked learning about the Brethan cult, i got lost a little bit with this authors style of writing, i had to go back a number of time to re read things. I also felt like the author skipped around with the time in the book i sometimes didn't know if we where on her dads story her hers!