Reviews for Pocketful of Pearls

The average rating for Pocketful of Pearls based on 2 reviews is 4.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2010-04-03 00:00:00 Amy Hawkes Whew, this book is HARD to read. There are some serious, difficult to digest, issues of sexual abuse in this book. From my limited experience with this genre, this book is a definite departure. This is not a pat Christian love story. Dinah Tryanell's father has just died, when we meet her she is about to encounter Matthew Nicholas a former University professor who is basically walking cross country as he tries to dwal with some personal issues that have arisien in his life. Dinah has been terribly abused by a person in spiritual authority in her and her familiy's life. This book deals with A LOT of issues in a brief period of time. I literally could not put this book down and read it straight through in one sitting. So many things that were said, in this book, felt so blaphemous to me that it was hard to absorb however, that was to be expected to some extent being that the book deals with what we would think of as cult behaviour. I enjoyed Shelly Bates and will read her again.

Review # 2 was written on 2008-02-01 00:00:00 Dan Dinelt Most Christian authors soothe their readers with what they want to read - inspiring words and a struggle or two that wraps up nicely in the end. Few would tackle the subject of a "toxic church" and its affects. Shelley Bates is one. Her first novel, Grounds to Believe, won a Rita from Romance Writers of America. It laid the foundation for the second book in the series, Pocketful of Pearls. Bates allows the reader to interface with this strange world of the Elect, both with the heroes from outside and the heroines inside who face tough, faith-shattering choices. The reader feels each sharp pain of Dinah in Pocketful of Pearls, as if they themselves were enmeshed in the tight web of the Elect. This is a gripping novel, difficult to put down, and heart-wrenching. Have a box of tissue ready as you cheer on the heroine's brave attempts to deal with the inconsistencies of her world and fight to survive. I'm not a fan of spoilers, so trust me when I say this book is so good it's on my shelf next to LaVyrle Spencer, Sharon Kay Penman, Margaret Lawrence, Judith Merkle Riley, Jane Austen and Margaret Mitchell. The third and last in the series, A Sounding Brass, wraps up the series. Bates' tightly written prose is emotional and fulfilling, so don't miss any of her books!