In the wake of World War I in the small, Southern town of Bellhaven, South Carolina, the town folk believe they’ve found a little slice of heaven in a mysterious chapel in the woods. But they soon realize that evil can come in the most beautiful of forms.
The people of Bellhaven have always looked to Ellsworth Newberry for guidance, but after losing his wife and his future as a professional pitcher, he is moments away from testing his mortality once and for all. Until he finally takes notice of the changes in his town . . . and the cardinals that have returned.
Upon the discovery of a small chapel deep in the Bellhaven woods, healing seems to fall upon the townspeople, bringing peace after several years of mourning. But as they visit the “healing floor” more frequently, the people begin to turn on one another, and the unusually tolerant town becomes anything but.
The cracks between the natural and supernatural begin to widen, and tensions rise. Before the town crumbles, Ellsworth must pull himself from the brink of suicide, overcome his demons, and face the truth of who he was born to be by leading the town into the woods to face the evil threatening Bellhaven.
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Sexual Content - 1/5
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Violence - 1/5
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Summary
From: Rebecca Maney
Book Title: All Things Bright and Strange Book Author: James Markert What do you like about this book:
4.5
"It was as good a day to die as any."
Ellsworth Newberry has lost his desire to live; he lost one of his legs in the war, he lost his beautiful wife in a town tragedy before he enlisted, and now he is contemplating losing his soul with the simple click of a trigger. But it wasn't meant to be.
Strange things are happening in the small town of Bellhaven, South Carolina and they all revolve around a chapel; a chapel deep within woods rumored to be haunted; yet trips to the chapel appear to bring healing, along with conversations among loved ones long passed. Gradually, continued pilgrimages to the small edifice begin to stir the town's darkest intentions; inciting friends again friends, wives against husbands and religions against religions. For a town that once prided itself on being inclusive, a foul stench permeates its very core; the fissure among its citizens growing wider by the day. It seems that Ellsworth Newberry must rise to the occasion.
This Southern gothic-like novel is extremely well written, capturing the essence of a small community during the time period, while infusing an almost apocalyptic sense of impending doom, save for the efforts of those whose destiny is to guard and protect. Lest we sink to the same depths as Bellhaven, may we follow the advice of the author when he writes, "it's time focus to again on what brings us together instead of what could tear us apart".
I received a copy of this book from the publisher. The opinions stated above are entirely my own.
Your ratings of the level of sex, violence, language and drug/alcohol use on a scale of 1-5.
Sex:1
Violence:1
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Drug/Alcohol use:1