After the tragedy that forms the spine of the tale, he tightens up the writing and I never noticed the shortcomings after that. It is like the author himself really just wanted to get to this point in the story and realized the book wouldn't make sense and would be too short without the introductory part.
So be it. From this point on, I was enthralled. His meeting with God and the subsequent discoveries of God's character and the meaning of the events he has recently lived are some of the best theology ever implanted in a story. At one point near the end I actually was in tears. It may be 20 years back to the last time a book brought me to tears.
I ended the book totally satisfied. If I may take one or two more liberties in criticizing a book I really enjoyed. As much as I enjoyed the folksy presentation of God in this story, there are parts that don't ring true.
Holy Spirit still feels ethereal and standoffish. Wisdom's speeches are canned and the meals get repetitive. Major editing could have made this one of the great books of Christianity. Also, I doubt anyone outside Christianity will read past the first few chapters. That's a pity, but it is true. It is not written well enough and there are still too many obviously contrived parts to the plot to make it seem real to someone who is bent on criticizing Christian writers.
Some of my friends who love this book will really be annoyed that I am being over-analytical. But that is what a proper book review is about. These things need to be said in order to balance the attitude which says we must lift up anything with a good message. This is a phenomenal message hiding in a depressingly poor package. View all 26 comments.
Why did you make me do this book club? You all seem like nice people I am not a Christian. Strike one for The Shack and me.
Many people are and that's fantastic, but this book was so stupid that I have hope Why? Many people are and that's fantastic, but this book was so stupid that I have hopes that any well informed, well read, reasonable Christian would have asked themselves 'What the fuck did I just read?
Way back when, when this book first came out, friends and random people upon finding out I was a reader would look at me I'd say 'Thanks, I'll check it out' and I did and I read reviews from people I respect and then I put it in the 'never ever read for any reason even if my hair is on fire and the only thing that could put said fire out was The Shack and I still won't ever read it' file. I forgot to put the book club rider in the file. See, I fell for similar suggestions before and I was determined not to be fooled twice This book is pure drivel.
As I was going through it I thought that it had to be a first effort from this author. At the end of the book there was a note from the author in which he said 'I had never tried my hand at creative writing before.
But I'm getting ahead of myself. The characters in this book were not fleshed out at all. Most writers know that to develop a character you have them do things that show the reader who the person is The reader has nothing invested and couldn't give two poops what happens to the characters when you tell instead of show.
A little girl died violently in this book and I was completely unfazed by it. That is a miserable failure. I can suspend disbelief in books about zombies, vampires, genius eleven year old girls, chimera, reasonable Republicans okay, that one was difficult but I couldn't do it with this book, or other books like it, because these books have a agenda to make you believe in the stuff they are writing about and that makes my stomach turn.
At the beginning the ever narrating narrator narrated and I paraphrase 'You may not believe in Mac's story here. He doesn't care, maybe this book isn't for you' I tried to figure out who this book was written for. Was it for non Christians and he thought he needed to dumb it down for us because we must have never had read the Bible or had a critical thought or we would be Christian Or was it preaching to like minds No clue.
I could go on and on about how much I hated this book. I could point out that in this book 'God' is a black woman, Jesus is a middle eastern Jew with a big nose Mac believed he was supposed to be good looking And the author thought himself progressive and hip by coming up with these 'radical' ideas But I'm tired and sad and I have no more in me Good night all. Shelves: christian-fiction. Ya, I know it's crazy because I guess this is a super-controversial book The view of the trinity in this book is one I had never considered.
And, although it challenged a LOT of my fundamentalist upbringing, it inspired me to return to the Bible and learn more - find the closeness with God described in The Shack and to see what God's Word said regarding his triune relationship. NEVER should anyon 5 stars?
NEVER should anyone replace the Bible with a book that is claimed to be fiction by it's own author - but 5 stars to the man who can make your heart yearn to know more about the Lord through a fiction tale.
The book at times moves you to laugh, to cry and to dig deeper. As of late people, in the Christian circle, have been discussing whether or not it is 'right' to read a book Since when has it been wrong to read anything?
If your faith is not strong enough to discern between fact and fiction than, really there are more important things to worry about And you know what? The Shack is an extremely popular book right now. So, people are going to talk about it. There are even non-christians reading it and asking questions I have no idea what they are talking about if I have not read it.
Now, the Bible can answer all of their questions I just might not understand the context. Some reviews by Christians, of whom their opinion is valued, have even gone so far as to call the act of putting the Holy Spirit and God the Father in human form - sinful. That is dangerous ground in my opinion.
The author is admittedly a Christian. A God-fearing, deity of Christ believing man. And, his work is admittedly fiction. Is it not just as dangerous to portray God in animal form? As a lion perhaps? But we don't question the validity of CS Lewis' works.
And - have you read "The Last Battle"? Not exactly correct theology there - yet fundamentalist Christian churches across the globe don't hesitate to teach sermon after sermon on the symbolism of the redemption story. Have you reviewed The Shack without reading it? Or, have you put words in the authors mouth without asking him his intentions?
I hope I never write a book. I am as sinful as it gets So are you. Let authors have their creative freedom. Let people read what they want to and help them to discern the truth from it. If we want people to grow to maturity - shouldn't we let them question their faith a little? And stop scaring people away from having honest questions It's time to get off the milk like babes and learn to eat solid food.
We do that through questioning View all 10 comments. One of the worst books I've ever read in my life. Don't like my opinion? View all 24 comments. I have to read this because I made a promise.
So, I thought long and hard about giving this book 2 stars. I really did. Here's why: 1. Calls them a "man- created trinity of terrors that ravage the earth Why I took that 2 star rating and dropped it to one: 1.
God appears in the book as a big black woman named Papa. She says sho' nuff and serves greens. Jesus appears as an unattractive Jew with, get this: a big nose.
Holy spirit - little Asian woman. Mack's dad is Irish American and guess what? He's a drunk! Judge lady - Hispanic! Hell, why not go all Sesame Street and make sure we have someone in a wheelchair and HIV positive people represented!?!?! Ah, sneak those guys in on the next edition. Not a thing in here was comforting. Not a one. View all 59 comments. Having had no understanding of this books content before opening it, I must admit it rocked my little world a bit.
It is incredibly well written and engaging from the start. I will say it made me see many things in a much different way. It helped me grasp something that I struggle with and ultimately confirmed some of my own thoughts about things. I am being cryptic I know—but I don Having had no understanding of this books content before opening it, I must admit it rocked my little world a bit.
It is well worth the read and more importantly done with a group so dialogue can occur afterwards. A very thought provoking book that has left me wanting to buy a copy for everyone. View all 8 comments. Jan 24, C. This book was recommended to me by a book group I attended to speak about my book A Demon Awaits. I had not read this book prior to writing mine, but I was very surprised to find that the premise of our books a man struggling to heal his relationship with God was identical.
Someone with a more liberal viewpoint will appreciate this book even more than I did. This book reaches out to a generation of people losing touch with God and encourages them to reach for him. This book takes the subject of our relationship with God and urges us to mend our relationship with him. I cannot imagine a more important subject for a book and I applaud the author for writing a book that has reached so many.
Not only is this book popular, but it puts the conversation with God center stage and this conversation carries the majority of the book. Young chooses not to address the issue of homosexuality and the church. I would strongly recommend this book to anyone. Characterization of God Young creates a character who is angry at God over the death of his daughter. In the end the character takes a difficult journey toward reconciliation.
The subject matter will touch millions of people. When I wrote A Demon Awaits, I thought a long time about how God should be portrayed in fiction and I struggled with a way to make him appear in a way that not only moved the story, but was also reverent. We both used some of the same devices to bring God to the page, but our focus was vastly different. I felt uncomfortable in the early part of the book and this connected me with Mack who was feeling much the same.
The Church Young assaults the church as something created by man that God has no interest in. I found this highly irresponsible. I agree that the earthly church is created by and run by man and as such is fallible.
Still, my experience with church leaders has been one of utter joy, learning and spiritual growth. To suggest that these fine people could be replaced by blindly reaching out to God without a guide of any sort sounded illogical to me.
Young also suggest that we should disregard the Ten Commandments as an unattainable ideal. The Ten Commandments played a more guiding role in my book. Tragedy and Healing Much of the book focuses on the tragedy Mack struggles with in his life. This element of the story was superbly done and I know that this element of the book has touched people who have lost loved ones and especially some who are terminally ill. The power of this story will bring peace into many lives because this topic is tackled head-on by a believable character.
This facet of the story will be a great healer to many and is one of the strongest reasons to recommend this book. God says that he loves his children all equally no matter what they have done and this is shown in a very strong scene in the text. This one scene was probably the best of the entire work. The Puritans were clear about responsibility and made sure that able-bodied people worked or starved.
I personally think that if people strived and were honest about what they were capable of and what they could contribute to our society, then we could take much better care of those who are not able to work to support themselves. There is much I disagree with in his approach, but I commend the author on a book that is both popular and important. View all 17 comments. I did NOT like this book. I kept hearing how good it was and got it from the library with no idea what it was about.
The idea of a guy who loses faith in god because his child is abducted and then gets invited back to "the shack" where his daughter was found View all 22 comments. Young that was published in The novel is set in the American Northwest. The main character is Mackenzie Allen Phillips, a father of five called "Mack" by his family and friends. Four years prior to the main events of the story, Mack takes three of his children on a camping trip to Wallowa Lake near Joseph, Oregon, stopping at Multnomah Falls on the way.
Two of his children are playing in a canoe when it flips and almost drowns Mack's son. Mack is able to save his son by rushing to the water and freeing him from the canoe's webbing but unintentionally leaves his youngest daughter Missy alone at their campsite. After Mack returns, he sees that Missy is missing. The police are called, and the family discovers that Missy has been abducted and murdered by a serial killer known as the "Little Ladykiller".
The police find an abandoned shack in the woods where Missy was taken. Her bloodied clothing is found, but her body is not located. Mack's life sinks into what he calls "The Great Sadness". This review has been removed for personal reasons.
All of you who liked, commented, and otherwise made it clear that you "felt me" on my response to The Shack are very much appreciated. View all 14 comments. Shelves: philosophy , grief , , fantasy , psychology , religion , fiction , sci-fi , health , favorites.
The Shack is a book you will thank yourself for reading. While it can be a bit didactic at times, it is not overtly so. So I read the book as a God-Lover and I write this review in the same vein. It begins with an unspeakably horrible tragedy happening to a loving father. By way of explanation, I cannot write this review without at least giving that much away. In the aftermath of the disaster, the main character, Mack, attempts to put his life back together but finds he cannot.
The devastation is too great; the chasm created by his loss is so unfathomable, his faith in a loving God is shattered. Mack receives a strange and seemingly preposterous invitation to meet God at the very site — the shack — the scene where the unspeakable crime against his loved one occurred. If you have ever longed to see God you will certainly appreciate this book.
If you have experienced — or are going through — your own 'Agony in the Garden' time in your life this book may be a very cathartic aid. It's my belief that this is The Shack 's real purpose. As such, God is presented most beautifully as Relationship-in-Love.
God is three distinct persons whose love for each other is One and yet extends to each of us, His creatures. Young and explained in pages of fiction. This book is by no means definitive nor the last word on God.
It is however, wonderful. It is a moving and a loving tribute to getting to know Him better. It is a helpful way to look at how God views the tragedies that happen in our lives.
He does not inflict them on us. He suffers right along with us For those looking for a more 'catholic' perspective on The Shack , here is an excellent review by Fr. Robert Barron. Thanks Karina for this link! View all 21 comments. If you read one book in your life, read this one. I shall not delve into the story; let's just say this author thinks like I do. He also struggles with the same things I do; How to deal with people who have hurt others in the most heinous way.
I really can't go into this too much; you just have to read it for yourself to understand how I feel about religion, "church", and the Trinity. We humans are so busy trying to control each other and control ourselves, that we miss the true message. It's so If you read one book in your life, read this one. It's so simple, I'm sure many will miss it. And that, I believe, is the whole point. God's watching, waiting, and smiling.
Pick up a copy, read it, and open your heart to the true message of God You will be changed forever if you do. In case you can't read it, the tagline on this is "Where tragedy confronts eternity. The serial killer, a man who leaves a ladybug pin everytime he kills a child, was never captured, and the only clue to Missy's abduction was an undeniable, bloodstained red sundress on the floor of an abandoned shack high up in the middle of nowhere.
Now, four years after Missy's murder, h In case you can't read it, the tagline on this is "Where tragedy confronts eternity. Now, four years after Missy's murder, her father receives a letter in his mailbox -- from God -- inviting him back to the scene of the crime, a return to The Shack where the trail of evidence ended.
Mack, who has been living under what he quietly calls The Great Sadness for the past four years, is enraged. What kind of sick prank is this?
The letter is either from Missy's killer, who could be luring Mack away from his remaining four children so he can strike again, or it is really Fearing to be thought crazed with unresolved grief, Mack packs his Jeep with a gun and his daughter's picture, and heads back up to The Shack: where tragedy confronts eternity. God is waiting for Mack.
But it's not the God of Mack's parents or even the God of his church. This is a God who delights in nothing so much as standing conventions and preconceived notions on their heads and messing with his children's hearts.
This is a God who stands in the kitchen stirring cake batter and telling Mack, "The problem is that many folks try to grasp some sense of who I am by taking the best version of themselves, projecting that to the nth degree, factoring in all the goodness they can preceive, which often isn't much, and then call that God.
And while it may seem like a noble effort, the truth is that it falls pitifully short of who I really am. I'm not merely the best version of you that you can think of. I am far more than that, above and beyond all that you can ask or think. Now because I would not be a good book reviewer if I failed to address the nuts and bolts of this book, I'll do my job now: William P. Young, this book's author, is a virutal unknown. The book was published by Windblown Media, also an unknown.
The language in the book is coarse, not in the sense that it is foul, but in the sense that an inexperienced author is trying to emulate the colloquialsms of African-American dialect and at times utterly forgets that he is supposed to be doing this, falling back easily into Standard American English.
Because of this, the book lacks a certain cohesion. There are also misplaced modifiers that an experienced editor would have caught and fixed before sending the manuscript to the printer. One can only hope that future printings of this will see these minor errors accounted for and fixed And now here is the hope: when my best friend from high school first gave me a copy of this book and begged me to read it, I groaned inwardly.
It was printed on 50 bright white offset a very cheap paper. It was run cross-grain, making it very difficult to open a very cheap way to print. And it was published by a virtually unknown publishing house.
Because of these strikes, it sat on the floor of my closet for quite sometime. Eventually, feeling I owed it to Laura to read the book, I picked it up and began I got so caught up in the story that it took me some time to notice a change in The Shack. No more was it printed on cheap paper.
No more was it difficult to pry open. It was now featured as a 6x9 book this means it is running correct-grain, which is a much more expensive way to print a book on 50 Cougar Natural Vellum a much more expensive paper.
Additionally, the tagline of "Where tragedy confronts eternity" was replaced with this: 1 on the New York Times Bestseller List. That's quite a change in 2 months. To sum up my review: This book has the power to make all human artifice utterly fall away Posted by Nom de plume at AM View all 6 comments. I had to read this for book club and I did not like it. Bad theology wrapped up in a sappy soap opera type book. What Bible is the author reading? What about St. Paul telling us to be imitato I had to read this for book club and I did not like it.
Paul telling us to be imitators of Christ. Is that really the reason for Christ's death on the cross? It's also pretty obvious the author has trouble with authority of any kind, but most especially Church authority.
It just made me wonder who has hurt him so deeply that he just throws out the baby with the bathwater. That is just a snippet of what is so terribly wrong with this book. Instead get Athanasius' On the Incarnation or St. Irenaeus' Against Heresies or any other Church Father and dig deep into the well of Christian writings that have stood the test of time.
View all 4 comments. I read this years ago -during the hype. People were raving about it. It was a number 1 best selling book. Yet, its a 'least' favorite for me. Its funny how we come across an old book we have read. We meet a new member on Goodreads --and before you know it, memories return while reading their reviews. Why people were so turned on about this book --I'll never understand. Shelves: spirituality. When reading The Shack, be prepared some laughs and smiles, but mostly, be prepared for a well of tears.
I'm a movie and book crier by nature. I'll admit that my wife and daughter give me the raised eyebrow and look at me strangely when I choke up while watching a sitcom and all I can do is sheepishly say, "Did you see how she helped that lady" or something like that.
Well, be warned, if you also have a weakness for tears or if you are a father, the tears will hit you like a flood. This book is a When reading The Shack, be prepared some laughs and smiles, but mostly, be prepared for a well of tears.
This book is a story of God sharing his heart with a broken man. The first section of the book will hit you in the chest, as it describes what the author calls "The Great Sadness" of the novels protagonist.
I'm a lover of well written novels and it was well over a decade ago that I decided there were way too many books being published every year, not to mention the thousands and thousands of good books previously written, to spend time reading a poorly written one. This book is an exception to that rule. It isn't the writing that kept me going, it was the content. I don't know the authors story, but the jacket says that "he suffered a great loss as a child and young adult". The best books are those written about what an author knows - either researched or experienced.
This is what you will find in The Shack. The author has wrapped a story around what he feels passionate about. I won't give away the story or the message, but I will say that is resonated strongly with me. At the core it is about God's unfailing love for his children. His desire to draw every one of his children to him.
How this love transcends our hurts and tragedies. How he ususes even the worst situations as avenues of redemption. I didn't read The Shack with my theologian hat on. I didn't critique every line to evaluate how it stood up to my interpretation of systematic or historical theology.
This is not a book of theology - I read it as a man sharing his heart and what he has learned on his journey - putting it in a fictional format. It is his journey and heart that resonated with me. Read The Shack - not for its literary prowness or theological intellectualism - but to be moved and challenged in your thinking of God. I'll end with a brief sample to taste your appetite.
This is Jesus conversing with the main character, Mack; "Our is earth is like a child who has grown up without parents, having no one to guide and direct her. Humans, who have been given the task to lovingly steer the world, instead plunder her with no consideration other then their immediate needs.
And they give little thought for their own children who will inherit their lack of love. So they use her and abuse her with little consideration and then when she shudders or blows her breath, they are offended and raise their fist at God. You must care deeply about the Creation," smiled Mack.
A book that seems to inspire strong emotions - people seem to either love it or hate it. I am a little surprised to see so many people who did not like the book. One reviewer maybe explained the wide disparity in the need to seperate the work of fiction itself with theology.
Perhaps many people are put off by the imaginitive take on Biblical ideals. As a work of fiction, I found it original and thought provoking. Theologically, it was ungrounded, yet working as an abstract parable, it illustrates A book that seems to inspire strong emotions - people seem to either love it or hate it.
Theologically, it was ungrounded, yet working as an abstract parable, it illustrates God's uncompromising ability to love. View all 7 comments. I really enjoyed The Shack! I found it provided hope and gave answers to a lot of very dark and difficult questions.
It's a book whose enjoyment will vary massively depending on your views toward faith and Christianity if any - I have relatives who are Christian and went to a Church of England Secondary School so it was something I was brought up around - which may be why I don't have such serious angry thoughts towards this book as I've seen other reviewers have. It follows Mack - whose young d I really enjoyed The Shack! It follows Mack - whose young daughter Missy is abducted during a family camping trip and is later found murdered in a shack in the woods.
Years later, struggling with his grief, Mack decides to return to the shack, as if it would help him at all. There he discovers God - but not as you would usually picture him! As I said it tackles some really tricky areas - and the question that I'm sure nearly everyone has asked.
Where is God when awful things happen and how are we ever supposed to come back from such unspeakable pain? I liked it, it spoke to me and had a real impact - but I can easily understand why some may find it hard to stomach - one of the joys of the human race is that we are all different, so we can't all be affected by the same things. View all 3 comments. I'm not really sure why this book is so well liked. For me, it was just okay. I did enjoy the beginning of the book but when the main character meets "God" it became quite ridiculous and I had to force myself to finish it!
It was just plain silly. If you like your spirituality like a boxed dinner just add meat! Divine intervention comes by way of an invitation to the place where his little girl breathed her last.
Masochism, curiosity, and a longing for answers and closure compels him to go alone to the spot. God appears, taking three forms: 1. Big black Momma God "Sho If you like your spirituality like a boxed dinner just add meat!
Big black Momma God "Sho 'nuff", "True 'dat" 2. Jesus, the granola carpenter 3. The voice telling the story is not the main character and may very likely sound like 1.
Peter Falk, from the Princess Bride 2. How it drags! This novel seems to be aimed at overturning primarily fundamentalist misconceptions about God and emphasizing that God IS Love. And although that is a noble and important goal, I find the novel itself to be overly didactic, with too many long explanations of too many things all placed directly in the mouth of God Himself which seems to me a bit presumptuous. Things are very often better explained and understood in story than in definition, and that is why I usually tend not to like didactic This novel seems to be aimed at overturning primarily fundamentalist misconceptions about God and emphasizing that God IS Love.
Things are very often better explained and understood in story than in definition, and that is why I usually tend not to like didactic novels: they ruin a perfectly good story with an explanation. He tries to depict God as love, but ends up drawing instead a sentimental human relationship. He tries to establish some kind of theodicy, but at times, the Trinity almost seems to be playing the role of Job's comforters.
He tries to explain the Trinity, addressing in a facile and confident manner a great mystery with which the greatest minds have wrestled for centuries. I am reminded of a quote by Rumi: "Some commentary clarifies, but with love silence is clearer. If you want to expound on love, take your intellect out and let it lie down in the mud.
It's no help. I loved The Brothers Karamazov and many of the novels of C. Lewis, which are clearly aimed at discussing and conveying theological arguments. Here, however, the writing itself is somewhat banal.
The dialogue is silly how many times did Mack say, "Whoa! Like, whoa! I never saw God like that man! The characters are undeveloped, except for Mack. There were some standout observations and one moving scene the "judgment" , and the author did an important job of emphasizing that Christ did not come to establish a religion but a relationship. However, on the whole, it just wasn't, in my personal opinion, a very good book.
And what little I got of a story sometimes sounded like something told by a youth pastor trying to relate to the kids on their presumably simplistic level and only succeeding in coming across as a little goofy. So much of what plagues modern popular Christian fiction didacticism, lack of subtlety, undeveloped characters, telling not showing, over-obvious foreshadowing, drawing conclusions for the reader, even the obtrusive, attempt-to-be-hip pop culture references plagued this book.
I have known many who have loved and recommended this book to me, but I fear I just cannot step up onto the bandwagon with this one. Though I agree God is love and that Jesus will travel any road to find us, I really disliked his portrayal of the Trinity.
There was something condescending in his constant attempts to overcome religious stereotypes: first, the assumption that most Christians have those stereotypes to begin with and because I don't the "correction" of my "stereotypes" about God irked me , and, secondly, that he replaced those religious stereotypes with ethnic stereotypes: the grammatically incorrect Aunt Jemimahesque African-American woman, the whispy Asian, and the big-nosed Jew.
Yes, really, he goes there. He means to do it lightly as a joke, and perhaps even a joke on stereotypes, but it really does not work at all. No, I'm not under the impression that God actually has gender or that Jesus was a white, long-haired, blue eyed Anglo-Saxon. But thanks for setting me straight with your multicultural trinity of cardboard cutouts. Ultimately, my problem is that Young's God is not much to be in awe of. And also, I kind of like religious ritual and don't think it's part of the trinity of terror or however he phrased that.
Politics, religion what was the third awful thing? Order is not an inherently bad thing. Jesus is not systematically opposed to order. I give it the second star because it clearly has touched so many people, so obviously the flaws that prevented me from really appreciating it are not an impediment to its central message for most readers. And its message that God is love is something that needs to touch people.
View all 16 comments. I felt like I was in Church as a kid with a older pastor telling me what to believe without allowing questioning or allowance of my own personal journey. Readers also enjoyed. Videos About This Book. More videos Christian Fiction. Adult Fiction.
About William Paul Young. William Paul Young. Paul Young is a Canadian author. Young was the oldest of four. He spend the majority of his first decade with his missionary parents in the highlands of Netherlands New Guinea West Papua , among the Dani, a tribal people. When he was six he was sent to a boarding school. The manuscript, that later became The Shack , was intended only for his six kids and for a handful of close friends.
After mu Wm. After multiple rejections by publishers, Young and his friends published the book under the name of their newly created publishing company. The Shack was one of the top-selling fiction books of and will be a major motion picture in Spring We do not guarantee that these techniques will work for you.
Some of the techniques listed in The Shack may require a sound knowledge of Hypnosis, users are advised to either leave those sections or must have a basic understanding of the subject before practicing them.
DMCA and Copyright : The book is not hosted on our servers, to remove the file please contact the source url. If you see a Google Drive link instead of source url, means that the file witch you will get after approval is just a summary of original book or the file has been already removed. Loved each and every part of this book.
I will definitely recommend this book to fiction, christian fiction lovers. Your Rating:. Your Comment:. Read Online Download.
0コメント