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SarahElizabeth (USA: TX) (2008/10/10):
This is an odd book. I am an avid reader, but I could not make myself finish this book. The book is very well written, but I was confused for most of the book. Perhaps this is just not my type of book and someone else would enjoy it.
Rolanda (USA: VA) (2008/11/06):
This book did not move me much. It is a nice story, but I just didn't feel any connection to the main character...it was a narration that didn't go deep enough for me.
Kaylee (USA: WI) (2008/12/07):
To me, this book was more of an allegory than a fiction story. It was more about getting a message across than writing a page turner. I read it and I thought it made some really good points about religion, and especially Christianity. It made me rethink my view of religion, and I'm a Christian. Don't expect a suspense thriller, or you're going to be let down. It's definately more of a theological argument about where Christianity has went wrong told under the guise of a grieving father who lost his daughter and blames himself.
Allison (USA: KS) (2008/12/30):
Usually I enjoy little fable like Christian stories, but this one was a little too weird for me-I tried very hard to find a "breakthrough" section that would change my life-but it just didn't happen for me. It is a pretty neat story, but I DEFINITELY don't get all the hype. Get it...read it...and pass it on.
Vicki Moore (USA: MI) (2009/05/08):
This book was excellent. As a Christian though, you can't take it literally. There are things that do not mesh with the Bible; I don't think the author meant for them to. It is a fictional book. It made me think about the Trinity in a whole new perspective, and it also showed how much God really does love all of us, even though terrible things sometimes happen in this life.
Maryr (United Kingdom) (2009/05/16):
I enjoyed this book, not so much for the literary style - which from the beginning did not feel great, more like journalism - but for the anticipation of the unknown. It turns out to be essentially non-fiction, with a unique slant on the Trinity of God.
Christian friends have recommended it hugely without offering their opinions. As a longstanding Christian, I would love you to read the book with a degree of suspended belief yet accepting the unconditional love and forgiveness of God it very clearly communicates.
joannski (USA: IL) (2009/06/17):
Well written book. My favorite line 'once you begin to know the being behind the very pretty or very ugly face as determined by your bias the surface appearances fade away until they simply no longer matter...God who is the ground of all being dwells in, around and through all things, ultimately emerging as the real - and any appearances that mask that reality will fall away'
joannski (USA: IL) (2009/06/17):
Well written book. My favorite line 'once you begin to know the being behind the very pretty or very ugly face as determined by your bias the surface appearances fade away until they simply no longer matter...God who is the ground of all being dwells in, around and through all things, ultimately emerging as the real - and any appearances that mask that reality will fall away'
Christy (USA: KS) (2009/07/16):
Before getting this book, watch this video clip: http://www.marshillchurch.org/media/doctrine/trinity-god-is/the-shack
Voracious_Reader (USA: VA) (2009/07/19):
I haven't ever read much Christian Fiction outside of the famous allegorical tales offered by C.S. Lewis. After having read the The Shack by WM. Paul Young, I can't say that I am going to rush out and buy a bunch of Christian Fiction, nor is The Shack allegorical. I couldn't get through the book's forward. I put it down and started the story itself the next day by telling myself: I have a duty to finish it. My mother-in-law had already read it and said that "she didn't understand why everyone liked it so much. Would I read it and let her know what I thought?" and a friend of mine gave me the book sharing much the same sentiment as my mother-in-law. Its theology, while expressed in a heartfelt way, was muddled. The book lacked subtlety of any kind. With sentences like "One can almost hear a unified sigh rise from the nearby city and surrounding countryside where Nature has intervened to give respite to the weary humans slogging it out within her purview," (p. 17) I found it difficult to take seriously. I did slog through it and am not terribly unhappy with having taken a couple of hours to do so, but it really wasn't well-written. Plus, Young espouses a kind of new-agey Christian theology, that I don't personally embrace. The theology it espouses, though, is dubious at best. It did have one sentence that I liked--namely, "Every time you forgive, the universe changes; every time you reach out and touch a heart or a life, the world changes; with every kindness and service, seen or unseen, my purposes are accomplished and nothing will ever be the same again." (p.237).
Davida (USA: OR) (2009/11/22):
This book works outside of the box. If you are expecting it to go along with the way you have always been taught or believe then it isn't for you. It is about the greatest love that can be bestowed upon us, and that is God's love. It is a story about grief and dealing with it and even though in some places does a sidetrack it provides closer to the grief. I found it worth my time and have shared it with several others.
kitkat1234 (Canada) (2009/12/16):
I loved the concept for this book and as I read the back of the cover I got excited for a little mystery. Yeah.... not so much. By chapter 6 I realized "hmm..... This is aweful religiousy".I would have preferred more back story about the actual tragedy and suspect, but thats just me. It did drag quite a bit in the middle and I had to physically force myself to continue reading, although it was quite interesting.
mary jo (USA: NY) (2010/02/21):
cover a little worn..., otherwise great condition
taliafej (USA: SC) (2010/06/21):
Interesting subject and compelling story, but lacking in theology and reverence...
Check out my full review here:
http://thisisjoel.blogspot.com/2010/06/shack.html
blklacquer (USA: TX) (2010/12/19):
I can see why some people think it's wonderful and others think not so much. You pretty much have to have an open mind for one. Because everything that you have been taught is basically wrong. I think it was easier for me because, for the most part my beliefs are similar. For someone who is looking at it through scripture, or theologically..well they won't be happy at all. It shouldn't be surprising that exactly what you believe...just may be the opposite of the truth. Anyway, although i don't normally read books like this..I recommend it. There are some things that I had trouble with, but with but that is to be expected..I am human.
Kim (USA: NH) (2011/09/25):
I agree with other reviewers than an open mind is necessary. Once I got through the first few chapters, I realized I was enjoying the story and hooked. I really enjoyed the idea of the Holy Trinity personally providing answers to a grieving parent in the wake of a violent tragedy. However, this is not a murder-mystery and the story's lack of legal closure is a hard concept to settle with, even though that kind of closure is not the author's intention. It was simply written, and yet I found myself having to re-read a few passages to ensure I grasped a complex thought. An entertaining, disturbing and comforting tale even to a non-believer who is also the parent of a daughter. I am an atheist that has studied the bible for it's literary value. I believe to understand the story the reader would need a rudimentary knowledge of Christianity. It's conclusion did not alter my life in some mystical way, but I did end up with the feeling that I wished I believed, or that I could give up my self to another entity and find peace. Alas, not so in my case. I have always been very respectful of the religion of others, and can completely understand why so many claim to be changed by the book's conclusion.
brenda (United Kingdom) (2020/02/20):
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