The End of a Coil

by Susan Bogert Warner

This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.

173 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1880

About the author

Born in 1819 in New York City, American novelist and children's author Susan Bogert Warner was the daughter of lawyer Henry Warner, and his wife, Anna Bartlett. Her early life was one of wealth and privilege, until her father lost his money in the Panic of 1837, and the family were forced to sell their home in St. Mark's Place (NYC), and move to a farmhouse they owned on Constitution Island, near West Point, NY.

Warner and her sister, Anna Bartlett Warner (author of the well-known children's hymn, Jesus Loves Me, This I Know), began writing in 1849, in order to improve their family's financial situation. Their work, for both children and adults, was largely evangelical. Susan Bogert Warner is primarily remembered for her debut novel, The Wide, Wide World (1850), although she wrote close to thirty additional titles, all under the pseudonym 'Elizabeth Wetherell."

Reviews

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ebook here https://archive.org/details/endofcoil...

I absolutely loved this book that explores the meaning of faith vs. family/parental authority. Our heroine has to be the adult with a sickly mother and a father addicted to gambling, and she has to grapple with what it means to truly honor her parents even when her respect for them is damaged. I really loved the depth of the message.

[Laurie Elliot]

Up until the last couple of chapters I thought this was my favorite Warner book to date. I don't feel quite so strongly about it now . The end was good enough... its just that I prefer my romances understated/Jane Austen style!

I liked the book because it helped me think about the work of the Holy Spirit: Can a person believe on first hearing? Can I trust God with new Christians that go out of my life? There were also several notable conversations about "knowing" God and trusting Him when the future is a dark tunnel. Unfortunately I didn't highlight any of the good passages on these subjects.

I did, however, highlight this description of what is desirable in a man:
"I am not speaking of wit; I mean strength; and I should never like any man that hadn't it; not like him in the way you mean, mother." "Strength? what sort of strength?" "I mean manliness; power to do right; power over himself and others; power over the wrong, to put it down, and over the right, to lift it up and give it play. I don't know that I can tell you what I mean, mother; but that is my notion of a man." P52

And the following passage (which I had also highlighted) came to mind when I heard the same thought from a young woman last night:
"Of course," said Dolly thoughtfully. "Yet it seems to me it would be pleasant to have some particular object that one was striving after. The days go by, one after another, one like another, and seem to accomplish nothing. I should like to have some purpose, some end in life, to be striving for and attaining." P43-44