Not sure why its taken me years to get to this book. I've dabbed at it over the past few years, heard a thing or two about it, read a chapter here and there but its done. The Great Controversy wouldn't be the first book from this author that I would recommend based upon where a person is in relation to their understanding of God. If your view of God is that of a lightning pelting, fire & brimstone, unmerciful, unforgiving ruler, then yes, you'll most likely be spooked and miss out on how wonderful of a book this really is.
Its unfortunately that perception trumps reality in many instances, so my heart goes out to those who've been burnt by Bible thumping Christians who've probably knocked folks over the head with this book (and the Bible for that matter). It's just plain wrong. It is a total misrepresentation of the character of God and anyone who truly is a follower/believer in the Most High. Before any more of this review is written, a deep, heart-felt apology goes out to all who've had any type of experience with a church, believer, relative that fits the description mentioned in this paragraph (beat over the head with the Bible, etc).
Having said that, I'll commence my review. The first ten chapters or so set the stage with a lot of history. If you've struggled to stay away in History class, then beware trying to get some tracking going with this book. This isn't to say that its boring, however, there's a ton of historical accounts that may leave you wondering "When are you gonna get to the good stuff" Be patient. She's setting the stage for later. Hang in there :) (Sidenote: I lament the fact that didn't appreciate History until later in my academic career) If you do have an appreciation for History, then buckle your seatbelt because the author unloads a ton information that you'll want to go research yourself. As you do so, you'll find that this book is hard to put down.
Around chapter 12 or so it starts getting a bit closer to home with the French Revolution, bits on the formation of the Americas (as it relates to Biblical prophecy) and the fulfillment of some of those prophecies. She then breaks and provides the needed filler information spending the next few chapters outlining symbols & characters in the Bible that are critical to understanding the home stretch chapters. Most folks get spooked during this time, however, this was not my experience. Had I read this book 5 years ago, probably so. The difference ( I think) came as a result of having a radical shift in perspective about the character of God. The home stretch chapters then seen more so as light towers on a raging sea as opposed to the headlights of MAC truck coming full speed ahead. The final chapters will activate the imagination indeed. I'm surprised this hasn't been turned into a movie (then again, maybe it's best that it hasn't :/
The four stars isn't due to any lack on the book's behalf, just was more of "I really liked it" as opposed to it being "amazing."