The Gift of Sarah Barker

by Jane Yolen

In this novel set in 1854, two young members of a Shaker community -- a religious sect that believes in total celibacy and rigidly separate lives for men and women -- meet, and although they to deny their growing feelings, fall in love. Will Sarah and Abel have to leave the only home they've ever known in order to be together?

Genres: Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Historical, Fiction, Romance

176 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1981

About the author

Jane Yolen is a novelist, poet, fantasist, journalist, songwriter, storyteller, folklorist, and children’s book author who has written more than three hundred books. Her accolades include the Caldecott Medal, two Nebula Awards, the World Fantasy Award, three Mythopoeic Awards, the Kerlan Award, two Christopher Awards, and six honorary doctorate degrees from colleges and universities in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Born and raised in New York City, the mother of three and the grandmother of six, Yolen lives in Massachusetts and St. Andrews, Scotland.

Reviews

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

"'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free
'Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,
And when we find ourselves in the place just right,
'Twill be in the valley of love and delight."- Simple Gifts

Setting:New Vale, Massachusetts; 1854

Coverly Love?:Actually yes! The cover shown isn't the cover that I read from, but I like this one nonetheless.

Plot:Sarah Barker has a gift; a gift for listening. She hasn't always lived in the peaceful Shaker village of New Vale. Once, she and her mother Agatha lived with their father on the outside. Until one day, Agatha picked up and fled with Sarah to a nearby Shaker village. Sarah tries to be the dutiful Shaker she is expected to be, but it can be really hard, and she's often called out by her other sisters and her mother. All this changes one day when she meets a boy named Abel Church, another member of the Shaker community. He likes her independent way of thinking and feisty spirit, and they soon fall deeply in love. One little problem though; all romantic relationships are forbidden within the Shaker community. Will they be able to find a way to keep their newfound relationship a secret all while keeping their faith and values?

So... you want to be a Shaker? It's not that hard!!! You just happen to follow a few simple steps.

-Children are always welcome in the community!! Orphans, runaways, and unwanted children will be given the love they deserve. If you're already a parent, you are more than welcome to take shelter in this peaceful and loving environment! One little catch though; they can't call you mother or father; you are now their brother or sister.

-No need to worry about unequal power balances; everyone is treated equally!! Whether you're a man, woman, Stiff, Pansycake, Smartass or Hellion, you'll be treated as everyone's equal!!

-There are a few extra rules to be applied here. For instance, if you happen to be coming to a Shaker community as a married couple, you'll have to separate; they're now your sibling. Opposite sexes are NOT allowed to be alone together under any circumstances except worship. And absolutely, positively.... NO. SEX. Yes, you heard me right; you may NOT have any sexual intercourse of any type. No sex, no kissing, no hugging... you aren't even allowed to LOOK at the opposite sex.

As I was reading about the Shakers and their way of life, I couldn't help but notice the many similarities between the Shakers and the faction that is known as Abnegation. I mean it's not like the Abnegation people treat each other equally, live simply, have their lives devoid of all luxury, physical contact is forbidden, and the courtship rules are basically nonexistent, right?

Oh wait, they do. Oops....


Teehee!! See what I mean? I have a radical theory? You see, the Shakers died out in the early 1900s, but some of the managed to escape and live in relative peace. Then in the far off future, they went to dystopian Chicago and renamed themselves, joined other factions and became DIVERGENT!!! Veronica Roth has some explaining to do.

Alright, I'll stop. Plot wise, it was very interesting to read about the Shakers and their way of life. It was just so radically different than modern day society, even back than. I'm no expert, but it seems that the author did her research well to make sure that all the details were accurate. The plot line generally tended to focus on the romance, which was a bit annoying, but it overall worked, for the most part.

Characters:Sarah Barker (aka Special Snowflake) always knew she was different than her other Shaker sisters. The Shaker way of life doesn't always sit well with her because of it's lack of freedom and excitement. It also kind of doesn't help that her mother is certified nutso and beats her every chance she gets. Sarah begins to rebel in little ways, like changing the spelling of her name from Sara to Sarah.

(Yeah, we haven't heard of this before Beatrice Tris.)

She also has a tendency to wander off and do her own thing, lost in her daydreams. This is how she comes to loose her shoes by the riverbank, which than leads to someone finding them. And this leads us too...

Abel Church!! Abandoned as an infant on the doorstep of the Shaker Church, the New Vale community is all he's ever known. And he's perfectly content to stay there for the rest of his days. Until he meets Special Snowflake. Than it all goes downhill from there. She's in his every thought, she's everywhere he goes, and gosh darn it did I mention that he can't stop thinking about her?

Agatha is Sarah's mother in the outside world, but here she is her sister. I know, confusing. She is physically and mentally abusive to poor Sarah, which is unlike the Shaker people, since they are a nonviolent community. Agatha beats Sarah because she can see something different and dangerous in Sarah. A certain gift of not only listening, but lust.

(Gee, I haven't heard of that one either. Marcus Eaton and Four, anyone?)

It's obvious to the reader that Agatha has some type of mental illness that doesn't make her think clearly. If I had to diagnose her, I would say she has severe mood disorders and possibly bipolar and schizophrenia. In a way, it's actually kind of sad because in the Outside world, Sarah had a loving father who adored her, and when her mother took her away from him, he was devastated. Sarah got the short end of the stick for sure.

The main complaint I had about the characters in this book was that they all had a certain flatness about them. There was nothing memorable or remarkable about them or their personalities. They were just kind of there (and NO, I'm not counting Sarah's gift for listening. I mean, it's a nice gift and all, but nothing to go bonkers over or anything). There are other sisters of Sarah like Ann (the cunning manipulative sister), Martha (Sarah's friend) and some elders in the village (like Mother Jean).

Pros:A very detailed and interesting look inside the Shaker lifestyle. I had some knowledge about the Shaker's but it was nice to get some more information about them.

Cons:The love story. The gosh darn love story. This made it one of the most unintentionally hilarious books I've read this year. Oh man, it was cringe worthy. It kind of killed the story, to be honest.

Love Triangle?:Nope!

Instalove:And you thought Twilight was bad. I can firmly, honestly say that this book has the worst case of instalove I have ever read about. I keep saying that about some books, but this time I mean it. Because you want to know how long it took for Abel to fall for Sarah.

FIFTEEN. MINUTES.

Yes, you read that right. All it took was fifteen minutes and a pair of shoes and socks for Abel to lose his marbles and senses. And it all goes downhill from there. I can kind of understand it though; I mean, if you lived in a society where you aren't even allowed to look at the opposite sex, you might fall in love with the first person you set eyes on. But it just happened to fast that it was kind of alarming. Who knew someone could go nuts over a pair of shoes...


A Little Romance?:It all starts with a pair of shoes. Sarah forgets her shoes as she's picking berries and never gets the chance to retrieve them. In comes Abel. He sees her in the church meeting hall without them on. He falls in love with her right then and there. Fifteen minutes later, he finds them and knows instinctively that they're hers. What follows is Sarah and Abel trying to secretly meet within the span of three days, falling more and more deeply in love.

What made this so hilarious to me (other than the similarities to Abnegation) is that this is categorized in my library as a children's book.

Like Sarah staring in a thin nightgown before the window.

"She was surprised at the violence of his reaction. He threw himself to his knees, hands together in prayer. Then he put his hands up over his face. She could not tell if he was weeping, laughing, or trembling with the sin of seeing a sister undressed."

This was shelved as a children's book.

"We coupled one night. Like horses in the field. She showed me how and she knew a lot, that gal. Had plenty of practice before me. It was sweaty work, done in a moment."

This was shelved as a children's book.

"Just thinking about her made rivers of fire run down his legs. His stomach knotted in anticipation and there was a growing tightness in his groin. At first the physical manifestations of his feelings had frightened him. But he could no longer will them away."

This was shelved as a children's book next to two picture books.

What I'm trying to say is that for a supposed children's book, it is highly sexualized, which is probably why I found it so hilarious. This is SO not a children's books. It's a young adult book, definitely. I don't care what my library says.

Conclusion:The Shakers are a fascinating community to read about, and in regards to giving accurate information about them, this is a solid novel; The romance killed it for me though. So while this wasn't a bad book by any means, the romance backfired making it unintentionally funny when it wasn't supposed to be. I wouldn't discourage anyone from reading this though, because it is quasi-good.

Just don't read this to your young kids anytime soon ;)

Listen to This!:I learned this hymn as a child in Sunday School, but I never knew it was a Shaker hymn. Listen to it!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLAnu...

[Joan Barton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this back in 1982.

[Brigitte · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like the main precept of Shaker living, The Gift of Sarah Barker is pleasantly 'simple' in its story arc, though not in its intelligence. In Yolen's first book for young adults (what was to be the first of many) she offers an interesting and unbiased look at life in a small Shaker community in antebellum Massachusetts. Though there is some typical adolescent mushiness (it is a story sparked by the temptations of the two teenage characters), the motivations of protagonists Sarah and Abel are not based solely on romantic/hormonal urges. Yolen develops these teenage characters with a deftness that makes the reader genuinely interested in their lives as they begin to question complex definitions of family, community, love, religion, and discipline-- all in a relatively short novel. I recommend this for anyone who's a fan of Yolen's better-known work or may have interest in day-to-day life in a Shaker community.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Sarah.. with an 'h'.. it's prettier that way."

I first read this book when I was.. I don't know.. 8? And was found in my parochial library none-the-less. When I left the school, I asked the librarian if I could have it, and she let me take it (after she read it, and dog-eared some pages....).

Maybe due to my age, but this was my favorite book for a long time. The relationships in it and the religious background just made sense in what was/is my world/life.

"Keep him till he be abel"..

also I didn't have this horrible cover. Mine is a capped red-haired girl daydreaming, a man's head in the clouds, with fields and cows far off.. sort of cartoony. I never would've thought of it as Romance like most reviews, but I suppose it is. Felt more of a "coming of age" vibe to me.

[Janice Baldwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This YA novel is set in a Shaker village in 1854. It is a coming of age story of two teens and the attraction they feel for each other within the very constrained, celibate religious community. For Sarah it is also the story of coming to understand her past and discovering her "gift". The culture, theology, religious practices, and daily activities of the Shakers are well presented and also the reasons why persons came into the Shakers and why they stayed or left.

[rivka · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well written tween book.

[A. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was ok. Not great, but ok.

[Gapeach · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very sweet love story