The Peculiar People

Het Koninkrijk van de Vrede #3

by Jan de Hartog

As the Quakers struggle to maintain their nonviolent way of life on the eve of the Civil War, preacher Mordecai Monk and Lydia Best share the exile of the Shawnee, who are being evicted from their ancient lands

Genres: Historical Fiction

321 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1974

About the author

Jan de Hartog (1914 – 2002) was a Dutch playwright, novelist and occasional social critic who moved to the United States in the early 1960s and became a Quaker. From then on he wrote in English.
At the beginning of his career he wrote five detective novels about the adventures of Commissioner Wiebe Poesiat and inspector Gregor Boyarski at the metropolitan harbor police under the pseudonym F.R. Eckmar

Johannes (Jan) de Hartog was een Nederlandse schrijver van romans, toneelstukken en filmscenario's, vooral gekend om zijn romans over de scheepvaart.
In het begin van zijn carrière schreef hij, onder het pseudoniem F.R. Eckmar, ook een vijftal detectieveromans over de avonturen van commissaris Wiebe Poesiat en inspecteur Gregor Boyarski bij de hoofdstedelijke havenpolitie.

Reviews

[Steve Wegman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sequel to “The Peacable Kingdom”. Semi-historical fiction about Quakers in the 1830s England, Philadelphia, and mostly in fictional Pendle Hill, Indiana have adventures involving the underground railroad and Indians being forcibly moved to Kansas. I liked it better than "The Peacable Kingdom". For one thing it was about half as long (Peacable was too long), and it didn't get bogged down in some unpleasant side tracks as did Peacable.

[Jill · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this book was just okay.

[Nina · Rating 4 out of 5]

The next generation of Quakers weren't quite a united as the originals, but that happens in time when prosperity enters and persecution ends. Persecution does have its role in solidifying a faith. The year is 1883 in Pendle Hill, Indiana. The Quaker church is facing a schism between those who preach personal salvation and the ones who still focus on practicing good acts. 'God can only work through thee." A visiting self-styled preacher from England comes promoting the personal salvation angle but eventually is influenced to practice his faith, although he is little more than a stage actor at all times. He and the heroine follow a band of displaced Indians into the wilderness and their sacrifice leads to an entirely new Quaker settlement and Indian school in Kansas.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this historical novel about Quakers. My Quaker pals out there should read this!

[Rick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as de Hartog's other Quaker novels, but an adventure that will hold your interest any how