New York Times Bestseller: The quest for the American Dream soars to new heights in this coming-of-age story of a young woman and her country. Living with her aunt in poor, rural Preston, Pennsylvania, thirteen-year-old Ellen Watson loves books and music and is completely oblivious to her own beauty. But her extraordinary looks arouse envy and malice in the female townspeople–and lust in the … townspeople–and lust in the males. Hired as a housemaid in the palatial home of the village mayor, Ellen soon catches the attention of his son, Jeremy Porter, who captures her heart in turn. He offers to send her to school, and four years later he proposes marriage.
As the years pass, Ellen’s life parallels the hopes, dreams, and fears of a no-longer innocent nation. As America’s enemies gather, Ellen must face her own demons. The wife of the scion of a powerful political family, she has everything she could ever desire: security, children, and a successful, adoring husband. But when tragedy rips her life apart, Ellen will be forced to confront some terrible truths about her marriage, her family, and herself.
Played out against the backdrop of early twentieth-century America, Ceremony of the Innocent intertwines Ellen’s personal journey with America’s emergence from the devastation of World War I. It raises vital questions, such as: Are we as good as we believe we are? And is faith enough to keep us moving forward even in the face of unimaginable loss?
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Usually love Taylor Caldwell, this story was a snooze.
A historical fictiin which was quite educational as well as entertaining. Sad, but inspirational ending.
Very disappointing compared to The Captain and the Kings. Too drawn out. Characters were too one sided.
Long sad story
Definately not an easy read. Too much political philosophies. The main character never had a chance.
I couldn’t get through it… I really enjoyed Pillars of Iron but this book plucked my nerves. Half way through and I read about the main characters innocents for the 3 thousandth time and was done
I read this about 30 years ago and loved it. Will be reading again soon. Now that I’m a little more maturer
Love Taylor Caldwell.
Taylor Caldwell builds strong characters. This novel also gives information about the collapse of Wall Street in the 1930’s which is eye-opening. However, in this book she gives a dismal view of human nature which I found unfortunate.
Human nature changes very little. The political scene is a reminder that those who fail to learn history are destined to repeat it.
In a word–belabored. I was fed up with this book about a third of the way in, but continued until the end. The characters seemed very one-dimensional to me. The author told us over and over what they were like as if we couldn’t remember anything. Only a couple of minor characters were sympathetic. There was some redeeming appeal in the view of politics and history of pre-WWI, but again very belabored.
A relatively long read due to the author’s penchant for long passages filled with political rhetoric, similar to her book The Captains and the Kings. Granted, the historical sequence (about 1908 to 1929) is good and informative, but the protagonist in this story is unbelievable to me. No one can remain that naive without (ahem!) a strong lack of intelligence. People learn from living and this heroine does not. After a while, she actually lost interest for me.
The book does make a point about naive people and those who prey upon them.
Taylor Caldwell is one of my favort authors. This book is very good. It moves along and keeks your interest.
I read this book quite a few years ago. The story has stayed with me, though. The parallels between the life of the main character and what has happened in this country are both memorable and heartbreaking. It is an AMAZING BOOK!
If you like art and or were interested in or remember the artists you studied in high school or college, this book gives you some insights as to what there private lives might have been like. I enjoyed the book.
too depressing