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Taylor Caldwell
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Ceremony of the Innocent: A Novel Kindle Edition

by Taylor Caldwell (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.1 out of 5 stars 620 ratings
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 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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  1. Print length
    752 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Open Road Media
  4. Publication date
    November 15, 2016
  5. File size
    7.2 MB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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  1. Once the middle class is taxed out of existence, the masses will have no defender, and they will become the silent and docile slaves of the elitists.
    Highlighted by 57 Kindle readers
  2. Once our currency is not backed by gold they will have the absolute power, through their bankers, to control not only our money but the people themselves.
    Highlighted by 42 Kindle readers
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From the Publisher

Taylor Caldwell: A Life

Taylor Calwell

Taylor Caldwell in the 1930's

A portrait of Caldwell at the start of her career in the late 1930s.

Taylor Caldwell award

Caldwell Receives an Award

Caldwell receiving an award in Los Angeles, California, for A Pillar of Iron after its publication in 1965.

Taylor Caldwell Cocktail Party

Taylor Caldwell at a Cocktail Party

Caldwell at a cocktail party with her daughter, Peggy, and the hostess of a research world cruise on the SS President Wilson in 1970.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Remarkable as well as engrossing.” —Los Angeles Times
 
“Taylor Caldwell never falters when it comes to storytelling. . . . This is a stirring tale by a past master.” —Publishers Weekly
 
“Caldwell draws from her multitudinous voices in the literary and religious wilderness to bring it all home.” —Kirkus Reviews
 
Praise for Taylor Caldwell
“Taylor Caldwell spins a yarn with force. . . . Her sense of timing and her ability to keep even the most alert reader guessing is something readers don’t find very often.” —Hartford Courant
 

About the Author

Taylor Caldwell (1900–1985) was one of the most prolific and widely read authors of the twentieth century. Born Janet Miriam Holland Taylor Caldwell in Manchester, England, she moved with her family to Buffalo, New York, in 1907. She started writing stories when she was eight years old and completed her first novel when she was twelve. Married at age eighteen, Caldwell worked as a stenographer and court reporter to help support her family and took college courses at night, earning a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Buffalo in 1931. She adopted the pen name Taylor Caldwell because legendary editor Maxwell Perkins thought her debut novel, Dynasty of Death (1938), would be better received if readers assumed it were written by a man. In a career that spanned five decades, Caldwell published forty novels, many of which were New York Times bestsellers. Her best-known works include the historical sagas The Sound of Thunder (1957), Testimony of Two Men (1968), Captains and the Kings (1972), and Ceremony of the Innocent (1976), and the spiritually themed novels The Listener (1960) and No One Hears But Him (1966). Dear and Glorious Physician (1958), a portrayal of the life of St. Luke, and Great Lion of God (1970), about the life of St. Paul, are among the bestselling religious novels of all time. Caldwell’s last novel, Answer as a Man (1981), hit the New York Times bestseller list before its official publication date. She died at her home in Greenwich, Connecticut, in 1985.
 

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01M4NY2BS
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Open Road Media (November 15, 2016)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 15, 2016
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 7.2 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 752 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 out of 5 stars 620 ratings

About the author

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Taylor Caldwell

Taylor Caldwell

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Janet Miriam Holland Taylor Caldwell (September 7, 1900 – August 30, 1985) was an Anglo-American novelist and prolific author of popular fiction, also known by the pen names Marcus Holland and Max Reiner, and by her married name of J. Miriam Reback.

In her fiction, she often used real historical events or persons. Taylor Caldwell's best-known works include Dynasty of Death, Dear and Glorious Physician (about Saint Luke), Ceremony of the Innocent, Pillar of Iron, The Earth is the Lord's (about Genghis Khan) and Captains and the Kings. Her last major novel, Answer As a Man, appeared in 1980.

Bio from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Photo by James Seneca at English Wikipedia [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
620 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book excellently written and enjoy its historical content, particularly appreciating the political history elements. Moreover, they consider it a masterful story teller. However, the pacing receives negative feedback, with customers describing it as dark and depressing. Additionally, the character development is criticized for being unsympathetic, with the heroine receiving particular criticism for having nothing to redeem her.

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29 customers mention "Readability"29 positive0 negative

Customers find the book engaging and totally engrossing, praising Taylor Caldwell as a masterful storyteller.

"...She is a master storyteller, with a keen understanding of what she foretells." Read more

"...But I felt this story was engaging and couldn't seem to put the book down. I also enjoyed learning more about the history of the time. 3.5 stars!" Read more

"...She is a totally engrossing author - and different than any other I've read...." Read more

"...so evil and deceitful, it was very difficult to read, but so engrossing a tale, it was very difficult to put down!..." Read more

10 customers mention "Writing style"10 positive0 negative

Customers praise the writing style of the book.

"Taylor Caldwell, a most excellent writer, and historian, was also very prophetic...." Read more

"...While Taylor Caldwell was a prolific and popular writer of her time, this story is terrible...." Read more

"...because I still thought the overall story was good and it was reasonably well-written...." Read more

"...The author was so brilliant you may think you are reading what is happening to our beloved country today. Read it and weep." Read more

7 customers mention "Historical accuracy"7 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the historical accuracy of the book, particularly enjoying its political history, with one customer noting it was written almost 50 years ago.

"Taylor Caldwell, a most excellent writer, and historian, was also very prophetic...." Read more

"...The fact that it was written almost 50 years ago and yet the politics is parallel to today's atmosphere, is quite surprising...." Read more

"...some parts a bit 'stretched' and a bit predictable, but enjoyed the political history and writing style." Read more

"...Would be interesting to a political history buff." Read more

4 customers mention "Knowledge"4 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the author's knowledge, with one noting her thorough research and another highlighting her keen understanding of what she foretells.

"...She is a master storyteller, with a keen understanding of what she foretells." Read more

"...She does thorough research for all her books and does NOT use a blank template like so many contemporary authors do...." Read more

"...This was not only a book about a woman’s life but about politics in America and the world during the era the main character lived. I recommend it." Read more

"All of her books are wonderful. This had a very sad ending. I wish Ellen could have stood up to her children...." Read more

14 customers mention "Pacing"0 positive14 negative

Customers find the pacing of the book negative, describing it as dark, depressing, and terrible.

"...The ending isn’t happy, but she is responsible for it...." Read more

"I thought the novel was pretty dark. Most of the characters were extremely cruel!..." Read more

"...She is of course repeatedly disappointed, and victimized by the various people in her world...." Read more

"I enjoyed this novel despite its sad ending...." Read more

10 customers mention "Character development"0 positive10 negative

Customers find the characters unsympathetic, particularly the heroine who has nothing to redeem her, with one review noting the daughter is portrayed as a snotty debutante.

"I thought the novel was pretty dark. Most of the characters were extremely cruel!..." Read more

"I loved it and hated it. So many of the characters were so evil and deceitful, it was very difficult to read, but so engrossing a tale, it was very..." Read more

"...The heroine has no redeeming qualities other than her unwavering belief in the ultimate goodness of people...." Read more

"...One woman was portrayed nasty and snide. The daughter was portrayed as snotty debutante...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Goodreads
    5.0 out of 5 stars Another Winner
    Reviewed in the United States on December 14, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    Taylor Caldwell, a most excellent writer, and historian, was also very prophetic. So much of what she seemed to see clearly, about human nature, and also about our country, has, sadly, proven true. She is a master storyteller, with a keen understanding of what she foretells.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Connie L. Reeves
    4.0 out of 5 stars Absorbing family saga
    Reviewed in the United States on December 2, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    How people torture others! How some feel imagined guilt. I could have done without all the pages discussing capitalism, socialism, conspiracies, economics, war.
    Helpful
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  • TheBanshee
    5.0 out of 5 stars Cautionary tale for Americans (SPOILERS)
    Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    If you don’t know what an allegory is, you aren’t going to enjoy this book. Ellen is America, brought up in hardship and grinding poverty, but innocent about evil and unaware of her own magnificence, and too weak and self-delusional to protect herself from her supposed loved ones, who secretly despise her and whom she endlessly tries to placate, just like America and its enemies.
    The ending isn’t happy, but she is responsible for it. Spanning the early post Civil War period to 1930, Caldwell’s story is a grim warning to Americans who are unaware of the threat of globalism and the concentration of supreme power in the hands of the few whose real enemy is a prosperous middle class.
    41 people found this helpful
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  • Gloria Pagan
    3.0 out of 5 stars Dark!
    Reviewed in the United States on February 6, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    I thought the novel was pretty dark. Most of the characters were extremely cruel! I usually don't like novels that don't have any redeeming characters. But I felt this story was engaging and couldn't seem to put the book down. I also enjoyed learning more about the history of the time. 3.5 stars!
    One person found this helpful
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  • LaserLady
    5.0 out of 5 stars one of the most prolific and astonishing authors I have read
    Reviewed in the United States on July 30, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    I am a huge Taylor Caldwell fan - I managed over the years to obtain every single book she wrote and still have them. She is a totally engrossing author - and different than any other I've read. She does thorough research for all her books and does NOT use a blank template like so many contemporary authors do. Her subject matters are all completely different, so don't look for a theme with her work. I was happy to see a few of her works have been made available in e-book format. If you have never read her work, do yourself a favor and try a couple. Testimony of Two Men (1968), Dear and Glorious Physician (1958), Captains and the Kings (1972) - etc. are great places to start.
    27 people found this helpful
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  • Karen
    4.0 out of 5 stars Dark but gripping
    Reviewed in the United States on January 16, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    I loved it and hated it. So many of the characters were so evil and deceitful, it was very difficult to read, but so engrossing a tale, it was very difficult to put down! I wanted the book to end so my "misery" could end, but needed to know how Ellen's life turned out. The fact that it was written almost 50 years ago and yet the politics is parallel to today's atmosphere, is quite surprising. I really liked the history that was included.
    26 people found this helpful
    Helpful
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  • Doreen
    5.0 out of 5 stars Rena loves you Duane Galbraith, I will always love you brother.
    Reviewed in the United States on June 15, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    Read this book! If you've ever thought that you're really alive, READ THIS BOOK! I first read this at 13 years old...I still read it at 60 years old. Duane Galbraith gave me the awe inspiring book and yes , after all these years, I still read it and I still remember him...I will always, always remember my brother Duane. I will always love you. You gave me some advice that I have never broken.
    6 people found this helpful
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  • Floridagirl627
    2.0 out of 5 stars this story is terrible. The heroine has no redeeming qualities other than ...
    Reviewed in the United States on August 13, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    This was one of the most depressing books I have ever read. While Taylor Caldwell was a prolific and popular writer of her time, this story is terrible. The heroine has no redeeming qualities other than her unwavering belief in the ultimate goodness of people. She is of course repeatedly disappointed, and victimized by the various people in her world. There are no positive characters in this book...Everyone is out for themselves, even children. I found myself very disturbed by the dark and uncharitable world view of this book.
    17 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • susan relton-howie
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 31, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Superb book in v gud condition.no problems with either seller or product
    One person found this helpful
     Report
  • Chrislew
    5.0 out of 5 stars Lovely book.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 22, 2010
    Verified Purchase
    A lovely book that I first read many years ago. My copy had disintegrated so I was delighted tofind a copy at a reasonable price.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Atl Canuck
    4.0 out of 5 stars a good writer
    Reviewed in Canada on February 7, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    very descriptive.
    Report
  • Janet Abbott
    2.0 out of 5 stars Poorly written
    Reviewed in Canada on February 4, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    I know this book was written decades ago, but it's schlock. The main character weeps and moans throughout the entire book.
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  • Coffeelady
    2.0 out of 5 stars Two Stars
    Reviewed in Canada on January 30, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Not very good at all!
    Report

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