No Shame, No Fear

This emotional novel tells the story of true young love between William Heywood and Susanna Thorn.The alternating viewpoints between Will and Susanna let you catch every detail in this passionate love story. It was like reading a fairytale and wishing you were there with the characters. Once I started reading it, it had caught my eye and I couldn't bear to put it down, not even for a second. The twisted end of the novel left this reader drowning in tears, full of questions, and longing for the sequel. ~Kelseaaa

This is the story of Susanna Thorn, a fifteen-year-old girl raised as a Quaker in mid-1600s England. Persecution against the Quakers has always been a fact of life for Susanna and her family, and in fact, the story begins with Susanna leaving home to find work in the nearest town because her father has been jailed for practicing his faith. Once Susanna moves into town, she meets Will Heywood, the son of a locally prosperous merchant. Will's life has been mapped out for him: apprenticeship, taking over his father's business, becoming an alderman. However, Will has found that his life is missing something spiritually and he begins to realize that he is drawn to the Quakers' faith, as well as to Susanna. That none of this fits with his father's plans is an understatement; Will must come to terms with himself and his beliefs. Susanna finds herself caught up in her love for Will and her strong convictions for her church. Turnbull tells the story in chapters that alternate between Will's first-person account and Susanna's. This gives the story depth and helps us to understand why Susanna reacts as she does in the face of persecution and how Will finds his own strength to stand up to his father. The story moves along at a good pace and the storyline is believable. This is an excellent account of the religious persecution of Quakers as well as an excellent relationship novel. Turnbull makes us feel what the characters do and she pulls us into their world effortlessly. This one is recommended.

NO SHAME, NO FEAR is set in 1662 post-war England. The civil war had been fought because of clashes in faith and culture. The nation is still feeling these effects when seventeen-year-old William returns to his home in Hemsbury to begin an apprenticeship arranged by his wealthy father. Meanwhile, Susanna, a Quaker girl from the neighboring countryside, travels to Hemsbury to work as a servant. William and Susanna meet by chance and begin a secret courtship. William has a great deal at risk as he begins to court Susanna and becomes interested in her Quaker lifestyle. Will's father is outraged by the changes in his son's behavior and blames Susanna for this. Will the love between Will and Susanna be strong enough to overcome all of the obstacles put in their path? The story is told in the alternating viewpoints of both William and Susanna. This structure is very effective in allowing the reader access to all aspects of society during this time period. I thoroughly enjoyed NO SHAME, NO FEAR, and I think you will too. I hope we see more young adult novels from the very talented Ann Turnbull. --- Reviewed by Renee Kirchner ([email protected])

"The door flew open and they burst in--a dozen or so, armed with swords and cudgels. Their leader was a fair, stocky man with a bully's face who announced himself Robert Danson, sheriff, and told us we were all under arrest. "Edward Beale stood and asked, 'By what authority?' " 'This is an illegal meeting under the act newly passed by Parliament.' " 'We are a peaceable people,' said Edward. 'We have come here to wait upon God in the silence --' "Danson seized Edward and threw him to the floor. The old man fell hard. I gasped, and heard the intake of breath throughout the meeting. I was shocked that they would treat an old man so; and frightened, too, as I realized what was to come. " 'Seize them all!' cried Danson. "The soldiers began to strike left and right, hitting anyone within reach. They struck people with fists and clubs. I saw Samuel Minton fall, and his wife on top of him. Judith's brother Tom was struck across the face. Hannah Davies, with her child in her arms, was flung toward the door." Those sanitized versions in grade school US history books that we all grew up with, of the Quakers coming to Colonial America in order to be able to worship as they pleased, do not begin to hint at the real picture of what these people were subjected to in Britain shortly after the death of Cromwell and the restoration of the monarchy. Set in 1662, the graphic, gut-wrenching depictions of the violence and "intolerance" of Quakers in Britain makes NO SHAME, NO FEAR the most significant piece of YA literature I have ever read in regard to that cornerstone--the freedom of religion--upon which our nation was founded. But the relationship between the book's two narrators, 15 year-old Susanna, daughter of Quaker parents, and 17 year-old William, just back from Oxford, and son to a prosperous and influential Anglican merchant, makes NO SHAME, NO FEAR also one of the great love stories of the year. "I thought about her all the time; imagined being alone with her, being free to touch, to kiss. The strength of my feelings took me by surprise; I had known nothing of this before. "But I had to keep her secret. I knew my father would see any connection with a servant girl as beneath me, and if he found out she was a Quaker, he would be furious. And yet I sought her out, not just in the safety of Mary's shop, but around the town." From reading NO SHAME, NO FEAR it is fair to conclude that the supposedly good people of 17th century Britain spent a lot of time (literally) throwing horse manure at those they despised. Ann Turnbull's vivid depictions extend to details of that era's housing, cooking, laundering and bathing, commerce, apprenticeships, court, health care, and prison systems. Susanna is working for Mary, a fellow Quaker who runs a print shop, and at one point deep into the story when nearly all the Quakers in town are jailed--asphyxiating, being gnawed on by lice, fleas, and rats, and sharing one coed slops bucket among dozens of prisoners--Wil

England in 1662 is a country struggling with the aftermath of a civil war. Susanna is a fifteen-year-old Quaker girl who has left her country home to become a servant in the city. Seventeen-year-old Will, who comes from a wealthy family, has finished his studies and has now come to the same city as Susanna to begin his apprenticeship. When Will and Susanna meet, they fall in love. But they are of completely different social classes and religions, and there are many obstacles standing in their way. Meanwhile, persecution of the Quakers is increasing, and Susanna begins to fear for her safety and that of her friends and family. Can Will and Susanna find a way to be together, or will they be kept apart by the society they live in? This book was a wonderful historical romance for teens. I particularly enjoyed reading about this historical setting, which the author brought to life in detail, because I have not read many books set in this time period. I truly enjoyed reading about Will and Susanna and their struggle to be together. I highly recommend this book to teen readers who enjoy historical fiction.