Donal Grant

Beautiful text, beautifully read

(5 stars)

Steve Douglas

Though George MacDonald is my favorite writer hands down, I haven't read much of his realistic novels. I'm generally a little put off by so many perfectly righteous characters spouting off sermons and theological soliloquys, nevermind that I agree with them wholeheartedly. But this one really did me in. I needed to hear these things. Father George's soft voice reached me through 150 years and spoke solace to me when I needed it. Devorah Allen's voice was by far my favorite I've heard on Librivox, and I look forward to hearing more. Her rendering of Scots is wholly adequate enough to convey the basic flavor of MacDonald's Doric and yet be understandable to the rest of the English speaking world. Bravo. I've every confidence that her expressive voice was instrumental in bringing home the inspiration the book had for me.

Beautiful and Inspiring Tale

(5 stars)

Connor Dykes

A lovely sequel to Ser Gibbie, itself another amazing work of George MacDonald, that nonetheless can stand on its own, even though I certainly recommend reading Ser Gibbie first. The protagonist is a major character in that work and as usual for MacDonald is an outstanding example of true Christian character, of nobility of spirit and faithfulness worthy of emulation. This nobel has more mystery than the prequel while still remaining grounded, and of course MacDonald's faith and wisdom shine through the narrative without becoming unduly didactic. A couple of quotes from the book: "Freedom is the unclosing of the idea that lies at our root and is the vital power of our existence. The rose is the freedom of the plant." "After waiting for his will he realized he and his will were one, that he had not to wait for his will, but to wake, to will that is, to do, and so be." Devorah Allen is also an incredible reader with a lovely voice, and does the Scottish accents quite well to my untrained ears.

A Captivating Story

(5 stars)

Luv2Listen

A stirring story of overcoming disappointments and heartache to rise and become all that God wants you to be! The fire of trials removes the dross and makes us finer gold. This story captivated my interest all the way through!

Unsatisfactory Ending

(3 stars)

Margaret Davis

This is a long review! In short, I enjoyed this book as far as the mystery was interesting, and the faith of the characters was inspiring. The characters also drew me in and many conversations I enjoyed. Even though it’s long, I never felt like quitting the book. However, there were some things I really didn’t like about the book. As a Christian, the author’s (and also protagonist’s) unbiblical theology was also a disappointment to me. Now I’ll explain that last sentence in more detail. First, what I didn’t like about the story. I did not like the way the story ended. Around the middle I thought I was going to like the book, but the ending broke it. The suspense and progression doesn’t lead to the climax I expected, a climax where the inner plots intertwine to resolve and conclude the plot that’s been developing. There were definitely some climactic parts towards the end, but I was expecting that ultimately, the good will be rewarded and the wicked will be punished. That doesn’t happen. The true character of the horrible, evil earl becomes unmistakably clear towards the end of the book, but he gradually and reluctantly he becomes repentant and is somewhat restored. In my opinion, such a wicked character ultimately needs to be retributed for all the evil he’s done, or he makes a complete and radical turn for the better. I’m this case, it seems somewhere in between. Even worse than that was when the romance that you’ve been expecting throughout the entire book finally occurs as Donal and Arctura realize that they actually love each other, but then Arctura gets sick and they marry just before she dies. I was not at all expecting that heartbreaking ending!! Why?! The earl lives a little longer and Davie supposedly goes to work in India. Donal starts a school but not many pupils come. He finally befriends one of the boys and they grow a close bond, then the boy dies as well. Basically, after 16+ hours of listening, Donal is back at the same place he was at the beginning, with only the same friends and family he had to begin with. I understand that all this could be fine if viewed as a tragedy with the focus on how Donal’s faith upholds him through many trials; that just wasn’t what I was expecting with all the mystery and adventure and action and characters. It’s a long book, and the ending especially makes it feel less worth it. Now, the theological problems with the book: Unfortunately, Donal rejects biblical Christian doctrine as an obstacle or hindrance to knowing God. It is apparent that MacDonald either didn’t uphold Scripture as divine supreme revelation, or he misinterpreted Scriptures by shaping them around his own ideas. There’s such an emphasis on obedience and morality and the works part of salvation, and much less on faith and the centrality of Jesus’ sacrifice. MacDonald narrates that “Obedience is the road to all things—the only way in which to grow able to trust him. Love and faith and obedience are sides of the same prism.” Albeit he presents the three as equal sides to a prism, he prioritizes obedience and goodness over faith. More than that, MacDonald explicitly rejects the doctrine of substitutionary atonement. A primary example of this is when Lady Arctura shares the Gospel and Donal immediately shuts her down. She says, “Every sin, whatever it is, deserves God’s wrath and curse, both in this life and that which is to come; and if it had not been that Jesus Christ gave himself to turn away his anger and satisfy his justice by bearing the punishment for us, God would send us all to the place of misery for ever and ever.” To which Donal replies, “I dare not sit still and hear such false things uttered against the blessed God!” Under Donal’s tutelage, Lady Arctura herself comes to place the same emphasis on works and desiring to be good, as if “being good”/moral reformation was necessary for forgiveness. It’s as if Jesus saved us by making us righteous, instead of imputing His righteousness to us. Biblically, repentance and sanctification are necessary for a Christian, but they cannot replace faith. MacDonald’s universalism is also present with Donal often referring to God as the Father of all indiscriminately, as if he wasn’t more specially the Father of the believer. He says that making people feel that they aren’t God’s children is “of the devil, the father of evil, not either of Paul or of Christ.” It is unbiblical to confuse God being your Creator and showing benevolent love to unrepentant sinners, with being a true child of God. Donal also argues vehemently against the doctrine of adoption: “God’s mercy is infinite; and the doctrine of Adoption is one of the falsest of false doctrines.” It’s really strange how quick he is to oppose these doctrines while also presenting no Scripture to back his ideas. There are probably many other theological problems that he inserts, but these stood out to me.

(5 stars)

aircraft fan forever

Very good! I really enjoyed the mystery to it as well as the moral quality that I gained. I don’t recommend listening to this with younger children as there is several parts that are rather disturbing to those with hyper sensitive imaginations. A very intriguing story on the whole. I loved how he illustrated that a man and a woman who love each other with the love God designed for such a relationship can not be parted even by death, but true love can reach across the void between this world and that even though physical communication cannot. Thank you very much Devorah

Beautiful story and voice

(5 stars)

Jonas

Thank you so much Devorah! You read this so magnificently. You have a beautiful voice. And what an amazing story, with so many wonderful nuggets of truth along the way. George Macdonald did it again!

(5 stars)

Wendy

A wonderful story brought to life by a talented reader. Devorah Allen makes me want to be more like Donal Grant. And more like his master.

long but intriguing

(5 stars)

Cindy Simkovich

Interesting, inspiring, much dialogue about death--- yet not morose-- worth listening to.