Charlotte Maria TuckerCríticas

I deleted this from my Kindle part of the way through. I am not sure what they were aiming for, but if I wanted something that smelled of Christianity, I would have stayed Catholic instead of becoming Jewish.

This was a very long story that I am not entirely sure I could even categorize as Jewish. OK, a few characters were "Hebrew" but given the connections to the New Testament, I have to ask, did a Messianic Jew write this? It was long and a bit painful, I am so glad I am finally finished with it to be honest.

The only reason I am labeling this as being in my Jewish library is because otherwise when I do a search, I will forget that this is more Christian than Jewish.½

The extra half-star is for the scene with David and Jenny in the last episode.½

A family from the city inherit a country estate and make the move to become gentlemen farmers. The housekeeper informs them that the room previously occupied by their deceased relative is haunted. There is a mystery slowly building and gradually solved. Family dynamics and individual personalities are well drawn. An uncle does his best to inculcate moral teachings into each visit with the three children.

Didactic fiction from the 1800s which I very much enjoyed. (3.2 stars)

The book is a sequel to two others, "Ned Franks" and "Sheer Off." A.L.O.E. wrote, principally for children, to save souls and to illuminate Christian living. Preachy? Yes. Conventional? Absolutely. But the reader is drawn into the lives of these common folks and is, perhaps, a little wiser for having done so.

It only took me 24 hours, much of it tied up in a hotel room under strict doctor's orders to stay put, to read "The Robber's Cave" by A.L.O.E. My copy is published by Lamplighter Books. Having purchased a dozen or so Lamplighter titles, I figured I should read them. Yes, they look nice sitting around the house, but for months and months I passed them by. Fortunately, I'm on a reading binge and plan to read as many as time allows.

A.L.O.E. is the pseudonym for Charlotte Maria Tucker. A.L.O.E. is an acronym for "A Lady of England", for she was indeed English, daughter of Henry St George Tucker, a man of considerable social standing. Ms. Tucker was a missionary to India and had a great heart for evangelism. A deep love for the Lord is apparent in this work, for the heart-wrenching interpersonal drama between the characters in "Robber's Cave" is grounded on the eternal reward of a life devoted to God's unfailing love.

The story follows a young Englishman, Horace Cleveland, a prideful, arrogant, foolish fellow of great learning and boldness. Horace and his mother are abducted by a band of Italian robbers and given 7 days to live, pending the outcome of Horace's mother's errand to bribe the ringleader's brother out of prison. Horace is kept for ransom where he meets a bawdy, utterly sinful rabble of filthy criminals. All but one. A curious relationship is initiated by Raphael, and Horace begins a transformation.

Ms. Tucker masterfully weaves a tale of regeneration, undying love, and repentance as the seven days pass by, culminating in a rich and heart gripping climax. The tale is rife with symbolism and Biblical parallels. The message of the Gospel of Christ is clear, with several devoted lives intimately revealed. As I went through the book, I found myself thinking on many occasions "Whoah, that would make an excellent quote all by itself!"

This is a deeply rewarding read. I have to agree with this edition's editor, Mark Hamby, that this story will deeply affect anyone with a heart for Christ.

The original version, published in 1862 and titled "The Light in the Robber's Cave", is available scanned on Google Books, but much more comfortable to read in hand. The Lamplighter re-issue also features useful footnotes.½