Everyone said you will either love it or hate it. I didn't. It was just okay. There were some interesting observations, but a lot of the story was over the top. Towards the end, I began to feel the insidious itch of shameless self-promotion, and that knocked it down a notch. A good solid *meh*. ( )

This controversial book is either love it or hate it I have found in other reviews. Often people can’t get through the first few pages, or quit towards the end. I was apprehensive about reading only because so many people I knew were against it.

The Shack is about a man, Mac, who has been absent from the church for quite some time, who starts receiving mysterious notes in his mail box inviting him to “the shack”. When he takes his family on a camping trip tragedy strikes, forcing Mac to finally face some of his issues and some new ones.

I spent the first 200 or so pages listening to the story via audiobook and enjoyed it very much. Had I been reading it maybe it would have been a little more dull. The last couple chapters I read myself and found closure in the story and found hope in the message. I really enjoyed it despite what others have said.

I loved this book. For me, it answered so many questions, as well as opening up new ways of thinking of things. Another book I recently read builds on this: Gita Nazareth's Forgiving Ararat. This book too explores themes of judgment and forgiveness in the face of violence. As a fan and publicist for this book, I'm interested to see what parallels are drawn between the two. ( )

Man whose young daughter is kidnapped and killed gets to meet God, face to face... wow! ( )

On the surface The Shack by William Young is an exciting drama with a lengthy discussion making up the bulk of the story. It's likely that you've heard about The Shack, but the book's description was shallow and unhelpful. So allow me to frustrate you even further. Keeping from all spoilers, it is impossible for anyone to explain this book. I think even the back cover goes too far in spoiling the plot. So I will keep to my standard book review formula and hope it is sufficient.From the start Mr. Young does a wonderful job of keeping the reader's attention. The introduction hints at a grandeur of events to come, but there are several modest peaks of excitement that lead up to the big climax. Young does are wonderful job of corralling the story from being a one-hit wonder. Before the plot turns to the main contention, the minor events leading up are engrossing.With that said, this book does not read like a sixth grade persuasion essay. It's a smart portrayal of a subject matter often riddled with tawdry proverbs. The depth of the story is best stated within the book itself."Mack, there is far more going on herethan you have the ability to perceive. Letme assure you, all of this is very much real,far more real than life as you've known it."In closing, this has been one of the most difficult reviews I've ever written. I get paid to write, but for me to try and summarize The Shack and give a review has been a stretch of my ability. My highest endorsement of this book is the best I can do, but that leaves us back at the shallow and unhelpful explanation I hinted to at the first of this review. I digress. Read the damn book. ( )