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@corissa-maiden-of-praise, I spot a Lamplighter Fan! The White Gypsy is one of my favorites! I haven’t read the Lost Clue yet. But my friend has it and I need to borrow it. Plus you have read the Mysterious Benedict Society! And you love Odyssey. I knew it just by your opening line. I found a new friend guys!
Theater kid. Currently depressed because I can't stop listening to sad musicals.
@christi-eaton Lamplighters are the best! 😀 Except for The Hidden Hand and Prisoners of the Sea; I had problems with both of those. I actually wrote a critical review for the Hidden Hand if you’re ever interested in it. But most of them are awesome! And the Mysterious Benedict Society is the best non-Christian fiction I have EVER read. And Odyssey is awesome! Also, I saw on your profile you like the Elsie Dinsmore books; I’ve listened to the audio version of those and really enjoyed them. 😉
"Courage is action in spite of fear."
@corissa-maiden-of-praise Really? I haven’t read those in a long time, but The Hidden Hand and The Prisoners Of The Sea were my two favorites. You mind sharing that critique of yours?
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@Daeus The Prisoners of the Sea wasn’t so bad I guess, but I was a little younger and it is one of the gorier ones. I don’t mind sharing my critique on The Hidden Hand; did you want it here, or is there a subject specifically for that somewhere?
"Courage is action in spite of fear."
@corissa-maiden-of-praise Here should be fine.
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Alright then; here it is. I wrote it a couple of years ago, so the grammar and such isn’t quite up to my current standard, but I think that it conveys the problems I had with it efficiently enough. Let me know if you have any questions!
In The Hidden Hand, Mrs. E.D.E.N. Southworth tells the story of a young girl named Capitola Black. We first meet her in the streets of New York, as a dirty little beggar “boy.” A wealthy gentleman called Old Hurricane, also known as Ira Warfield, hires him to carry his baggage for a distance, and then, in pity, pays him an exorbitant amount.
The next day, Old Hurricane sees the same little boy, dressed in a nice new suit, standing in court. Approaching the scene, he discovers it is because the little boy is really a little girl, and in fact the very little girl he had come to New York to find!
What ensues is a tangled web of confusion. Mr. Warfield adopts Capitola, takes her back to his home in Virginia, is reunited with a long lost nephew, finds his deserted wife and son, confronts several villainous men, and nearly loses Capitola to a brutish outlaw hired to kill her by her uncle!
While the entire book is highly intriguing and mysterious, the problems started nearly from the beginning. Old Hurricane, the first character we meet, has serious anger issues; it is only through the loyalty and understanding of his servants that he manages to keep any servants at all. He often calls them degrading names, throws things at them, and orders them out of the house (though they never leave). He also blows up at Capitola and his nephew, Herbert Grayson, several times.
Capitola also has several character flaws, the most serious of which is disrespect. She often talks back to Old Hurricane, whom she calls her “uncle,” in a manner quite unbecoming of a young girl to her elders. Her excuse is that, “if you were really my uncle, or my father, or my legal guardian, I should have no choice but to obey you; but the same fate that made me desolate made me free! a freedom that I would not exchange for any gilded slavery!” Her opinion is that if she cannot do exactly as she pleases, whenever she pleases, it is a “gilded slavery,” compared to the streets of New York, where she could have her way all the time.
Three men in the book have lustful desires for women, and nearly succeed in their evil purposes. They verbally express their desires to, “play with” certain women, and to have them in their power.
Another severe problem with the book is that, near the end, Capitola deceitfully sets a man free from prison; even worse, she uses a Bible reason to rationalize her conduct, though she takes the stories completely out of context. She says that, “Heaven knows whether I am doing right – for I do not. I know many people would blame me very much, but I hope that He who forgave the thief upon the cross and the sinful woman at his feet will not condemn me for following his own compassionate example.” Although it is true that Christ forgave them, the thief was not saved from punishment. The woman was saved only by her faith, not by deceitful means as Capitola used. Also, her hope that Christ would not condemn her is unscriptural, for we know that as long as we ask for His forgiveness, He cannot refuse us if we are His child.
In conclusion, I was disappointed with Lamplighter for publishing this book. When the company is mentioned, words such as “virtuous,” “biblical,” and “faithfulness,” come to my mind. Now, I fear that The Hidden Hand has marred my overall opinion of them. While one could draw lessons of courage, faith, and loyalty from its depths, the inappropriate behavior of the men and the dis-respectfulness of Capitola render it an unsuitable read for any child of God; and while I will certainly not discontinue the Lamplighter books from my library, I cannot with a clear conscience recommend this particular book."Courage is action in spite of fear."
@corissa-maiden-of-praise Ah, I see. For my part, I seem to remember that this was all where the characters were starting, not where they were headed (except a few which I can’t remember at all), but it’s been a while.
So would you consider yourself as valuing clean content above theme?
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@corissa-maiden-of-praise Apologies for my lateness, but welcome!
Greetings and Salutations!
I was wondering if you borrowed that from Eugene! I love adventures in Odyssey too, though I don’t listen to them much anymore.
I really like The Mysterious Benedict Society as well. I don’t know if anyone has already asked you this, but who is your favorite character in the series?
@Daeus I’m not sure I would go quite that far; I value them both. I understand that books can’t always be “squeaky clean” and realistic, but I felt that the Hidden Hand went too far into the realm of evil, especially in revealing the thoughts of the men and their lustful desires. Even though we should not be uninformed about the evils of the world, we are instructed in Philippians 4:8 to think on good and pure things. When I read a book, I cannot help but meditate on it, and when it is so filled with evil, especially when it’s only fiction, I believe that it is not only a waste of time but also possibly damaging, especially to sensitive minds. I feel that Lamplighter publishing this book along side so many others that promote pure and good things is wrong, especially considering that they took Scripture out of context to promote deceit.
@winter-rose Thank you! Yes, Odyssey… Eugene always makes me laugh. I love his use of big words to convey such simple ideas! One of my favorites is, “It would simply be wasting valuable time in pursuit of an untamed water fowl!” “He means a wild-goose chase.” “Precisely!” 😀
Actually, no one has asked me that yet. 😉 I love them all, and I don’t think I could pick an absolute favorite. If I had to narrow it down to three, I would probably say Mr. Benedict, Reynie, and Kate. Milligan would be a very close fourth. But everyone else is great too! 😀"Courage is action in spite of fear."
Also @Daeus, this was more than where they started. Capitola excusing deceit with Scripture is at the very end of the book, and the prisoner she was releasing didn’t seem to have had a change of heart at all. While it’s true Capitola calmed Old Hurricane somewhat, he never really conquered his temper, and Capitola never felt that the way she treated him was wrong. Although she grew more slightly more respectful, it was for the wrong reasons. It was not because she realized she needed to respect her elders but because she saw a side of him she hadn’t seen before that made her respect him more. If she wanted to say her mind she was still going to say it, even if it was rude and disrespectful. She is described as capricious and feisty in personality, as if this excuses her behavior, but the truth is we should and can be respectful no matter what our personality. There’s a difference between being feisty and being rude, and as Christians we need to be especially careful to maintain a Christian testimony. Also, if someone needs rebuked, that doesn’t make it right to confront them with as much force as they’re using; we should do it gently and kindly, as Christ did.
"Courage is action in spite of fear."
@corissa-maiden-of-praise Hmm, I can’t seem to remember the book well enough to evaluate it again.
By the way, it sounds like you’ll want to avoid the three musketeers and the hunchback of notre dame. I seem to have more leniency with a book than you do, but I honestly wouldn’t recommend those books for anyone. Thought you might want to know.
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Thank you for the warning!
It may seem strict, but I really feel that some things should be left out of the fiction world- or at least handled very carefully. I don’t want thoughts crossing the minds of my readers like the thoughts that crossed mine when reading The Hidden Hand. Violence doesn’t bother me very much; stealing, thievery, deceit and all that is fine as long as it is not encouraged, and preferably not done by the “hero.” If sin is committed by a hero, it should be exposed for what it is and he should have to suffer the consequences. Whenever Scripture is taken out of context, especially by the heroine and to excuse wrongdoing, it makes me upset. And whenever you enter the sexual world I get very uncomfortable. I don’t believe that sensual scenes or thoughts belong anywhere in the world of fiction- especially Christian fiction. Most other things I’ll tolerate, but if there are any sensual scenes or thoughts in books I do not feel it would be Christ-like of me to recommend them."Courage is action in spite of fear."
@corissa-maiden-of-praise Oh, yeah. I agree some stuff doesn’t belong in fiction. Have you read my article All Art Is Christian (titled somewhat provocatively)? It lays out my thoughts on this and similar issues.
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@corissa-maiden-of-praise, Hmm, interesting thought on the Hidden Hand. I wish I still remembered more of the storyline so I can discuss so I’m pretty much along the same lines as @daeus.
Theater kid. Currently depressed because I can't stop listening to sad musicals.
@Daeus *goes and reads article* This is very well put. In the end, though, I think a lot of it comes down to an individual and their personal relationship with God. I feel that reading books like The Hidden Hand could hinder my relationship with Him because I’m thinking about things that I shouldn’t be instead of things that lead to Him. It might not bother other people at all, and as long as they aren’t disobeying God’s Word, I don’t have a problem with that. I’m responsible for me, not everybody else. Like I said, unless it is clear that they are directly disobeying the Word of God, it is not my place to pass judgement on whether they are right or wrong.
Thank you for your thoughts! I enjoy deep discussions, and it looks like this forum is the perfect place for that. 😉
Also, I didn’t realize you were only 17! For some reason I was putting you more in the middle to late twenties age range. I’m not sure why. 😛 😀 Maybe it’s the facial hair. That’s what my brother says when anyone guesses his age as older than he is. 😉"Courage is action in spite of fear."
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