"James and his sister, Alisha, have argued most of their adult life regarding the Bible, the second coming of Christ, and the end of the world. But James knows that the time is near. He manages to get most of his loved ones to Papa's farm in New Hampshire, but his two nieces are away at school in different parts of the country. After hearing the warning sirens, James hurries his family across the dirt road and into the shelter he and his friend Peter have built. This, as James has known for months, will be their home for the next two years."

This sounds like the makings of a great story about being cooped up with one's family in close quarters and learning to rely on one another and God for everything when the world is blown to bits, but the story is mostly dialogue between characters. Unfortunately, all the characters, young and old, talk in the same stilted way. The only one who seems to have a voice of his own is Peter, but more about him in a bit. The way the characters talk seems unrealistic, especially given that they have just experienced something generations of Americans have been fearing; the dropping of a nuclear bomb.

All authors have to start somewhere and this reader hasn't even ever tried to write a book. The time and energy that goes into developing characters, making sure the story makes sense to others and that the message one is trying to make is clear are all aspects of a well-written book. Unfortunately, for this reviewer, those aspects were lacking in "The Shelter at Papa's Farm."

I received a free copy of this book from the author.

Read more of this review: http://www.examiner.com/article/review-the-shelter-at-papa-s-farm-by-elizabeth-white

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