- Paperback: 252 pages
- Publisher: Puffin (26 Sep 1996)
- ISBN-10: 0140383069
- ISBN-13: 978-0140383065
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
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Product Description
Review
New Zealand author Sherryl Jordan returns with this high-quality fantasy novel about a boy called Gabriel who is chosen to play an important role in the society of Navara. One day, whilst running away from his domineering father, Gabriel witnesses the rape of a woman from the mistreated Shinali tribe. The experience changes his life, and he decides to follow a career of helping people rather than take over the family business. Gabriel is blessed with the special gifts of interpreting dreams and of healing, both of which are vitally important when he begins work at the Academy of Navara, treating the poor and destitute. Then one day he is chosen by Salverion, the Grand Master of the Citadel, to join the exclusive academy of healing. Through this work he encounters the Empress who takes the young boy as her special advisor and interpreter of dreams, over and above the sinister Jaganath, who uses his power and influence to manipulate the decisions of the Empress. Gabriel becomes involved in the complex politics of the court and has to flee from the city, only to realize that he has a unique role to play in his country's future. This is a powerful story with a complex and riveting plot and a significant underlay of symbolism, some Christian and some recalling the oppression of the Native Americans. More than that, Jordan writes quite beautifully, transforming a fantasy tale into a rich and eloquent exploration of magic, culture and self-discovery. Ages 12+ (Kirkus UK)
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Product Description
Terrified, a young Navaron child watches helplessly from his hiding place as a young Shinili woman is brutally beaten and abused by a group of drunken Navaron men. Too frightened to answer her pleas for help, the child runs away, taking with him the sacred bone carving of the Shinili people. In doing so, he forever binds himself and his fate to them. Gabriel is no ordinary boy. His life is now marked out for greatness by powers beyond his understanding...He's never wanted to follow in his father's footsteps and become a wealthy, sea-faring merchant, celebrated by all in the ancient empire of Navora - but cold and distant to his family. Haunted by a terrible childhood secret Gabriel spurns family tradition and duties as the eldest son, to pursue a life of helping others. Derived from a deep sense of guilt and strange mysterious visions Gabriel knows that he is destined to become a healer, with the power to decipher dreams, no matter what his overbearing family argues. But against his will, Gabriel finds himself caught up in the power struggles of a corrupt Empire, endangering all that he loves. His decision to hold true to his destiny is one that will cost him dearly, and one that threatens to tear apart the entire Navoran Empire - but which might just end up saving an entire people.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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"Trembling, the boy crouched in the shadow of the bridge." Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
"Trembling, the boy crouched in the shadow of the bridge." Read the first page
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book is possibly one of my favourites of all time, it tells the story of a boy called Gabriel, who at a very young age witnessess the attack of a young woman from the Shinali tribe; terrified he does nothing to help, but takes a strnge bone carving from her, which somehow comforts him. Years later the guilt still haunts him and the bone carving he found gives him strange visions. As the world around him becomes more and more corrupted Gabriel realises his ambition to become a healer and help others. As the eldest son Gabriel is expected to inherit his father's business, but when his father dies, his mother helps him to gain a place in the prestigious citadel, where only the best healers go to train for 7 years... As the corruption around him groes Gabriel is forced to flee, and on his travels runs into the shinali tribe, the same tribe of the woman who was attacked...
Although very different from the "Raging Quiet" I think I prefer this book, as it incorparates love, humour, corruption and difficult choices. A must read!
Although very different from the "Raging Quiet" I think I prefer this book, as it incorparates love, humour, corruption and difficult choices. A must read!
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Library Binding
Coming from a wealthy family in the Navoran Empire, a young boy called Gabriel runs away from home, fearful of what his terrifying father will say when he finds his priceless marble statue of the Empress Petra shattered into tiny fragments. And, trembling in his hiding place beyond the city walls, he sees a terrible sight that dominates and influences the rest of his life:
A young Shinali woman is brutally beaten and abused by a group of drunken Navoran men; she reaches out to Gabriel for help, but he runs away in fear, taking with him her sacred bone carving that has fallen into the mud beside her. And, from this moment on, it is as if Gabriel is under the Shinali spell...SECRET SACRAMENT is a novel suitable for young adults.
It is a remarkably spiritual and romantic story, coloured by the vibrant and moody binary opposites of good and evil, Shinali and Navoran, freedom and imprisonment, and poverty and wealth.
Jordan is a master of word painting, with her strong and dramatic landscapes, and her unrivalled ability to capture the sensations of touch, sound, taste, smell and emotions on every page that we turn.
The story is not fixed in any known time or place but, as in RAGING QUIET, there is a medieval and Celtic lilt to this book. So often, novels only paint the superficial picture and one remain an 'outsider' as the reader, but SECRET SACRAMENT drew me completely into the Navoran and Shinali worlds ~ I felt as though I inhabited the text and was, similarly, under the Shinali spell.
It is utterly captivating, and I can only urge you to experience this wonderful novel for yourself. Without a shadow of doubt, it is as much a winner as RAGING QUIET.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
SECRET SACRAMENT is a novel suitable for young adults.
It is a remarkably spiritual and romantic story, coloured by the vibrant and moody binary opposites of good and evil, Shinali and Navoran, freedom and imprisonment, and poverty and wealth.
Jordan is a master of word painting, with her strong and dramatic landscapes, and her unrivalled ability to capture the sensations of touch, sound, taste, smell and emotions on every page that we turn.
The story is not fixed in any known time or place but, as in RAGING QUIET, there is a medieval and Celtic lilt to this book. So often, novels only paint the superficial picture and one remain an 'outsider' as the reader, but Secret Sacrament drew me completely into the Navoran and Shinali worlds ~ I felt as though I inhabited the text and was, similarly, under the Shinali spell.
It is utterly captivating, and I can only urge you to experience this wonderful novel for yourself. Without a shadow of doubt, it is as much a winner as RAGING QUIET.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
some of my all time favourites.
Read the plot in the other reviews - just know that the books this author writes, turn to gold. The Raging Quiet is one i have re-read again and again over the years; and even... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Kathryn Hargrave
An Amazing Book
Secret Sacrament is an amazing book. very well written and so engaging that you almost felt you were living through the events with the characters. Read more
Published on 19 July 2009 by L
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