This book promoted very stimulating conversation for our book club. It is a must read for any book club out there. It came at a time in our lives when we
needed it most. Any mother or father can relate to the pain and suffering
endured and it actually makes you feel better at the end.

He must have had divine intervention to portray the trinity and explain it so well. A must read for all!

Found this book to be really thought provoking and fascinating. Even though the story is not true - it did challenge my own relationship with God. It made me examine the things that I think about Him because Ive always been taught that way versus what the Bible actually teaches. Sometimes men can impose rules and stereotypes that make it difficult to see who God really - who God wants to be seen as.
Excellent prose as well. Found the author to have some very original metaphors and ways of describing a scene...
Liked it!

Our club did enjoy this book for the most part. Only two people did not like the book. It was a very good discussion as everyone had an opinion.

Much of our conversation in our book club was around the elementary writing and the casual-ness of the main character's relationship with God -- much of this is unbelievable. The characters are poorly formed, with not much depth.

HOWEVER, there are some great points of coversation with the concept of God and our relationship with Him (Her?), with dealing with crises.

It was an easy read, and interesting fodder for conversation.

This book was deep, sad, insightful, hopeful and different. If any of us could just get past the "sad" in our lives to open up and see the hope God has for us, our lives would be changed tremendously! It is a lot about forgiveness. The only reason I did not give it 5 stars is because I am not a "deep" thinker usually and this book goes deep! It also shows the Trinity in a whole new way. But I loved the hope this book brought! I enjoyed it and cried many tears! You could definitely read it again because it was filled with so much!

"The Shack" provided for interesting discussion but was not an overall favorite for the club.

I personally did not like this book, but it was a great book to discuss with the group. We all had a different opinion and feelings about the book. There was no readers guide, so we created our own and were still able to have a wonderful discussion.

I was set not to like the book, The Shack but after reading it, I thought it was really good and thought provoking. All the time I reaad it, I kept thinking it needs a study to go along with it. I finally decided God was urging me to write a study which I did. If anyone would like it, email me at [email protected]. I would be glad to send you the study. You are welcome to use it and copy it for others.
Trish Pickard

If you can get through the beginning of the book when young daughter is abducted and then the family learns she has been murdered, the rest is very good. It really made me think about God in a different way.

Most of the women in our book club really enjoyed this book, it open up so many different discussions on religion since we are a group with mixed Catholic, Jewish, etc... a topic I usually avoid but it was great. A lot to discuss about forgiveness; and how people are able to forgive some of the horrible things that happen in their lives.

I could not wait to begin this book. So many of my friends and co-workers were so inspired by this book. Many described it as "life changing".Immediately,the author pulled me into his novel. At first I was very impressed by the writing style and descriptions. When the author had his character begin his journey, I became very annoyed. The novel,to me, became preachy and tiresome. I found his characters of the trinity stereotyped - the Jew, Jesus, had a big nose and the the black mammy at one point responded with something like, "Yes we is". I found the last 2/3rds of the novel poorly written, shallow and boring and predictable. Very disappointing.

Very interesting - we came up with a lot to discuss in regards to this book and our cultural, religious and previous life experiences. It's a very interesting well written easy read ...

I was surprised that this would be a spiritual, life-changing book because generally I don't choose fiction for guidance, but the journey is a Great Discovery for the reader-- discovery about relationships with people and God.

Although I liked "The Shack," I did not feel that it was life changing as was stated by other reviews. I felt like the big picture of this story was really just too repetive. It was really too deep for a book club.

Everyone's God is different - whatever we need it to be. A little out there for me, but inspiring. Hard to read about the dark loss of a child.

I loved this book! It was great for discussion too; however, be prepared to have more time to discuss it. It is deep!

I found the conversations between the trinity and the main character very confusing. I think it tried to seem deep and thought provoking but left me very unsatisfied.

This book left me with the feeling of happiness of after death and a nonfear of the unknown.

This of course is my opinion but I did not care for this book. I find it hard to believe that God would appear to a man who lost his daughter when there is so much going on in the world. I didn't like how it was written and I didn't find it believeable.

The shack although very gripping at first quickly became to wordy and confusing at times. However, The Shack prompted insightful looks into overcoming personal hardships through strength of your faith and love in Christ. Very good book for discusssion. Enjoyed club meeting topics.

The best explanation of the trinity I've eve read. Even though this is just a story, it provokes a very introspective search within to reevaluate your personal beliefs. A hard topic to discuss, so was good that our club is a group of close friends anyway.

Interesting concepts, but it just didn't hold my interest.

As a born and raised Christian, I felt like I really understood who my Lord is and how he is working in my life. After reading this book, I think about him in a much different was and realize that he loves me more than I ever could have imagined.

This was horrible! Nonsensical, poorly written. Come on..if you're looking for a religious book, just read the bible, for Pete's sake!

I made it my nightstand book and read it in two nights. And I really enjoyed it!

When I first heard about this book, I thought it looked like a scary novel. A murder mystery. A horror book. Something along the lines of Stephen King. Umm..no. Definitely no.

This novel packs a lot of punch. The first part is so agonizing. It deals with the family vacation and a daughter's abduction. It's heart wrenching. But the second half is definitely more philosophical and theological. It addresses that hard questions. Those "why do bad things happen to good people?" and "why does God allow it?" and "how does one forgive?".

It's definitely a Christian based book. And it might not appeal to everyone and will be pretty controversial. But for me, well it got to me and it's definitely going to be a re-reader. I am really curious what other people think and it would be a great book club pick. There are some really great points but then there are some that I'm not sure I agree with. So it's a great discussion book. My one complaint is the writing is a bit too simplified for me. I guess that's meant to draw in a wider audience but I kind of like my books to have a bit of meat to them.

Interesting read, inspiring but slow.

A little too "fantasy-land" for me.

This book grabbed me at the bookstore as I was leaving. I turned around and bought it. I started to read it as I left on a 3 1/2 hour plane ride and was crying when I landed as I finished it. I was so moved by this book. Being a church going individual, I was not at all offended by what was discussed. I found it to open my eyes on a bigger scale to encompass all people and all beliefs. I also realized that there were many things I found revealing in reading this.

My favorite part is when Max was asked to choose which one of his children would die. I was so wrapped up in that scene, that when the holy spirit deals him how God feels, I got chills. Amazing. The whole book was an eye opening experience.

I recommend this book for those who wonder where religion fits in their lives. It will make you think about your ideas in a new way. The writer also did a fantastic job of keeping the flow going. I couldn't put the book down.

If you are a spiritual person this is the book for you! I enjoyed it but felt that there were some slow parts in the middle of the book. I would recommend this book because it does provoke great discussion.

If your bookclub is of one mind theologically, perhaps this is a good read. Any discussion would entail a discussion of the belief of a Godhead and other Biblical promoted myths.

Fine, an easy read though slow and preachy. There were some good lessons that readers can take with them if they choose.

We were excited to read The Shack because we had heard such excellent things about it. Our discussion wasn't bad, but mostly centered around our confusion on what exactly about the book drew such rabid followers since none of us saw it. Only about half of club could even finish the book because they were either bored or just fed up with the writing.

I loved this book! I found it to be so imaginative and inspiring. Although it at times diverges from Scripture, I found solace in it's creativity and it's main message that God loves all His children. I struggled with the chapters about the murder, but was uplifted by the book's inspiring message.

For those who are cooped up in their literalness, this would not be the book for you. To me, it was a love/hate relationship. Readers need to understand (and remind themselves) that this is a fable, not a statement of facts.
But to be honest, with the likes of this book, you may find yourself liking Forgiving Ararat by Gita Nazareth or The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold more. These books are equally discussed, heatedly, comparing their underlying messages as well as maturity of their voice.

Most inspiring read! For anyone who has suffered a tremendous sadness this is a must read! A time to heal!

Boring!!! If you're really into spirituality, you'll probably love this. I thought it was tedious and a bit silly. Yes--the daughter's death was tragic, but that's NOT what the book is about. This one is highly overrated. But it's not politically correct to say this. Too bad. I still hated this book.

Whether you like or dislike this book which is based on faith, your book club will have a lot to discuss. There are so many different study guides on the internet we had to select questions and still ended up with 18 questions.
My book club really enjoyed the book but the ladies in the book club believe in a higher power.

Some of us loved this book. One person thought it very poorly written.One person thought it confusing. One person found it boring. One thought it beautiful and insightful. One thought it the kind of book to give to everyone you knew.One thought it interesting, but theologically weak. Another found it challenging and a "book to make you think." All in all, we couldn't agree, but our discussion was interesting to all.

Very thought provoking and eye-opening.

This book had so many great discussion points regardless of your religious beliefs.

All of the members of my book club either liked it or loved it except me. I thought the theology was a bit skewed and I worry that some people will take it as God inspired which it is not. IT'S FICTION, PEOPLE. Good for some lively discussion though!

The Shack was certainly a thought provoking book for our club. I can’t say that anyone said that the book changed their life as some reviewers out there have said, mostly because everyone realized that this was a work of fiction. Many club members felt that the writing was actually quite poor from a literary standpoint.
Below are a few spoilers:
1. There were some definite take-aways that people got from this book; namely, don’t judge people because you don’t know where they came from.
2. Our discussion didn’t really focus that much on the Holy Trinity aspect of the book or the fact that God was a black woman. People seemed to accept these aspects of the book unlike many other discussions groups that I have read about. Many found the conversations with “The Trinity” kind of hokey and forced.
3. We did focus in on whether or not we thought that this actually happened to Mack or if it was more of a near-death experience. In addition we looked at why this experience required Mack to go back to The Shack, the transformation of The Shack and the finding of Missy’s body from a dream sequence being paralleled to The Wizard of Oz, the passage about seeing God in everyday things and where we see little pointers to God in everyday life, and the fact that the majority of people that don’t have religious beliefs or struggle with religious beliefs do so because they can’t touch or see religion. Lastly we had a brief discussion on how Young seemed to be opposed to organized religion.

Overall, this book was much deeper than we thought it would be upon selection, and the majority of the group agreed that they wouldn’t recommend this book to just anyone.

Brillant!!! A MUST read!!!

Excellent Read

I will never be the same after reading this book! Every page had a new revelation. I started writing notes in the margin when I was about 1/3 of the way through, and almost wrote a book myself! If you can keep an open mind while reading it, you will be blessed over and over again in its reading. I most highly recommend this book!

Could not put this book down. Inspring, Life changing found my self right there with the character.

Too hokey. Our book club did not like it.

Just in the middle, it slowed down where I didn't really like it.. the end got better.

I think the following quote on page 208 of The Shack "Responsibilities and expectations are the basis of guilt and shame and judgment,... that promotes performance as the basis for identity and value" imparts one of the messages of this book. If your son does not become the hot shot hockey player you expect of him or you do not become the community leader you aspire to, would it be so bad? Of course, Missy didn't get the chance, but I think we are glad she is happy in her afterlife. I am reminded of one school's slogan: "Our community is rooted in Faith, Hope and Love". (Read Love: trust and respect) "God is Love".

from Donna, Book Readers of Aurora

Sorry but I really didn't enjoy this book. I actually skipped a few pages in the centre which I've never done before. God is a black woman, Jesus is a cool dude-type and the Holy Ghost is a transparent woman. A bit too much for me. The club had mixed thoughts but the majority didn't enjoy it.

For me The Shack has become a MUST READ. I bought a copy of this book and am passing it around. Each time someone reads the book, they add their name to the list and one word to describe it. The Shack is very intense and must be read with an open mind. IF you can read it this way, you will definitely rethink a LOT of what you have grown up learning about God himself and why terrible things can happen to good people. Definitely on my list of books that all people should read.

Everyone who read this was so enamoured by this book. So I had high expectations. I did enjoy the book but wasn't as excited about it as others that read it.

Enjoyed the book. I'm quite liberal in my religious/spiritual views, so the plot and "teachings" were possible for my mindset. I can see how those who have strict religious views might have issues with the plot and "teachings".

A book club choice that led to a lot of discussion. The book itself is relatively short but includes a lot of heavy topics. Peronally, I found myself thinking about this book long after I finished it. I couldn't give it a five-star review as there were things that were a bit too strange for me - but definitely a good book to discuss if you are not afraid of getting into religious debates.

This was a great book! Everyone in our book club came away with a different interpretation of this book. It provided a very interesting discussion and I would highly recommend it to other book clubs.

This book makes you think about your image and relationship with God, and how no matter what you do, God does love you and wants to be part of your life. I need reminding of that!

I didn't particularly enjoy this book although I was told it was fantastic and started out liking it and then it just for me became too hard to fathom. This may make me close minded but I have a different look out on faith so for me it just didn't make sense.

This book helped me view the humanity of Jesus in a new way and beautifully portrayed the relationship between the Father and the Son of God. I felt like I could relate better to Jesus after reading this story, and think of Him not just as my Lord and Savior, but also as my best friend who really does hear my cries for help and cares about everything that happens to me and my family.

I havve recommended this book to many. No matter where you are in life - you will get something out of this book. I have read it a few times and every time I discover something new.

A very insightful story that makes the heart examine not only your personal relationship with God, but the expectations that we place on our personal relationships. A thought provoking book that takes your soul on a journey of unconditional love, forgiveness and compassion.

Excellent book I recommend you read it, you will enjoy it and learned new things of life.

Our book club had a lengthy discussion about this book. There were so many different viewpoints and favorite passages. Would highly recommend to others.

Best book I've read in a long time!

Silly book, silly ideas, might be good for a junior high youth group....

Everyone in the club had to read the book at least twice because the subject matter got pretty deep at times. Everyone in club liked the book and most expressed an interested in re-reading the book.

Such an amazing story about our relationship with God. A very moving and powerful story.

I found the writing boring. I skipped chunks of overwritten description and found Mack's motivation thin. The dialogue was also rather contrived. Skimming is the best way to finish this book if you are in a book group that chose to read this it.

On the positive side, the author can write coherent sentences and the grammar was good.

I can see why many people would enjoy this book. It is very insightful. The author has some interesting ideas about relationships and forgiveness.

The story moves fast. It is not a topic you want to rush through though. It makes you think and can stir up fears and painful thoughts. For those on a spiritual quest, this is the ideal book. It teaches you to live in the moment and helps us understand the reasons why we are here living the life we sometimes do not understand or like.