No Shame, No Fear

By Reviewer Greta Marlow

Title: No Shame, No Fear
Author: Ann Turnbull
Primary Audience/age group: Upper Young adult
Genre: historical fiction
# Of pages: 293
Year of Release: 2003
Part of a Series? Yes, 1 of 2
Rating: 3 (View Scale)
Recommend? Yes

Description: (from book jacket) “It is 1662 and England is reeling from the aftereffects of civil war, with its clashes of faith and culture. After completing his studies, seventeen-year-old Will returns home to begin an apprenticeship arranged by his wealthy father. Susanna, a young Quaker girl, leaves her family to become a servant in the same town. Will and Susanna meet and fall in love, but can their bond survive – no matter what? Theirs is a story that speaks across the centuries, telling of love and the fight to stay true to what is most important, in spite of parents, society, and even the law. Ann Turnbull has written a gripping historical novel that captures all the passion and idealism of young love.”

Review: I enjoyed the book. It had a nice balance between the historical elements and the love story. The main characters grew over the course of the book, and in the end made a mature decision that, while it was something of a surprise, was the right one.

Positive: Both Susanna and Will show respect for adults, even when they disagree with the adults (Will less so than Susanna, since he and his father have a strong disagreement over Will’s decision to become a Quaker). Susanna, in particular, shows courage and faithfulness in the face of religious persecution.

Spiritual Elements: A major plot of the book deals with Will’s search for truth in religion, which leads him to reject his family’s church and become a Quaker. Another major plot deals with the persecution the Quakers faced in 1660s England, and Susanna’s fears that she will not be brave enough or strong enough in her faith to face the persecution. There is a lot of emphasis on the power of prayer.

Violence: The book describes the terrible conditions the Quakers face in prison; Susanna suffers ridicule and abuse while locked in the stocks. Will’s father beats him to try to gain Will’s obedience.

Language: Some use of “whore” – otherwise, not much of an issue.

Sexual Content: Will and Susanna are strongly attracted to each other, and the book does a good job of capturing the intensity of infatuation. There is quite a bit of touching and kissing, but always with the awareness that they must not do more until after marriage. They actually plan to run away and marry (spoiler alert!!) but in the end decide it is not right to deceive their friends and family. There is also a brief scene in which Susanna views a naked man as she is caring for his illness.

Other: Beer and ale are the major drinks (historical fact because of poor water quality)

Rating: Although some parents might not be comfortable with the sexual tension between Susanna and Will, I would give the book a 3 because that tension is set within a moral context.

Recommendation: The book is appropriate for older teens. I would recommend it to counterbalance the media’s message that sex is the most important thing in life; in this book, the sexual attraction is always treated in the context of moral and economic concerns.

Reviewer Greta Marlow is a speech teacher at a small, church-related college. She and her husband have been married 18 years and have two pre-teen children, a boy and a girl. She had a passion for children's literature, especially historical fiction for children.