The Visionist A Novel [Paperback]

An enthralling first novel about a teenage girl who finds refuge--but perhaps not--in an 1840s Shaker community.

After 15-year-old Polly Kimball sets fire to the family farm, killing her abusive father, she and her young brother find shelter in a Massachusetts Shaker community called the City of Hope. It is the Era of Manifestations, when young girls in Shaker enclaves all across the Northeast are experiencing extraordinary mystical visions, earning them the honorific of Visionist and bringing renown to their settlements.

The City of Hope has not yet been blessed with a Visionist, but that changes when Polly arrives and is unexpectedly exalted. As she struggles to keep her dark secrets concealed in the face of increasing scrutiny, Polly finds herself in a life-changing friendship with a young Shaker sister named Charity, a girl who will stake everything-even her faith-on Polly's honesty and purity.Rachel Urquhart makes her debut as a novelist with THE VISIONIST. She is the author of three Chic Simple lifestyle books. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two sons.PRAISE FORTHE VISIONIST:

Gripping, profound, and beautifully written,The Visionisttakes us to a world where faith and fear exist simultaneously and safety has a price. A remarkable exploration of love in all its forms with complex characters who linger far beyond the final pages. Brunonia Barry, author of THE LACE READER The Visionistis both a haunting, beautifully imagined tale of lives devastated by cruelty and transformed by love, and a gorgeously evocative portrait of an 1840s Shaker settlement that is as startling as it is convincing. Cathy Buchanan, author of THE PAINTED GIRLS Rachel Urquhart's transporting debutThe Visionistlifts the veil on the intriguing, mystical past world of the Massachusetts Shakers. Equal parts exquisite historical coming-of-age story and harrowing crime procedural,The l“I