In 1844, Reverend William Miller returned to his small town of Calvary, NY along the Vermont border. He has spent years studying various religious texts in order to find the date of the upcoming apocalypse.  According to Reverend Miller, that date is only months away on October 22nd. Reverend Miller whips the small town into a frenzy with the news.  A divide forms in Calvary between the believers and non-believers.  However, as a series of events from around the world seems to coincide with the breaking of the seals that Reverend Miller predicted would happen, more people are pulled to his side. Soon words spread of the upcoming apocalypse and people began to flock to Calvary.  One family of Calvary dealing with issues of their own, Henry Smith, decide that Miller's apocalyptic message is not for them and he would rather focus on his farm and his young son's health. However, even after the day in question passes with no changes, Miller's followers dig in harder to his message and decide that the non-believers are to blame and placing the Smith family in imminent danger. 

Clouds Without Water is based on the very real events of "The Great Disappointment" in 1844.  I love learning about history when I'm reading and this is history that is part of my state as well.  Followers of Miller not only went into mass hysteria led by the beliefs of one man, giving up their possessions, closing businesses and selling their land, but continued their beliefs long after creating the Seventh Day Adventists Church.  The story is very compelling to me as it shows how easily people will believe something and how quickly those beliefs can be turned into something dangerous. Reverend Miller's character was charismatic and off putting all at once.   The Smith family represented those who chose not to believe Miller even though they were ostracized by everyone they knew.  I related to Henry's fortitude and distrust of Miller's prophecy and was amazed at his calm as the event unfolded.  I was amazed at the Baptist church's view as a whole whose reasoning still resonates today: "They may be small, but their voices are not." I would have loved to know what happened to the Smith family after the Millerites came for them as well as the feelings of the Millerites as time passed with no prophecy fulfilled. 

This book was received for free in return for an honest review.

3.5 stars

It's the mid-19th century and Calvary, New York is a farming town with God-fearing residents who attend a Baptist chapel called Calvary Church every Sunday. The church was founded by Reverend Samuel Miller, whose designated successor is his son William.

William leaves Calvary to attend the seminary, and - after the death of Reverend Samuel - the church is temporarily led by Brother Thomas Aleman. Meanwhile, William studies the scriptures for two decades, then returns to Calvary in 1844 to take his rightful place as head of the congregation.

Brother William's biblical studies convince him the End-of-Days is imminent. He preaches that every moment leading up to the End-of-Days is captured in the scriptures, and the Second Coming of Jesus will be preceded by horrors and havoc. The pastor goes on to say he's calculated the exact date of the Second Coming, which will occur in six months.....on October 22, 1844. This gives Calvary citizens a mere half-year to prepare their souls for salvation.

Some residents of Calvary subscribe to Brother William's proselytizing, while others are skeptical. Doubters include Pastor Thomas Aleman - who clandestinely tries to get the Baptist Convention to censure Brother William; Henry Smith - a widowed farmer raising three children, one of whom has severe breathing problems; and Helen Chandler - the oldest woman in Calvary and a descendant of the town's founding familes. In fact Helen declares to the congregation that Brother William is a charlatan.

Brother William's advocates feel vindicated when 'calamities' start to descend on Calvary. First, non-believer Helen and her daughter are walking down the street when lightning strikes Helen and she's killed, her flesh burned away. Champions of Brother William believe this is a sign from God. The believers' feelings are reinforced when a torrent of locusts sweeps across Calvary, devouring all the grain fit for human consumption. This leaves many residents impoverished and struggling to feed their familes.

As time passes, Brother William attracts more and more followers, especially after Josiah Young - owner and editor of a struggling newspaper called the Calvary Crier - devotes his paper to the Second Coming; and the schoolmarm Mrs. Edwards begins to exclusively teach Brother Williams sermons.

The pastor's followers develop a cult mentality. Many start dressing in long white robes with hoods that shroud their faces. They also give up their usual activities to pray at church all day, hoping God will deem them worthy of saving.

Followers of Brother William are absolutely convinced about their beliefs, and NOTHING will dissuade them. Believers will say and do anything to prove they're right, and the situation in Calvary grows dark.

The author seems to be very familiar with the scriptures, and the novel contains MANY pages of sermons and biblical chatter. This gets tedious and slows down the story.

Still this is an interesting novel, well worth reading, especially in the current climate, where huge lies are disseminated as truth.

Thanks to Netgalley and Garry Harper for a copy of the book.

Based on a true story, this novel dives into a religious group in the 1800s whose leader convinces everyone the end is near. This writing style was not for me. I was really intrigued by this story, but I found it hard to connect with the story.

I had not been aware of the Millerite Movement before, but this novel explains this historical happening well. Believing Jesus Christ will return at sundown, October 12, 1944, the whole town of Calvary prepares for his arrival. Standing against Reverend William Miller is farmer, Henry Smith, wanting to protect his family from the mass hysteria of his town. Engrossing and informative, this is well written and worth the read.

Before coming across “Clouds Without Water,” I actually had some general preexisting familiarity with William Miller’s prediction of the imminent second coming, the movement that spawned, and the Great Disappointment. However, that was all based on various nonfiction texts - never before have I encountered any kind of fiction work that attempted to tackle this curious moment in the religious history of the United States. I greatly enjoyed the ability to be transported right into the heart of it all for a few hundred pages, and to get what seemed to be a realistic feel for what it must have been like for those who were fanatically swept up in it all, and for those lonely souls who found themselves isolated and confused out on the fringes. I’ll also admit that in a current age where millions seem to live their daily lives in alternative realities that I cannot grasp for the life of myself, “Clouds Without Water” provided a surprising, and at times slightly uncomfortable. amount of relevance.

I found this to be worth the read - in regards to historical fiction, it’s quite the appreciated change of pace.

This was a really well done historical novel, I enjoyed the time-period that was used in this fiction book. It was what I was hoping for and enjoyed learning about this historical time-period. The characters worked so well in the time-period and I was glad to get to know them. Garry Harper has a great writing style and he has a wonderful way of introducing characters.

“Before we move on to a very special ceremony today, I’d like to leave you with a passage from the Book of Revelation, to serve as a warning of what we shall expect when the day of reckoning comes and as a reminder of the graveness of our call,” William continued, as he recited from memory."