First Lines...

"It is not uncommon, when one is young, to think that life is simple. In my case, I reasoned it would require little besides discipline and effort. If I labored well, worshipped, confessed, and shunned all carnal desire, my soul would find sure and brilliant its path to Zion. And if I held faith as the brightest star in my firmament - and thus the easiest by which to chart my course- the universe would fall into order. Order, after all, means everything to a Shaker, and a Shaker is what I am. 

But if we are to be sincere, then we know that we are not made for perfection..."

The Visionist by Rachel Urquhart coming Jan. 2014 from Little Brown & Co.