What Is annchamberlin.com?
Updated
annchamberlin.com is the personal author site for Ann Chamberlin, a historical novelist and family historian. Based on the site's homepage content, it serves as a showcase for her books, awards, and critical praise rather than a storefront, blog, or service platform. If you're looking for information about her published work — particularly The Merlin of St. Gilles' Well and Clogs and Shawls — this is the place to find it.
What the Site Covers
The homepage is built around Chamberlin's published books and the recognition they've received. Two titles are featured prominently:
- The Merlin of St. Gilles' Well — described on the page with a strong endorsement from Diana Gabaldon, author of the Outlander series, who calls it "the best book I've read in months and months" and praises its premise and world-building.
- Clogs and Shawls — a family memoir and oral history drawn from Chamberlin's interviews with her grandmother and six surviving great-aunts, who emigrated to Mormon Zion.
The page also lists awards and reviews for Clogs and Shawls, which gives a sense of how the site positions her work.
Awards and Recognition Listed
The site names two specific honors for Clogs and Shawls:
| Award | Details |
|---|---|
| Association of Mormon Letters — Best Audiobook 2020 | Narrated by Jacqueline de Boer |
| Mormon History Association — Best Personal History/Memoir Award | — |
A review excerpt is also included, from author Kerry William Bate, who praises Chamberlin's ability to bring social history and family members to life.
What Clogs and Shawls Is About
According to the site, the book follows eight daughters of Mary Jane Jones and Ralph Robinson Whitaker — a gifted but poor and blind piano tuner — growing up in Bradford, Yorkshire, in the early 20th century. Key details from the page:
- Most of the girls left school at age twelve to work in a local factory under harsh conditions.
- Their mother converted to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1901 and became a leader in the Yorkshire Mormon community.
- The daughters followed her into the faith and eventually many prospered in Salt Lake City.
- Chamberlin weaves novelistic passages with first-person narratives to create what the page calls "a singular work of oral immigrant family history."
What the Site Does Not Appear to Offer
Based on the homepage content, there is no indication of:
- A shop or direct purchase links
- Pricing information
- A blog, newsletter signup, or contact form
- Any claim to be an official publisher or institutional site
If you want to buy her books or read extended excerpts, you would likely need to look elsewhere — the site itself functions primarily as an informational author page.
Who This Site Is For
This site is useful if you:
- Want to learn what Ann Chamberlin has written
- Are checking awards or reviews before deciding to read her work
- Are researching Mormon immigrant family history and want a starting point
It is not a resource for purchasing books, contacting the author directly, or accessing unpublished material, at least not based on what the homepage shows.