“We must protect the children”
The Preacher’s Bride is an engaging, skillful narrative. The intriguing cover drew me in, and as I read I was immediately transported and immersed in the day to day lives of the Puritans of 17th century England. Some reviewers have erroneously hinted that The Preacher’s Bride takes place in America in Amish country.
Set in the framework of the rancor between English Royalists and the Puritans, the book’s message is that enduring faith, children and family trump persecution. I was unable to put the book down until I learned the fates of John Costin, a tinker “called to mend souls not just kettles,” and his housekeeper.
Elizabeth Whitbread, the heroine of this refreshing Christian historical romance, is a compassionate, persistent and perceptive young woman bent on protecting and nurturing the children of the recent widower. “My conscience before God will not allow me to stand idly by,” says Elizabeth.
Elizabeth Whitbread, the heroine of this refreshing Christian historical romance, is a compassionate, persistent and perceptive young woman bent on protecting and nurturing the children of the recent widower. “My conscience before God will not allow me to stand idly by,” says Elizabeth.
Author Jody Hedlund is particularly adept with dialogue and has the gift of swiftly moving her plot along. Her personal experience as a mother of five has evidently enabled her to delve easily into the fanciful, innocent world of children. Her young characters literally jumped off the page into my heart. Particularly impressive is the characterization of Mary, the blind eight-year-old, whose sixth sense is clairvoyant and prophetic.
The Preacher’s Bride is a page-turning tale that will keep you engaged. Kudos for enthralling storytelling about the wife of John Bunyan. Highly recommended Christian Historical Fiction and not restricted to Christian audiences.
©2010 Holly Weiss, author of Crestmont
Share |
**Janalyn Voigt is an Amazon affiliate and benefits when books are purchased through links from Book Readers Central.
**Janalyn Voigt is an Amazon affiliate and benefits when books are purchased through links from Book Readers Central.
What a well-written review, Holly, one that does a great job pointing out the many strengths in Jody's writing as well as her strong storytelling ability. Like you, I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Preacher's Bride. I've been privileged to read her second book, The Doctor's Lady in manuscript form and know her readers are in for another treat when it releases next year.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Keli. I can't wait to read Jody's second book.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Holly, for all of your lovely reviews on my book! You've been a wonderful supporter! And I can't thank you enough! :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by and for commenting, everyone. Holly's done a great job with her review. It gives a sense of what the book is like without revealing more than it should. "The Preacher's Bride" is definitely on my "to-read" list.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, Jody. To all commenters - I'm curious as to what you all prefer in a book review. Do you like a "synopsis" or prefer something less spoiler related?
ReplyDeleteHolly, rather than read review that is nothing more than a retelling of the story line, which I can get from the publisher's back cover copy, I like to hear the reader-reviewer's impressions of the book. What was it about the story that worked well? What are the author's strengths? Why would the reviewer recommend it to others? I liked your use of quotations, which allowed us to get a feel for Jody's Voice. This was one of the best reviews I've read.
ReplyDeleteKeli, I agree with you. It seems that many of the paid 'review services' recap the plot so much so that I skip reading the rest of the review.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the compliment!
Great review, sounds like a great read. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThis looks like a great book, thanks for the review! A historical fiction book I'd like to recommend and one that I could not put down was a Peter Hoffmann novel called Carnal Weapon. It's set in the Eisenhower-era and meshes espionage with romance and suspense...one of my favorites of 2010.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the recommendation, Clark! Thanks for the comments.
ReplyDeleteSince I assume others read reviews of books to decide if they want to read them, I try not to give away major plot points in my reviews. That can be a bit dicey, since you do have to talk about the book. :o)