Saturday, October 23, 2010

The Preacher's Bride

I recently finished THE PREACHER'S BRIDE by Jody Hedlund, and felt like I'd said farewell to a good friend. The story still lingers in my mind.

From the back cover:

No matter the sacrifice,
Elizabeth Whitbread would serve a wounded family.
No matter the danger,
John Costin was determined to speak God's word.
Neither expected to fall in love.
As enemies threaten to silence Costin--and those close to him--will following their hearts cost John and Elizabeth everything?

I was fascinated to read the following in the author's note:

"The Preacher's Bride is inspired by the real-life story of one of history's greatest heroes of the faith, John Bunyan, writer of the classic Pilgrim's Progress. While history gives due laud to John, it fails to recognize the woman who stood by his side and helped shape him into the hero we all know and love."

Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres, and I loved this book. It was beautifully written and meticulously researched. I felt like I was in that time and place, living in a land where there was no such thing as religious freedom.

Reviews for The Preacher's Bride can be viewed here. Have you read this book yet? What's your opinion?

Be sure to visit Jody's amazing blog where she offers equal doses of encouragement, writing tips, and reality.

photo credit: Amazon

33 comments:

  1. my mother in law was reading this book recently, and she said it was awesome... I'll have to add it to the pile! :D

    I'll run over and check out her blog. Thanks, Julie~

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  2. It indeed sounds a wonderful story. Thanks for bringing it to our attention, Julie.

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  3. Thank you for your wonderful review, Julie!! I love hearing that the story still lingers! That's a delightful compliment! :-)

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  4. ah, yes, people who stand by someone's side often aren't rewarded for their love and support :(

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  5. What a fantastic review, and I am going to read this book!! I am a preacher's daughter, so of course the title has always appealed to me.

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  6. I've been hearing good things about it but haven't read it yet. Thanks for the great review, Julie!

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  7. Sounds like a good read :O)

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  8. I'm reading Jody's book right now. I love it! Makes me very happy that I didn't live during that time.

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  9. I've followed Jody's blog for a while, and have heard many good things about this! Can't wait to read it.

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  10. I read the first chapter from Jody's site, and now I can't wait to get my hands on it! Glad to know you read it and liked it.

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  11. Sounds like a great book. Thanks for the review.

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  12. It's always great to hear about a historical ficiton being well researched. And it's also great to hear such a lovely blogger has written such a terrific book!

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  13. I haven't been able to read it yet but I do love everything I've heard about it so far. It is so sad that someones the people who stood by the "achiever's" side are hardly recognized :(

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  14. Sorry, I meant "it is so sad that someTIMES"...clearly losing my mind

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  15. Julie, like you I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Preacher's Bride. I blasted through it in two sittings, staying up until 1:30 a.m. to finish it because it was that good. =)

    I agree that Jody did a great job transporting the reader to the time with her well-researched historical detail and period language. I loved the characters and the way the story moved right along.

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  16. I keep thinking about this book because it is historical Christian romance. It would be good for me to add another author to my adult reading list for a total of two. (I usually just read picture books.) Then I'd be reading Lori Wick AND Jody Hedlund. Gotta go buy it!

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  17. I think I have to read this now. Thanks for the review, Julie.

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  18. I must get my hands on the book, Julie. Everyone is raving about it.

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  19. I haven't read this book yet, and I don't usually read historical fiction, but it sounds good!

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  20. Would love to read it, but need to find the time...

    Hey Julie, if there's anyway you could find some time to spare for a friend would you mind spreading the word about the Magicians series blog? I'd be forever grateful and you have a large audience on here, so I think you mentioning it would help:) Thanks hon<3333
    --Lindsey

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  21. Thanks so much for passing along your ideas about this book. Jody is so generous with the writing community and we adore her. The research piece sounds amazing because it seems like you were immersed in another time and place. Thanks so much, Julie!

    Marissa :)

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  22. I know! I've been looking to read it asap. Thanks for the great review! BTW I've added you to my NaNo buddy list.

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  23. Sounds interesting. I'll check it out.

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  24. And I have an award for you at my blog today!

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  25. It's fantastic to hear such wonderful reviews of this book! I'm so excited for Jody and I can't wait to read this myself!

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  26. This is one of those books, like Water for Elephants, I have seen everywhere, heard great things about, and keep meaning to pick up : ) Thanks for the review

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  27. I read this book, and absolutely loved it. I don't normally seek out historical fiction, but this one, and a few others I've enjoyed have piqued my interest in the genre.

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  28. I've been following Jody's blog for a while, and am very interested in picking this book up. I'm glad to hear that it was a great read for you!

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  29. It looks wonderful!! Great review. Oh no, not another book to read!! I'm drowning. But it's fun.

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  30. That sounds like a fascinating story. How cool that it was inspired by John Bunyan's life!

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  31. I won a copy of The Preacher's Bride and a few minutes after it arrived in the mail my wife started reading it. She is loving it!

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  32. This sounds fantastic! Thanks for your wonderful review; I'll have to check this one out!

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