Rating: 4.5 of 5
Genre: Christian Fiction
I found this book listed as a limited time free kindle book on Gospel ebooks website. (Thank you Lori for telling me about this free book resource.) I haven't read much Christian Historical Fiction, so I was excited to find this book.
The Messenger by Siri Mitchell is set during the American Revolutionary War. Jeremiah and Hannah are the main characters. Jeremiah was injured in a previous war and was unable to enlist in George Washington's army. Though he serves the Red Coats in his tavern, he is loyal to the Patriots. Hannah is a Quaker girl who was instructed by her Meeting to stay away from all aspects of the war and not to voice any political opinion at all.
This is my first read by Siri Mitchell and I think she chose an interesting way to write the book. She wrote the book from the viewpoint of two different characters and she used different language. The use of "thee" instead of other pronouns was a little tough to read in the beginning. I must admit, I put the book down for a few days because it started out slow and was a little difficult to read. BUT I really came to appreciate how Siri had very cleverly used older English in this book to bring on the feeling of a different era. I really like the way Siri had the separate characters flow together as she weaved the tale of living life in danger during the American Revolution.
There wasn't too much "Christianity" in this book besides Hannah's struggle with lying and a few bible passages that weren't actually quoted from the Bible.
There were a few times I didn't agree with the wording because I felt that the author went back to today's English, but overall I was impressed by Siri's story telling skills. In the end, I gave this book 4.5 stars because while it did have some stumbling blocks in the beginning, once I started about the third chapter, I couldn't put the book down.
Good review!!
ReplyDeleteI also reviewed this book and really enjoyed it. Hugs and have a great weekend!!! :O)
ReplyDeleteHave you ever read The Red Tent? Talk about a "good read" :) When I read it I had to stop and go read the passage about Dinah. Then once I started I had to go read some other parts. Finally, I just put down The Red Tent and went and read the whole story of Esau & Jacob through the story of Joseph. Then, with a bookmark in the bible where the story of Jacob and his sons begins, I went back to the Red Tent. Gotta love a book that makes you study the bible while you read. I need to re-read that book, I was so sad to see it end.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.amazon.com/The-Red-Tent-A-Novel/dp/0312427298/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1340030549&sr=1-1&keywords=red+tent+anita+diamant