The Doctor's Lady - Pure Delight

9-18-11 Update - After re-evaluating some of my reviews, I wouldn't change a thing on this one! It is an amazing book!

View the trailer for this book - short, and very well-done! 

The Doctor's Lady by Jody Hedlund, isn't quite a PURE delight, despite my title. It also proved insightful,

moving, challenging, and overwhelming at times, but it gave me nothing but pleasure throughout my weekend.

Briefly, the story entails the treacherous journey of Dr. Eli Ernest and his new wife, in name only, Priscilla White. 

Priscilla bears the painful knowledge that she’ll never be able to be a mother. Having felt God’s call to missionary work, she determines to remain single, put her pain behind her, and answer God’s call.  

Eli wants to start a medical clinic and mission in unsettled Oregon Country. He’s not interested in taking a wife because of the dangers of life in the west and the fact that no white woman has ever attempted the overland crossing.

But then Priscilla and Eli both receive news from the mission board: No longer will they send unmarried men and women into the field. Left scrambling for options, the two realize the other might be the answer to their needs.

Priscilla and Eli agree to a partnership, a marriage in name only that will allow them to follow God’s leading into the mission field. But as they journey west, this decision will be tested by the hardships of the trip and by the unexpected turnings of their hearts.

Jody's insight showed throughout her descriptions of the travels. Particular landmarks and details peppered her narrative. Along with those, widely held beliefs from the era were discussed by the characters. Common prejudices of the times were displayed about American Indians, women, and non-Christians in general. As a proper lady from a wealthy family of the Northeast, it's not surprising that Priscilla had many of these beliefs and had trouble dispelling them.

The hardships that Priscilla endured on her 2,700 mile trip across the continent were amazing, though written in such a way as to be entirely believable.  Through it all, she determined to keep her propriety, while proving her strength and ability to work successfully in the mission field. I was drawn into the story, but held my tears, well, most of the time.

Priscilla's attitude proved most challenging to me. She had a deep conviction for missions and a willingness to give up her very life for the Gospel she wanted to share with the Nez Perce Indians of the Northwest. As the highly educated daughter of a wealthy man, her environment went from pampered luxury to the barest of necessities. Her clothing changed from silks and lace to tattered rags, and her own appearance spiraled from creamy manicured perfection to sunburned, sweaty filth. The trip gave her more than just discomfort, her virtue, her health, and her very life were threatened many times. I'm sure I could never go through what she did.

But then God gives us the strength and virtues we need WHEN we need them, not beforehand and not later. He certainly did that for Priscilla and when she reached her black moment I was right there with her. The questions she had and her own personal journey have been my own before and will likely be again.

I know it sounds like I'm gushing, but I can't say enough about this story. It was tightly written, with characters that went beyond believable. Priscilla White and Eli Ernest had detailed personalities, complete with flaws, and the chemistry between them was positively palpable.

I must say, though, that although my tears can usually be brought out by a good McDonald's commercial, I didn't cry through this - for which I'm grateful! I was worried when I saw hints at a poll to mark the page people started crying on. Yikes! I knew I was a goner. Yet, it wasn't until Priscilla's black moment, on page 332, that I actually had to put the book down and wipe my eyes. I think it was somewhere around the quote, "Fortunately, perfection is not one of God's requirements."

Yep, that got me. But you would need to keep it in context to get the full picture. So you'll need to read the book for yourself!

You will not be disappointed regardless of the genre you normally like. (I'm a mystery/suspense-lover!) And if you're a romance or historical reader, don't hesitate! Find it at Christian Book Distributers HERE and Barnes and Noble HERE and Amazon HERE.

And don't miss your opportunity to get this fabulous novel for FREE! All you have to do is add your name to one of my following lists! I'll put all of my followers in the hat before I draw. Make sure you're in there, too! The drawing will take place on September 27. Make sure the email address attached to your name is correct.

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Don't forget to stop back by tomorrow for my interview with Jody Hedlund.