Description:

Priscilla White and Dr. Eli Ernest both feel God’s call to missionary work. So when they learn that their board will no longer send single men and women into the field, the two agree to an in-name-only marriage. Will their minds—and hearts—be tested and changed by the hardships of the journey west?

My Review:

Oh, where do I even begin? I loved author Jody Hedlund’s first book, The Preacher’s Bride. So I had especially high hopes for The Doctor’s Lady. And I mean, really high hopes.

Did Hedlund disappoint? Not even for a single page.

Full of carefully detailed settings, heart-wrenching romance and gut-twisting drama, The Doctor’s Lady will keep you pouring over each page and wishing for more at the end.

Throughout the tale, I’d known that Hedlund had based this story on the lives of Marcus and Narcissa Whitman, missionaries who had made the dangerous trek out west and set up a mission in Walla Walla. Having lived in Washington and Oregon my whole life, I know a thing or two about the Whitmans. I even worked for several summers at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, which is one of the West’s most important outposts for those who survived the tough voyage to Oregon Territory. Heck, I grew up playing the Oregon Trail game on the computer.

But nothing I’d ever learned or read before affected me the same as The Doctor’s Lady. The toils of the journey and the doubts these women had to face. The unshakable faith that was rattled a time or two. Hedlund brings this all to life and more. The hero is realistic, gritty and so beautifully broken. The heroine is both strong and not without her faults. These were the people who tamed the west and paved the way for thousands of settlers to follow.

Read. Enjoy. Perhaps cry. Share it with a friend. 🙂

And visit Jody Hedlund’s website for more information about a really stellar contest she is hosting: http://jodyhedlund.com/contest/

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this novel in hopes that I would read it and maybe pass around the word, should I enjoy it. I hope you can see, I more than enjoyed it. 

BONUS! Here is me with the book at Fort Vancouver (mentioned in the novel) —