Historical Romance from the Author of The Preacher’s Bride
Priscilla White knows she’ll never be a wife or mother and feels God’s call to the mission field in India. Dr. Eli Ernest is back from Oregon Country only long enough to raise awareness of missions to the natives before heading out West once more. 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.
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Sexual Content - 1/5
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Violence - 2/5
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Language - /5
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Drugs and Alcohol - 1/5
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Summary
The Doctor's Lady is based on the true story of Marcus and Narcissa Whitman and their historic journey to the West. Though some of the storyline comes from the imagination of author Jody Hedlund, she based parts of the novel's plot on Narcissa Whitman's journals. She did a masterful job of meshing fact and fiction so that it blends into a captivating read. While the novel is based on the Whitmans, Ms. Hedlund changed the names of the main characters to Priscilla White Ernest and Eli Ernest. The story begins with the understanding that both wish to serve the Lord in the mission field, but both have been hindered in their desire because of a ruling by the mission board requiring their missionaries to be married before being assigned a mission station. Thus Priscilla and Eli's marriage begins as a \"business arrangement\". The author does a superior job of developing her characters; by the end of the novel they are completely different people. Narcissa Whitman and her fellow female traveler were the first women to cross the Continental Divide--no one thought they could survive the deprivation and rigors of the trip. It is clear from the story that the journey was dangerous and full of heartache. But none of them gave up, and they arrived where they were meant to be by the grace of God. I almost found myself praying for them to get where they needed to be before winter settled in. This is a wonderful story of a piece of American history.