Bertie's husband has died from complications of Parkinson's Disease and while at the funeral her house burns to the ground. She hasn't seen her son for months. Life as she knew it is gone. What is her future?
Bertie returns to the visions she had as a youth. She leaves an affluent life and chooses to live in a gardener's shed on her property in the hills. As she struggles with her relationship with God and attempts to find her son, her good friend and various neighbors come alongside to help her find her way. While Bertie is being helped, she also helps others, befriending a pregnant witch, seeing her through her pregnancy.
There are lots of thought provoking ideas in this book. Just what does it mean to be a successful Christian? Is money important? Is one's relationship to the Father worth giving all the money away? How does one finally come to that point of feeling deeply loved by God?
The Reader's Guide at the end will help those who read this book in their reading group. Be prepared to come to grips with a type of Christianity that is a little different. Bertie never goes to church during the course of the novel, although she was active in church earlier. She learns her deepest spiritual lessons from a homeless person, a former theological professor. And she never shares the "gospel" with the witch although they do have some interesting spiritual discussions.
Every once and a while a novel crosses my path that really makes me think and inspires me. This was just such a novel. It will make you think as well. It is a "Good Read Guaranteed" from David C. Cook (you get a free book if you don't like it.) So give it a try.
1 comment:
Thank you, Joan, for your kind review. I'm delighted you found St. Bertie thought-provoking and inspiring. It's a good thing to hear from someone who has been in the book business as long as you have.
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