Readers Learn About Forgiveness, Courage from ‘The Pilgrim’
Today I’m featuring reader reviews of The Pilgrim from Dennis Brooke and Mary Esque.
The Fragment, a follow-up book to The Pilgrim, releases February 19, 2016. While both novels are stand-alone books, the themes are loosely tied together. You might consider getting both of them as a gift for someone who loves historical fiction.
Dennis Brooke, on Goodreads:
For three centuries Roman emperors did their best to crush the movement started by the disciples of a Jewish preacher they had executed as a common criminal. In The Pilgrim Davis Bunn tells the tale of the woman and her son who made that movement the official religion of the Roman Empire.
Bunn uses historical fact, legend, and masterful storytelling to weave a story about Helena, the spurned wife of one Roman Emperor and the mother of a future one, and her quest to find the cross upon which Jesus was crucified. Through this story and her example, I also learned something about forgiveness—and my personal journey.
Davis’ research and master of the craft made me feel like I was witnessing the early days of the church and a turning point in its history. I’ve done research on this place and era for my own book and Davis’ descriptions are spot on.
You might read The Pilgrim for the great tale, the characters, and what you learn about this important time in history. You’ll remember it for what it teaches you about yourself.
Mary Esque, on Goodreads
The Pilgrim is another fine example of the masterful storytelling we have come to know and love from Davis Bunn. Rich in detail and rooted in historical fact, Bunn weaves a lovely, engaging tale about an era of church history that is not very well known. It is a powerful story about faith and forgiveness, one that I found personally challenging.
In a world of faithlessness, it takes a lot of courage for Helena to step and go on the pilgrimage that she embarked upon. It took even more courage to continue on that journey in spite of all the obstacles that she faced. I found myself asking would I have persevered in such a daunting task if I had faced the same challenges.
As I considered the answer to that question, I realized how very similar our world is to Helena’s world. Both are full of faithlessness and have powerful opponents who would seek to destroy believers or at the very least silence them. I was reminded and encouraged that God is still at work and He prevails despite any and all opposition. His plans and purposes will not be thwarted. Helena reminds me that God delights in doing the most impossible of miracles in the hearts of those who would truly seek him. That is why I love this book.
