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I am a recently retired high school educator who is learning to spend time doing what I want to do. This is a new challenge in its own sense. It's like walking into a buffet and knowing you can eat all you want and not get full or gain any weight and for once you have absolutely no idea what you want. But I look forward to the journey of figuring it out.

Monday, September 7, 2015

Luther and Katharina: A Novel of Love and Rebellion

     As a born and raised Lutheran, I grew up learning about the history and love story of Martin Luther and his wife, Katharina von Bora.  Therefore, I had high expectations for Jody Hedlund's new book, Luther and Katharina. I am thrilled to say that I was not disappointed.
      Luther and Katharina is a charming and poignant love story of a man driven by his goals to reform the Catholic church, and defying all odds not only does God's will, but in the process finds the love of his life in the form of a runaway nun, Katharina von Bora. 
     Upon orchestrating an escape with fellow nuns from the Marienthron Abbey, Katharina goes to Martin Luther at the Black Cloister for assistance.  Luther's letters exalting scandalous reforms of the church have inspired the nuns to abandon their home and their vows and pursue an earthly life seeking marriage and family.  The journey to the Black Cloister is rife with dangers that follow the nuns into their new lives. In time all the nuns are married to suitable husbands, all at least but one, the strong-minded Katharina von Bora.
      Luther is hunted by church and nobility and stricken with poor health and melancholy, yet he never waivers in his convictions. Katharina has left her life at the abbey behind her, but has a difficult time leaving the rituals and ideals of the church behind as well. This causes a continual strife between Martin and Katharina, however the more their tempers flare, the more their desires ignite. In the end God's will for Martin, Katharina, and his church prevails.
     The culmination of plot and intrigue makes Hedlund's book a delightful page turner.  I knew the story of the historical pair, yet spent the time reading Hedlund's book nervous and rooting for  the two to unite.  Every fight, every danger had me gulping down more pages to ensure that they would finally find common ground and acknowledge their love and commitment to each other.  
      Hedlund has created a literary treasure. In addition to the entertaining writing, Hedlund includes a reader's guide and a list of characters in her book, to aid the reader.
      I would recommend Hedlund's book, Martin and Katharina, to any reader who enjoys a good historical fiction with truly more fact than just fiction in the story. 
FTC disclaimer: I received this book for free from Blogging for Books for this review





     

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