Book Review: The Doctor's Lady by Jody Hedlund

Book Description:

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.

My thoughts:
I really enjoyed Jody Hedlund's The Preacher's Bride and was excited to see her new book, The Doctor's Lady. This story was inspired by the story of Narcissa Whitman, one of the first white women to cross the Continental Divide, who with her husband Marcus traveled to the Oregon Territory to be missionaries to the Indians. I was immediatly drawn into the lives of Pricilla White and Dr. Eli Ernest, who agree to marry so they can meet the requirements of the mission board. Thus begins their story as they start on their harrowing journey to the Oregon Territory. Filled with adventures, setbacks, and heartaches, I enjoyed seeing them realize there was more to their partnership than just a marriage "in name only." An excellent piece of historical fiction that I highly recommend!

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