The Bond Of Sisters
My Sister’s Prayer by Mindy Starns Clark and Leslie Gould is both a contemporary and historical Christian romance. It is the second book in the Cousins Of The Dove series but can be read as a stand-alone. I had not read the first book and I had no trouble following the story.
My Sister’s Prayer – Wow! It’s an epic novel as it journeys from late seventeenth century to present day. The main setting for both is similar. Both stories are intertwined and the lives run parallel of sisters Maddee and Nicole, and Celeste and Berta. Both face similar challenges and dilemmas in their relationships with each other.
The story alternated between the two time periods. The seventeenth century action was told from the point of view of Celeste and in the third person. Present day it was told in the first person from the viewpoint of Maddee. It wasn’t confusing as the chapters were all headed with their names.
Several centuries apart but both had similar problems – a headstrong younger sister and a more sensible, well grounded and selfless older sister. However inspite of their differences there was much love between the sisters. No matter how the younger sisters behaved, the older one would look after her and protect her at all costs.
The novel deals with the subject of prayer. Celeste and Berta were French Huguenots. Maddee and Nicole both go to church. Prayer is communicating with God. At times it is hard to know what to say. “All she could manage was, Lord please help me.” God knows our hearts even when we have no words to say. “…But no prayer came.”
Linked inextricably with prayer is grace. There are times when one feels far from God. “She didn’t feel she had the right to ask for anything after what she’d done.” Grace is about receiving what we do not deserve. Grace is freely given. We do not have to work for it and we do not have to be ‘good enough’. We just have to receive it.
There are the twin themes of guilt and forgiveness. “She would feel guilty about that forever.” The reader is reminded that there is no condemnation in Jesus. We do not need to feel guilty. We do need to confess our sins and receive forgiveness. We also need to extend grace and forgiveness. Often it is harder to forgive ourselves than others.
The novel deals with the theme of healing. Some healing that is needed is easy to see because it is external and physical. There are hurts and scars that are unseen and deeper and they need healing too. “On the inside I was still and always would be the ugly duckling, but on the outside I had transformed into a swan.”
There is also the topic of appearances. For some, looking good on the outside is more important than being good on the inside. God looks at our hearts. We need to look at people’s hearts too. He was “better looking on the outside than he was on the inside.”
The authors deal with the tough topics of slavery and indentured servants. “Life was brutal everywhere.” Seventeenth century life in southern America was not nice. People were not treated well. People were seen as possessions to be bought and traded. Not everyone had black hearts but those that did inflicted much cruelty.
Friendship occurs in the most unlikely of places. Everyone needs a good friend who will put them first with little thought of their own safety.
There are some wonderful romantic pairings and interludes in the novel. And there is confusion and mishap. It all makes for delightful reading.
I thoroughly enjoyed My Sister’s Prayer. I have every intension of reading book one now and cannot wait till book three comes out.
The pairing of Mindy Starns Clark and Leslie Gould always produce fabulous novels. I can highly recommend My Sister’s Prayer.
I received this book for free in exchange for a fair and honest review. No monetary compensation was received and all views expressed are my own.
JULIA WILSON