Ahab's Bride: Book One of Ahab's Legacy [Paperback]

Louise M. Gouge (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 25, 2004 | Series: Ahab's Legacy

Before Captain Ahab encountered Moby Dick, he met the woman who would capture his heart.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Louise M. Gouge writes historical Christian romance novels, plays, and short stories. She enjoys researching every aspect of her stories, whether in local public and college libraries or in distant locations. To ensure the authenticity of her settings, Louise has traveled to settings such as Nantucket and Boston, Massachusetts; Annapolis, Maryland; and Coventry, England. She is a member of Romance Writers of America, American Christian Romance Writers, Central Florida Romance Writers, Nantucket Historical Association, the Bostonian Society, and the Historic Annapolis Foundation. Louise earned her Master of Liberal Studies degree from Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida, and her bachelor?s degree in creative writing from the University of Central Florida. Married for thirty-nine years, the mother of four grown children, and three grandchildren, she has made her home in Central Florida for twenty-four years. In addition to writing, she teaches English composition and American literature at Valencia Community College in Orlando.

Product Details

• Paperback: 356 pages
• Publisher: Cook Communications; New edition (March 25, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1589190076
• ISBN-13: 978-1589190078
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,674,617 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Louise M. Gouge has been married to David Gouge for over 46 years. They have four grown children and seven grandchildren. Louise attended the University of Central Florida in Orlando, earning a BA in English/Creative Writing, and Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida, earning a Master of Liberal Studies degree. Louise's novel, Ahab's Bride, Book One of Ahab's Legacy, (RiverOak Publishing, 2004) was her master's thesis at Rollins College. Hannah Rose, Book Two of Ahab's Legacy, was released in 2005, and was the honored with the Inspirational Readers Choice Award. Son of Perdition, Book Three of Ahab's Legacy, was released in February 2006.

Louise now writes for Harlequin's Love Inspired Historical Line, with four books published and more coming. Her current time period is the English Regency era.

While writing Christian fiction is her primary occupation and labor of love, Louise is also an adjunct professor of English and Humanities at Valencia Community College in Kissimmee, Florida. Having received her advanced education in middle age, she tries to inspire her younger students to complete their own education early. For her older students, Louise hopes that her experiences prove that it is never too late for them to work toward their dreams. (Her first novel was published after she turned fifty!) In the classroom, she attempts to live out her Christian faith both in words and in action.

Louise's favorite Bible verse is 'He shall choose our inheritance for us' (Psalm 47:4), a testimony to her belief that God has chosen a path for each believer. To seek that path and to trust His wisdom is to find the greatest happiness in life.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great story, July 5, 2004

By 

T. Suzanne Eller (Beautiful Oklahoma) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ahab's Bride: Book One of Ahab's Legacy (Paperback)

I wasn't sure in the beginning whether I would like this book. It's written with a great deal of narrative writing and is "chewy" like the books of old. But then as I continued reading, that's exactly what I liked about the book. It had depth. The story unfolded slowly, but it allowed me to get into the hearts and minds of the characters.

Well-written novel with a great deal of historical information woven throughout the story. Ahab's great battle with the white whale Moby Dick was shadowed by the struggle of a woman desiring to understand the heart of a man. Good story.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars One of Those Odd Literary Coincidences, Part 1, March 12, 2008

By 

fredtownward "The Analytical Mind; Have Brain... (Mocksville, North Carolina, United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Ahab's Bride: Book One of Ahab's Legacy (Paperback)

In one of those odd literary coincidences two Moby Dick fans simultaneously got the bright idea of writing fictional accounts about Ahab's wife, but while Sena Jeter Naslund was writing for publication, Louise M. Gouge was writing her dissertation novel, not really expecting to ever publish it. (One assumes that the critical and commercial success of Naslund's Ahab's Wife: Or, The Star-gazer: A Novel lead Gouge's editor and agent to push her into polishing it up for publication as her third book.) What resulted was the Ahab's Legacy trilogy, of which this is the first volume.

You might think it unfair to compare the two, and you'd be right but for the wrong reasons. Naslund's Everyone Loves Una; Or, The Navel-Gazer: A Mary Sue, as I call it, is one of the worst books I've ever forced myself to finish. In contrast the Ahab's Legacy trilogy was a pleasure to read.

Similarities abound, both authors having decided that an unconventional girl was needed to win old Ahab's heart, but profound differences exist that make for interesting comparison and contrast. Thus, while Una is a laughably absurd prodigy, Hannah is simply a woman slightly ahead of her time due to an unconventional upbringing as the doted on only child of a devoted widower. While Una basks in the worship of mid-nineteenth century New England's thoughtful elites, Hannah reads their books, attends their lectures, and finds her thinking profoundly influenced by them. Compared to unintentionally hilarious Una, Hannah comes across as only slightly more modern than everyone else, an all too human figure.

This first volume is about their love and marriage and his obsession and death.

Note: Louise M. Gouge is a devout Christian, and Christian themes are explored throughout the novels so if Christianity gives you a rash, you have been warned. However, to her credit, Gouge does little preaching and never gets preachy.

The middle book of the trilogy is Hannah Rose, and the final book of the trilogy is Son of Perdition.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ahab's Bride, April 22, 2004

By 

Kathleen E. Rouser "Kathy Rouser" (Michigan) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ahab's Bride: Book One of Ahab's Legacy (Paperback)

Young, headstrong Hannah Oldweiler sets her heart on the famous Captain Ahab and wins his love in return. While celebrating the passion and commitment of married love, Ahab's Bride examines the trials and difficulties that come with it. Hannah faces the challenges and complexities of a relationship with a man "larger than life" with spirit and determination.

She has not chosen an easy path and her questions of what faith in God truly mean are tested again and again, especially when she takes second place to Ahab's quest for revenge against the terrible Moby Dick.

A colorful historical journey into the 19th century Nantucket whaling community, Ahab's bride is a poignant tale that brings to life the people and era of an industry that no longer exists.

Louise M. Gouge's characters live. They will delight and haunt you even after the last page is read, leaving you with a desire to know yet more about these endearing people.