Customer Reviews

The Captive Bride (The House of Winslow #2)

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I LOVED this book so much more than the first that was all anger and hostility between Gilbert and Humilty. I agree with another customer that Morris was in a hurry when he wrote this. Morris gives the reader a "crash course" on the Salem Witch Trials, which I found diappointing. The Salem Witch Trials are an interesting though tragic part of American history. Also there are some historical discrepancies such as Edward Winslow's presence in the year 1659 when he had in fact died in 1655 and the governor of the colony being Oliver Bradford instead of Josiah Winslow, Edward's son!

In spite of that, though, I learned quite a lot from this book about people like John Bunyan who wrote Pilgrim's Progress and about people and events I had never heard of before like John Sassamon, King Philip and King Philip's War. It made me want to learn more about it. Also, it was interesting seeing Gilbert confronting himself as it were in his son Matthew. It seemed like a bit of poetic justice. And I loved Rachel. She is beautiful, spirited and interesting, not at all whiny like Humility in The Honorable Imposter. A very good and essential read!

I was thrilled with the first book in this series. It was so well done. It would make a great movie. But the second book, Captive Bride, was very disappointing. The plot jumps a quite a few years every few chapters. None of the characters were fully developed, not even the heroine. The author was trying to fit two separate stories into one book and didn't succeed.

I had a hard time reading this book. I got tired of reading a sermon on every other page. This book also skipped too much time. I felt that Gilbert Morris was in too big of a hurry to write about the Revolutionary War that he left out several stories that could have been told. I continued with this series for about 12 books then gave up. The third through fifth books were my favorite. Adam and his nephew Paul are two of my favorite heros in the series. Morris does a good job making them multi-dimensional. I was disappointed in the later books, I felt that he ran out of stories after he ran out of wars. (Though it doesn't look like he's made it to WWII, yet. Maybe I'll come back then.)

This series is great for people who like historical fiction, just don't believe all that you read in it. The witch trials in this book especially. Morris has taken extreme literary license to make his characters fit into history. In fact, many of the events he portrays as real are completely made up. I got frustrated because I happened to be studing Salem in school at the time and what he was writing didn't really match what happened.

A great read for Morris fans, but everyone else should be a little wary.

I did not read this book until long after I had purchased #15 of the "House of Winslow" series from a mail-order book club, unaware that it was part of a series. In fact, due to the local libary's limited copies, it was even later before I read Book #1, "The Honorable Imposter". Although the description on the book cover leads one to believe that it's a story about a young woman named Rachel Winslow accused of witchcraft, Rachel doesn't even exist until halfway through the book! The title, "The Captive Bride," is completely misleading, as no bride is captured or kidnapped anywhere in the story. The real plot is how Matthew Winslow deserts his wife Lydia before their first child is born, returning years later when his daughter Rachel is now a young woman of about 15, and his family presumes he has died after so many years. Eventually all of the Winslows are accused of witchcraft and jailed, and eventually are released, although the effect on Gilbert Winslow's health is very bad. Rachel's younger brother Miles, born after Matthew's return, is instrumental in introducing Rachel to her future husband, but it's a minor part of the story.

I first started with The Captive Bride, because my teacher recommended it. Now I'm hooked on the series! I'm on book number nine and still going!

I have read the whole series of the house of winslow and would highly recommend it to anyone who loves a good romanc mixed with history, family and religion. It holds your attention throughout the whole book.

Rachel doesn't know if she can ever forgive her father for leaving her and her mother, Lydia, and when she finally does, she may lose him and the rest of her family forever. You are taken to Salem, Massachusetts to see how everyone was suspicious of being a witch. Even if you were a good Christian woman/man! Rachel and her family are taken up against the people of the town who are out to say "they are of the devil." Will their strong Christian faith keep them alive or drive them to their doom? Which ever it is, they are willing to do it because they love the Lord so much. However, they struggle with hunger, and sickness while awaiting a trial. Can someone here on Earth be of any help, to anyone? I enjoyed this book emensely and it helped to further my knowledge on this particular historiacal event. Just like the other House of Winslow books did. They not only were educational, but enjoyable and a good Christian romance! I recomend them to all men and women as well as young adults and teens!

I absolutely loved the first book of this series, so I was looking forward to this one like crazy! But after reading it I felt extremely disappointed. Though I think this book may be necessary for the development of the next book in the series it just seemed to be lacking from the first book.

The story opens on Matthew Winslow, Gilbert and Humility's son. He is a buck wild youth like his father and trying to discover a path for himself. When he heads to England with his uncle his parents hope he finds the faith for himself. He also becomes embroiled in the drama of King Charles the second coming to the throne.

Flash to about fifteen years later we meet Rachel Winslow, Matthew's daughter. She has the faith just like her mother and grandmother and wants to marry for the right reasons. At one point she finds herself in the middle of King Philip's war in the New World.

Again the story jumps a period of time and we find ourselves in the midst of the Salem Witch Trials. This section of the book is so short. I felt this particular subject in American history could have been dealt with a little more in depth, though how horrid it is.

This book is probably important to the development of the Winslow family, but it definitely lacked definite plot development and jumped around a little too much. Gilbert Morris still added all the historical facts that we tend to look for in his books to a wonderful fictional family.

Though I was disappointed a bit in this book, I am still looking forward to the next one in the series!

I have most of the House of Winslow books in hard cover and they are excellent. My problem is that I cannot find the rest of them in hard cover so that I can keep them looking great. The books I have were a Christmas gift to me and I have read everyone of them more than once.