Messenger, The [Paperback]

Siri Mitchell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2012

A Riveting Tale of Faith and Romance by an Acclaimed Novelist

Hannah Sunderland felt content in her embrace of the Quaker faith

...until her twin brother ran off and joined the army and ended up captured and in jail. Suddenly Hannah's world turns on end. She longs to bring her brother some measure of comfort in the squalid, frigid prison where he remains. But the Quakers believe they are not to take sides, not to take up arms. Can she sit by and do nothing while he suffers?

Jeremiah Jones has an enormous task before him. Responsibility for a spy ring is now his, and he desperately needs access to the men in prison, whom they are seeking to free. A possible solution is to garner a pass for Hannah. But while she is fine to the eye, she holds only disdain for him--and agreeing would mean disobeying those she loves and abandoning a bedrock of her faith.

With skill and sensitivity, Mitchell tells a story of two unlikely heroes seeking God's voice, finding the courage to act, and discovering the powerful embrace of love.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Hannah Sunderland felt content in her embrace of the Quaker faith...until her twin brother joined the Colonial cause and ended up in jail. She longs to bring some measure of comfort to him in the squalid prison, but her faith forbids it. The Friends believe that they are not to take sides, not to take up arms. She is not allowed to visit him, even if she were able to secure a pass.

Jeremiah Jones, a Colonial spy, needs access to the jail to help rescue men important to the cause. Upon meeting Hannah, a plan begins to develop. Who would suspect a pious Quaker visiting a loved one?

But Jeremiah is unprepared for Hannah, for her determination to do right, to not lie. How can one be a spy and not lie? Hannah, in turn, is surprised by Jeremiah...for the way he forces her to confront her own beliefs, for the sensitivity and concern that he shows her despite the wounds he still carries.

In a time of war, can two unlikely heroes find the courage to act?

About the Author

Siri Mitchell, author of She Walks in Beauty and A Heart Most Worthy, has written nine novels, two of which were named Christy Award finalists. A graduate from the University of Washington with a business degree, she has worked in many levels of government and lived on three continents. She and her family currently reside in the DC Metro Area.

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Bethany House Publishers; Original edition (March 1, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764207962
• ISBN-13: 978-0764207969
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 1.1 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (176 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #427,559 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

When I'm listening to a speaker and I'm taking notes, chances are, I've just had a great idea for a plot or a dialogue. If I'm nodding my head in response to a really profound statement, I'm probably thinking, 'Yes. Right. That's exactly what my character needs to hear.'

When I'm editing my manuscripts, I laugh at the funny parts. And I cry at the sad parts.

Sometimes I even talk to my characters. 'Okay, Joe. Talk to me. Tell me what you're thinking here.' And yes, the characters answer me. I actually hear them talking in my head.

Half the time, I think I'm an okay writer. The other half, I'm tempted to take a magnet to the hard drive.

The easy part is writing. The hardest part is editing. The worst part is wondering if the books are going to sell.

I have plenty of ideas for books; the thing I lack is the time to write them. I write by the word. Other writers write by the page. However you want to tally it, 85,000 words is a lot of pages.

In the world of writing I have done nothing right. I wrote 4 books and accumulated 153 rejections before I signed with a publisher. And then I had to write a fifth book so that they could publish it. In the process, I saw the bottoms of more pints of Ben & Jerry's than I care to admit. I vowed never to write another word again. Ever. I went on writing strikes and I even stooped to threatening my manuscripts with the shredder.

However. Here I am, over a dozen books into the process!

Learn more about me on the web at http://sirimitchell.com

**author photo by Tim Coburn

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 33 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars I'm glad I gave Siri Mitchell another try March 6, 2012

By Michele

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I will admit right up front that, having read three of her books, I had given up on Siri Mitchell. Of the three I read one was really good, one was mediocre and one I couldn't finish. Feeling that one out of three wasn't a very good track record, I concluded that Ms. Mitchell simply wasn't the author for me.

So what made me decide to give her newest, The Messenger, a try (and not just to try it but to actually purchase it)? Well, for one thing it is set during the Revolutionary War. That is an era that particularly interests me, and historical fiction (Christian or otherwise) set during the Revolutionary War is rarer than hens' teeth. Secondly, I knew from the promo blurbs that the book focused on a young Quaker woman. Since the one previous Siri Mitchell book I really enjoyed was about a young Puritan woman in 17th century Massachussetts, I thought perhaps there might be enough similarities that I would enjoy this newest one, as well. My hunch proved to be correct; I am glad I gave Siri Mitchell another chance because The Messenger is an excellently-written and thoroughly enjoyable tale, one of her best books to date.

The story focuses equally on two main characters: Hannah Sunderland, the aforementioned Quaker young woman, and Jeremiah Jones, an embittered former soldier-turned-barkeep. The story is set in Philadelphia during the winter and spring of 1778/1779 when the city is occupied by the British. It is typical of Siri Mitchell to use alternating narrators to tell her tales. In The Messenger she has perfected this device; narrator switches occur concurrently with chapter changes, with each POV (Jeremiah and Hannah) clearly identified so there are none of the confusing narrator switches of her earlier books....

In Hannah and Jeremiah Siri Mitchell has done an excellent job of creating main characters that every reader can identify with in some way or other. Their struggles are not superficial or shallow, but deep and elemental and will resonate with many. Hannah's pious Quaker upbringing has trained her to not only eschew politics and war and to shun all involvement in the conflict raging around her, but to always tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth at all times and in every situation. But love and loyalty to her twin brother leads her into forbidden territory, and she gradually becomes involved in a situation that will test her belief in everything she has been taught. Ultimately her love and loyalty to her faith and her family is on the line and she is forced to choose.

Jeremiah Jones was a young soldier with a promising military career ahead, when he was wounded in the French and Indian Wars. He fell victim to the Brits' snobbish attitude towards the colonials when he was passed over for medical treatment in favor of British-born soldiers; as a consequence, what was a serious but treatable arm wound resulted instead in an amputation. This plus his realization that even had he not been wounded he still would have been passed over for a promotion in favor of British-born soldiers, has caused bitterness to lodge in his heart to the point where he is filled with it. The only satisfaction he gets in his lonely life is to run a pub where he can take British gold in exchange for watching the soldiers drink themselves insensible. When he and Hannah become the most unlikely partners in a scheme to free colonial prisoners in a Philadelphia jail he finds himself attracted to her; but will he be able to break his heart free from its own prison of icy bitterness?

Of course, this story is a romance between Hannah and Jeremiah, but it is so convincingly done that it never overtakes the narrative but emerges naturally from it. In The Messenger (as in her earlier book Love's Pursuit) Siri Mitchell shows that when she sets out to tell a tale of a young woman, raised in a culture of strong faith, who faces a critical challenge to that faith, her family, and her society, she can do so with skill. (When she attempts to tell stories set in more "frivolous" times/places -- such as the court of Elizabethan England or the high society of Gilded Age New York -- she is far less successful. However, I don't want to spend time here critiquing her other works; if you're interested in my opinion of some of her other books check my reviews for "A Constant Heart" and "She Walks in Beauty.")

While The Messenger is possibly Siri Mitchell's longest book to date (although this is cleverly disguised by the use of very small font, no doubt to keep the book from being too thick and thus scaring off readers), it is a captivating and fast read. And while I preferred the more bittersweet ending of Love's Pursuit, still I found The Messenger to be a strong, finely-written story that I highly recommend. Read more ›

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent story in interesting period. February 24, 2012

By M. Daniels

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

"The Messenger" is a historical novel set during the Revolutionary War. The premise involves a Quaker woman named Hannah and a wounded war veteran, Jeremiah. The two make an unlikely pair of spies during the war. Hannah stuggles between the demands of her religion & parents, and the desire to rescue her brother who is essentially dying in prison. Jeremiah is a disenchanted soldier for the loyalist army who has lost an arm and his respect for the loyalist cause.

The two undertake a spy mission to help the patriot prisoners of war escape their fate. It is dangerous and Jeremiah is constantly frustrated as Hannah refuses to betray her Faith and lie. Her refusal of course makes the mission more difficult and dangerous.

I loved this book and finished it in two days. The chapters alternate between the perspectives of Hannah and Jeremiah. I feel that this style allows a greater insight into the characters as the plot develops. The romance aspect of the novel is secondary to the main issues, but is still very satisfying. I highly reccommend this novel to everyone who likes this genre. In her authors notes, Ms. Mitchell mentioned that books set in this time period don't sell well. This surprises me because I found the period fascinating, and I'm sure you will too.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Completely and utterly captivating! March 6, 2012

By Katie McCurdy

Format:Paperback

I am rather new to Siri Mitchell's historicals, but after reading this new release I declare myself a very avid fan! The Messenger mixes the perfect blend of intrigue and history--complete with a lovely writing voice that brought the characters to life. I don't know what they is not to like in this book!

The complexity of the two main characters--Jeremiah and Hannah--amazed me. Mitchell did an outstanding job as I watched them grow, change, and struggle throughout the course of the novel. It didn't take long to like Hannah's straightforward speaking and cheer for Jeremiah as he strove to help the prisoners escape. What an unlikely--but suited--pair these two made!

The Messenger is told from both Jeremiah and Hannah's point-of-view, which isn't out of the ordinary...though them both being told in the first-person narrative is. I thought this might make it confusing, but Mitchell handled it extremely well, switching easily between the characters.

Fans of Mitchell are going to be delighted with The Messenger. I have no doubt that it will also earn this talented writer new fans, as well! Especially for those historical fiction readers who love anything set during the Revolutionary war. For me--who loves history as much as I love suspense!--I found The Messenger completely and utterly captivating and sure to please readers!

I reviewed this book for the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance. Thanks to the publishers, Bethany House, for sending me my review copy. It was not required that I give a positive review, but solely to express my own thoughts and opinions of this book, which I have done.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Raises Deep Issues of Faith March 5, 2012

By Sheila Gregoire

Format:Paperback

I'm a fan of historical fiction, but often Christian romantic fiction leaves me empty. It just seems very contrived.

The Messenger wasn't like that at all--in fact, it raised several issues that you'll think about long after the book is done. When is it okay to lie? Is it ever okay to lie? And sometimes, is telling the truth the wrong thing to do? How do you wrestle this out as a believer?

And what do we do when there is injustice in our midst? Do we close our eyes to it, or do we do whatever we can?

I'd like to think I'd do something, and in this book we come face to face with a young Quaker woman who is forced to go against her family's beliefs to try to help her brother, who is held prisoner in a British jail during the American Revolution. Mitchell does an excellent job of portraying the horrible conditions in the jail, and makes you think again about what injustices we, here, are ignoring.

A very enjoyable book, and one that I would encourage others to read to get an interesting insight into a historical period that we think we know all about--but soon realize that we don't.