From Publishers Weekly
The award-winning author of more than a dozen historical novels excels in this latest inspirational offering depicting the bloodshed and violence in 16th-century England over attempts to translate and distribute scripture in the English language to ordinary men and women. A dedicated Christian "heretic hunter," Pernell Foxe has a near brush with death in his zeal to eradicate the spread of William Tyndale's English New Testament. His attractive wife, Meg, befriends the doomed queen, Anne Boleyn, unhappily married to King Henry VIII. Meg finds herself drawn into subterfuge and marital deception when she comes across a forbidden copy of the English New Testament and discovers the power of its verses. Cavanaugh brings his historical story to life with rich details, descriptive settings and believable dialogue. His writing includes fresh and sometimes humorous turns of phrase ("To call the man a weasel would be discourteous to egg-sucking carnivores everywhere"). The lucid prose is coupled with an intricate plot offering surprising twists and turns. Characters are multifaceted, and the author admirably shows how sincere believers can be sincerely mistaken-which should give readers much to chew on. The faith content of the novel is beautifully presented and never succumbs to preachiness. General readers interested in the plight of "banned books," as well as CBA market readers investigating the origins of the Bible, will find through this delightful book that faith-based historical fiction can be a pleasure to read.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Product Description
Meg Foxe has stumbled upon a book so powerful that it changes her life. Its words comfort and soothe her troubled mind like nothing else. But theres a problem. The book is banned throughout England. And Pernell, her husband, the man she loves more than anything else in the world, has devoted himself to its total annihilation. Meg cant bring herself to give up the bookbut how long she can keep her secret hidden from Pernell?
Swept up in the turbulent world of sixteenth-century England and King Henry VIII, where William Tyndales English New Testament translation has been outlawed as heresy, Meg is about to align herself with those who risk their lives to read and distribute Gods Word. A thrilling espionage game of cat and mouse . . . a shocking discovery that threatens to shatter both a career and a marriage . . . a front row seat in the court of Henry VIII, where politics and religion mean life and death . . . Beyond the Sacred Page is an electrifying readhistorical fiction at its best.
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