Review
Mary Bunyan, a Tale of Religious Persecution and Heroic Faith, written by Sallie Ford, is the story of the blind daughter of a famous preacher. Who was this preacher? John Bunyan, of course, the author of the well-known book, Pilgrim’s Progress. I can remember as a child being entranced and a little scared while watching a dramatized version of the story at a church function and have long compared our own culture with that found in the infamous Vanity Fair, whose careless and self-centered citizens try to sway Pilgrim from the path of life. Because of our family’s interest in Pilgrim’s Progress and John Bunyan, we were excited to read this biography about his daughter.
As the story goes, although she was blind, she faithfully ministered to her father, who was imprisoned for preaching the gospel, by visiting him with food and news of home. Although we have read other biographies about Mary Bunyan, this one is unique in that it was written in 1860 by a vigorous woman, Sallie Ford. Mrs. Ford was a controversial leader in the move to start a woman’s missions organization, and some of her intense feelings come through in this dramatic piece of historical fiction. If you have read many books of this period, you will recognize the writing style, with its enfolded sermons and rich vocabulary.
We, who live in the present age of religious toleration and freedom from ecclesiastical jurisdiction, can form but faint conception of the trials and sufferings of those of our forefathers in the faith, who stood as witnesses for the truth, when the bloody hand of persecution marked all such out for the prison, the stake, or the gibbet. Sallie Ford, from Mary Bunyan
Unfortunately, it will not be in the upper echelon of favored books in our library, in part because of an overuse of dialogue, but also due to the intensity of feeling which is a bit wearing. We do try to read difficult books in our home, my daughter with learning difficulties regularly devours Charles Dickens, but this one was a bit harder to push through. However, it is worth reading because of the historical background it gives to the persecution which Bible-believing Christians were facing in England. If you are studying the Reformation, or British History, this would be a helpful resource and if you just enjoy reading a hearty peice of historical fiction, it might be for you as well.
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