Luther and Katharina is one of my favorite types of novels:
historical fiction based on actual people. Luther is Martin Luther and
Katharina his wife. I thought I knew a fair amount about the
reformation and about Lutheranism. I grew up in a reformed church and
worked in a Lutheran church for seven years. To my surprise, there was
much I didn't know (or forgot?). I learned many interesting and many
horrifying things. I was appalled at the abuses of the Catholic church
and disgusted with people who called themselves Christians while raping,
torturing, murdering others. I guess there's nothing new under the
sun!
This novel has it all. Drama, suspense, romance, and
history. There is something to appeal to almost any reader. I think
it's important to understand the history of Christianity better, to know
what those who came before us went through to defend their faith and to practice it the way they believed they should.
Jody
Hedlund is an excellent writer. She did a great job of weaving
together the historical facts of the time period with all those little
fictional details that we as readers of history always wish we knew. She
beautifully fleshes out the story of Katharina's escape from the
convent where she lived since age five. She also adds sweet and even humorous details to Luther and Katherina's romance.
I enjoyed Luther and Katherina
very much. I would recommend it to any historical fiction fans. The
book I read was an Advance Reading Copy that I received from
Blogging for Books for free in exchange
for my honest review.
