A beautifully personal tale of the Anabaptist movement in Switzerland.
Plot
Europe is brimming with reformative ideas. As men and women ponder over the words of Scripture suddenly thrust out of the Latin into their own native tongues, Regina finds herself confused and disoriented when the Anabaptist heresy suddenly seems more truthful than her state religion. Trusting her soul to God’s guidance, the young Swiss woman throws herself in with the heretics, to live or die, if only to know the truth.
Morality
The morality in this story is portrayed in a Christian light. Most characters are not as bad as they could be, but neither are they as good, which is true of the human state. Good is upheld by the God-fearing, and evil is shunned. However, one of the main thrusts of this book is to show that men and women do not always see what is right and what is wrong clearly, and the characters struggle to find the truth.
Spiritual Content
Many, if not all, of the characters are Christian, though of different views. Since this is the story of a girl searching the validity or invalidity of infant baptism, there is a great deal of soul-searching, praying, beseeching of God, and all other things concerning the faith of Christians.
Violence
Heresy was not dealt with kindly, and Anabaptists were often drowned in punishment. There are instances of imprisonment, beatings, and other punishments, but few are described.
Drug and Alcohol Content
Alcoholic beverages are consumed since water was not always fit to drink.
Sexual Content
Regina is in love with a young man, but there is nothing inappropriate in the story; marriage and relationships are held in very high regard and not taken lightly.
Crude or Profane Language or Content
None.
Conclusion
While this needn’t be a strictly girl-oriented story, this is certainly a beneficial novel for young women examining their faith. While they may not be wrestling with baptism, the struggles Regina goes through and her ultimate trust in God are timeless. The scenes, the characters, the principles within the cover of this book are displayed deftly and elegantly. I would readily recommend this book to anyone interested in church history.
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