A fantastic read with some fire-and-brimstone preaching and emphasis on God's judgment.
Plot
This is the fiction-based-on-fact story of a blonde, blue-eyed Swedish girl named Maria Franzon who falls in love with Pastor Pontus Franzon. She is determined to have him as a husband, and Maria Franzon always gets what she wants. "Papa's Wife" is the story of How Mama Got Papa and their life together as their family grows.
Morality
When the Franzon children do naughty things (as they often do, being human) they are punished accordingly. Papa tends to be strict, perhaps overly so. He also blames a red-haired family in his church for the fact that his first born, a son, has red hair (he regrets it later).
Spiritual Content
The Franzon family is Christian and Papa is the pastor of the village church. His sermons are quite fire-and-brimstone, but he and the rest of the family seem to have genuine faith in God. Once when Papa is too sick to preach a sermon, Mama does it for him. Mama also keeps a picture of an angel at the foot of their bed in the hopes that it will make their as yet unborn children angelic.
Violence
Just things like spanking as punishment for misbehaving children.
Drug and Alcohol Content
None.
Sexual Content
Mama longs to marry Pontus Franzon (Papa) and dreams of waking up in his bed. There are a couple references to their love for each other, but nothing at all untoward.
Crude or Profane Language or Content
None.
Conclusion
"Papa's Wife," and its continuation in "Papa's Daughter," are sweet and humorous books which are extremely fun to read. There's no unacceptable content to be on your guard for, and this is a diverting read for adults and teenagers alike. The only thing that can be annoying is the harsh way Papa preaches and rules in his household. He places more emphasis on judgment and the importance of being holy than on God's mercy, whereas they should be properly balanced. Otherwise, this is a fantastic read.
This review is brought to you by Jeanne.
