Luther and Katharina: A Novel of Love and Rebellion

I alternated between being horrified at the brutality, incensed at the treatment of the nuns, and enamored with the relationship between Martin Luther and Katharina von Bora. Jody Hedlund's books are always well researched. I like the way she includes an author's note telling what was factual and what she invented to complete the story. Anyone with a sense of church history has heard of Martin Luther. I like the way the novel showed his humanity and we see him as a person and not just a historical figure. I hadn't known anything at all about Katharina. What a strong person she was. Martin Luther definitely met his match!

In 1523, roughly five years after Martin Luther nailed his Ninety-Five Theses to the door of a church in Wittenberg, Germany, the reformation of the Catholic Church is spreading. When the writings of Luther reach a group of nuns, sheltered in a convent for most of their lives, Sister Katharina leads their escape. Joining the reformers is a crime with severe consequences, and the nuns will have to make new lives for themselves in an unknown world.

Martin Luther houses the nuns until he can find permanent assistance for them, andLuther and Katharina soon find themselves struggling with new desires. Though the attraction is undeniable, neither will admit to it. Pride, class, and a devotion to the cause keep them at odds. But as threats grow worse, and prospects dwindle, the two must make a decision that could greatly affect an entire movement.

I loved it. Thats the short version. When I wasnt reading this book, I was thinking about it. I must admit, for Christian romance, the sexual tension is thick. It jumps off the page. But it is in no way vulgar, or explicit. These are the days when a fingertip grazing a womans face was scandalous, and Hedlund portrays that extremely well.

As with Newton and Polly, the authors notes section explains what was fact, and what was embellished or entirely of her own creation.

"Time to jump."

When Katharina von Bora leads an heroic escape from the convent where she has spent nearly her entire life, she takes a gigantic leap of faith; the radical teachings of Doctor Martin Luther c0nvincing her that a cloistered life cannot guarantee her salvation. Knowing that the cruel Abbott Baltazar will torture her mercilessly if she and her sisters are captured, she is initially relieved when her group finds refuge within the walls of Luther's nearly abandoned Black Cloister.

The fiery reformer and the nun of noble birth immediately have clear differences of opinion about just about everything. Eventually, one thing becomes abundantly clear, opposites can certainly attract, drawing Katharina and Martin towards a destiny that requires the patience of the almighty God to accomplish.

"Luther and Katharina" is a love story for the ages, overflowing with countless historical references, pulsating with sweet, tender conversations, culminating with a rather dramatic, heart-stopping resolution. The heroic sacrifices of these two individuals should give us pause and fill us with a renewed joy in our salvation.

I think good historical fiction fulfills two goals. It should entertain, as should all fiction. But it should also inform. Hedlund has done a good job in meeting those goals.

We have probably heard of Martin Luther and his role in the Reformation. But few of us may know how it came about that he married Katharina. We learn how that marriage developed as well as much about the conditions of the day.

As the novel opens, Katharina had been in a convent and was escaping. Some of Luther's writings had been smuggled in and the woman there were becoming enlightened. I was surprised to find that some of the women had been in the convent from a young age, perhaps five years old. Many were held there against their will. Some were terribly mistreated by the abbot. It was a dark time for the church and some of the priests were violent and immoral men.

Women who managed to escape, like Katharina, would make it to a sympathetic abbey and then be assigned for marriage. Katharina and her group ended up at Luther's abbey. Kate, as she came to be called, was a feisty one and refused to marry whom she had been assigned. She ended up being the last unwed woman and Luther, who did not want to ever marry, finally did so. He had come to appreciate Kate and her medicinal training. She was able to help Luther in providing treatment for his stomach ailment.

Hedlund has provided lots of historical detail about the time. We learn about the peasant uprising against the monasteries. Palaces of bishops and castles of nobility were attacked and burned. Many innocent men and women were killed. Luther's life was frequently in danger. He made some decisions that may have alienated the peasants but allowed the Reformation movement to continue.

Hedlund has added historical details in an Author's Note, identifying which parts of the novel are based on historical fact. There is a discussion guide too so this would make a good choice for a reading group.

I recommend this novel to those interested in the personal aspect of Luther and his wife and their role in the Reformation.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for the purpose of an independent and honest review.

Joy Hedlund is a first-rate author, if this book is any indication of her writing skills. In Luther and Katharina the author superbly pulls a multiple of seemingly detached elements together by the closing chapter. If you love a story filled with action, suspense, romance, and faith, you will love Luther and Katharina, the book and the characters.

I give this book four stars, and here's why...

The first chapter hooked me into the story right away. No dry historical facts to get the reader oriented. Plenty of action and character. That being said, I didn't care for the first 200 pages of the book, which I will explain later.

Don't let the list of characters at the front of the book scare you. The author develops each of the numerous characters to stand out from the others. This is not one of those books where the characters run together.

As a whole, and this book must be taken as a whole, Luther and Katharina is excellent. There's way too much drama at the end, so that even I predicted correctly (no spoilers).

Martin Luther is such an important figure in Christian history. This book has brought him down to human size for this reader, and given him a wife about whom I knew nothing before reading this, their story.

Thank you, Jody, for bringing these historical characters, not just Luther and Katharina, but all of them, to life for your readers. And praise be to God Almighty for preserving His World through His servants!

The publisher has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book through Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest review.