Recent Reads - The Secret Bridge

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I received this novel for review through the Homeschool Review Crew. The following is an excerpt of my full review, which appeared on my Homeschool Coffee Break blog. Read it here: The Secret Bridge (A Homeschool Coffee Break Book Review).

The Secret Bridge by Amy LeFeuvre was originally published in 1899, and is an intriguing story of a young woman in a predicament that seems quite foreign to us in today's world, and her determination to live honestly and in peace with all her neighbors despite the secrets she has been asked to keep.

Bridget Channing returns to England after her father's death, thinking she has a home with an uncle she has never met. But she finds that the uncle has recently passed away as well, and hadn't left anything for her in his will. Since she's lived her entire life with her father in India, her own education is unconventional and without any family or friends to turn to, she has no way to support herself and her funds will soon run out. Fortunately, Godfrey Bullingham, a young gentleman on the ship, had tried to befriend her and took an interest in her circumstances, and he seeks her out again in London to find out how she is managing. His concern and affection leads him to offer marriage to her and to convince her that he can care for her.

Bridget does agree to marry Godfrey and after a private ceremony with only one witness, he takes her to his family home and settles her into the farmhouse. The family lives at the main estate, but they are away when the newlyweds arrive. Godfrey is in the Navy, and must return to sea, and to Bridget's surprise, he requests her promise that she won't reveal anything about their relationship and marriage to his family until he returns home. When the Bullingham family returns, Bridget soon has a new friend in her sister-in-law, Audrey, but she has also become acquainted with another local family, the Fitzroys, and discovers that the Bullinghams and Fitzroys have been hostile to each other for generations.

Later Bridget has more secrets she's asked to keep when she discovers more about her own mother, who died while Bridget was an infant. The undercurrent to the entire story is Bridget's determination to know God better and love him more. As she learns more about God from the Scripture she studies, she learns to trust him with the complicated relationships in her life, and to pursue peace and truth. The story telling is charming, and although not action-packed as we tend to expect nowadays, I found myself eagerly turning pages to discover how Bridget would satisfy her need to be truthful without breaking promises or betraying trust. 

From The Secret Bridge (A Homeschool Coffee Break Book Review) on Homeschool Coffee Break.

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