Author: Simonetta Carr
Publisher: Evangelical Press
Buy Renée of France
Reading Level: Leisure
Cross Focused Blog Tour
Although Renée belonged to the nobility of that time, the course of events kept her focused on some basic questions of faith — the same ones that many of us face. (p. 13)It’s true I’ve never faced many of the struggles she did as a royal but I did connect with Renée on the “basic questions of faith.” She struggles with leaving the tradition and faith of her family and youth. I’ve been there. She struggles with living out her faith publicly. Me too. It’s much easier often to answer important questions of faith in our own life when we see those same questions played out in other’s life in history. Renée of France provides this.
One of those interesting tidbits I mentioned is the relationship between Renée and the Reformers, especially John Calvin.
A major element in Renée’s life is her correspondence with the French Reformer, John Calvin, which continues for most of her life and opens a window on less familiar aspects of his soul. Of all his correspondence with women, his letters to Renée are unique, revealing a close bond of friendship. Calvin often feels free to reveal his struggles to her in a way he would not do with others, and she talks openly and trustingly about her puzzlement, fear, and exasperation. In the background, the distinctive struggles of the Reformation in Italy and France evolve rapidly before our eyes. (p. 14)Their correspondence provides the map to constructing her story and provides a glimpse into the pastoral heart of John Calvin (pp. 73, 121).
The story is told well. I was engaged throughout this short read and will be reading it to my daughters shortly. For all lovers of biography and reformation history this book would be a valued addition to your library.
A free copy of this book was provided by Evangelical Press as part of the Cross Focused Blog Tour. If you plan on purchasing Renée of France, consider supporting Grace for Sinners by purchasing from Amazon.
3 comments:
Matthew,
Thanks for contributing to the Bitesize Biographies - Renee of France blog tour. I'm so glad you enjoyed the book.
Shaun Tabatt
Cross Focused Reviews
Hi Matthew,
I am glad you liked the book. Thank you for taking the time to write the review. I agree that "it’s much easier often to answer important questions of faith in our own life when we see those same questions played out in other’s life in history." I had the same reaction when I was writing.
Just to clarify - this was not meant for children. I know some parents have read it to their children, and certainly many kids today are very mature in their reading, but the series (Bitesize Biographies, by Evangelical Press) targets adults and I just followed their guidelines. I mostly write children's books which are a lot simpler and fully illustrated. (see www.cbfyr.com)
May God continue to bless you and your family,
Simonetta
Thank you for stopping by and for writing this book. I didn't necessarily mean to make it sound like it was written for children but it does come off that way on re-reading my review. I'm gonna update it to reflect a more balanced emphasis!
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