Marie Durand - By Simonetta Carr

Marie Durand by Simonetta Carr is an interesting, though short, account of the Christian lady.  I didn't know anything about Marie before reading this biography, the name sounded familiar but didn't point to any substantive information in my mind. Now, I understand that she was a French lady living during the 1700s who was imprisoned on account of her brother's being a pastor.  She could have gotten out of prison by denying the faith but did not do so and stayed in in prison for 38 years.   

There are interesting illustrations throughout, and also photographs of items and places from Durand's era.  At the end of the book there is a pronunciation key to help one read and pronounce the French words, a 'Did You Know?' section giving more information about the people and lifestyle of that era, and a letter from Marie to her niece Anne.  Also, I liked the Epilogue, where Carr gives an overview of what happened after Marie died. The 'Age of Reason' or Enlightenment was critiqued quite well, and I think in a way that even young children will understand.  Here is a small excerpt:  "During that Age of Reason, or Enlightenment, as that time became known, they started to reject or ignore most teachings human beings can't fully explain, such as that God works miracles, that Jesus is God, or that God is one in three persons."  I especially liked the statement she gives of Paul Rabaut in this section where he states that, "I will not reject a mystery for the only reason that it cannot be understood."  That is a statement that still fits today.  

The only thing that I believe would make this book better would be for it to have a list of other books of Marie Durand and the times in which she lived, so that any children (or adults) who get a thirst for more information on, or a deeper look at, the subject would have some suggested resources already on hand.  But, despite its shortness, this biographical overview is quite inspiring, it shows children (and adults) a Christian whose faith they may strive to imitate.   

Many thanks to the people at Cross Focused Reviews for sending me a review copy of this book(My review did not have to be favorable.

 

One of the places this book may be purchased is at Amazon.com