I've really enjoyed all the Christoph von Schmid books I've read so far and this one is probably a tie in with The White Dove. His stories are all very similar but they have a charm to them that works well. They are adventurous quick reads that I, personally, find hard to put down. Most can be read in 60-90 minutes though this is one of the larger ones.

I actually read this as a bookend to my devotion time which worked well since little sermonettes close out most of the chapters. A chapter or two each day had it read in about 7 days and didn't add much time to the morning. If you have a harder time with didactic stories, this may be an easier way to read them and get out of them what they intend.

It takes the first three chapters to get this one off the ground but from there it moves quickly. Mary finds herself in seemingly the worst of circumstances. Her father's care in raising his child has shown her to deal with these circumstances in manners that we should all strive for. Mary's adventure lasts a few years and through God's intervention she is cared for and sustained, much due to the prayers of others even when she is unaware.

If you enjoy any of the other von Schmid books, I can't imagine you wouldn't enjoy this one. ( )

Summary: "When his child is falsely accused, a godly father points her to the Lord who is the judge of all and has promised to be our guide and protector. Punished beciiuse if another's sin, the child is ultimately vindicated in a most astonishing way," Elizabeth Elliott