Scan barcode
A review by shelfofunread
God's Children by Mabli Roberts
4.0
God’s Children is a sensitively written novel about an overlooked medical pioneer who is thoroughly deserving of more recognition.
I freely admit that I had never heard of Kate Marsden however, from the moment I saw the striking portrait of her dressed in her Siberian travelling gear that appears at the front of the book, I could see why Mabli Roberts was drawn to her. Staring out from the page, there is a fierce determination in Kate’s eyes and, as Roberts reveals more of Kate’s story, her character begins to match her picture. Kate comes across as a deeply devout and determinedly focused women, compelled by compassion to fulfill what she sees as God’s mission for her even in the face of societal disapproval, financial hardships, and physical impairments.
The novel flits back and forth across Kate’s life, visiting her as she lies dying in a pauper’s hospital before moving back to her early life in England, her time on the front lines as a war nurse, discovering love as a senior nurse in New Zealand, and on her memorable trip across the Siberian steppes as she endeavored to discover a cure for leprosy, and set up a remote hospital to assist lepers cast out by their communities.
The narrative is fractured and fragmentary which, in lesser hands, could lead to the reader feeling unmoored and disconnected. Instead, Roberts skillful handling of the slips in time allow her to explore the gaps in Kate’s life, and to tease out her motives and convictions to create a portrait of a remarkable, if sometimes flawed, woman who was, in many ways, at odds with her time.
Whilst never straying from Kate’s perspective, Roberts allows the reader to critique Kate, whose belief in her convictions and determination to carry out what she sees as God’s will occasionally leads her to disregard the impact that her actions have on others, whilst never entirely losing sympathy for her. Kate’s private life – in particular her relationship with Rose – is also beautifully rendered, and her emotional state throughout is captured with great sensitivity and empathy.
There is also some beautiful descriptive writing in the novel. As Kate journeys across the snowy wilderness of Siberia, I felt like I was right there alongside her. The writing is vivid and evocative, capturing both the beauty and the danger of the surroundings, and I had a real sense of the hardships of Kate’s journey and of the determination that it must have taken her to keep going.
God’s Children is a fascinating historical novel about a woman who definitely deserves to be better known for her work and her achievements. Mabli Roberts has done a brilliant job of giving Kate a voice, and of portraying her as a real, complex woman capable of feeling a range of conflicting emotions. Whilst the fragmented narrative can take a few pages to get used to, if you stick with it God’s Children swiftly becomes a compelling read, that explores the boundaries between the truths of our lives and the fictions we tell to justify ourselves.
With it’s evocative writing and compelling characterisation, God’s Children is a novel that historical and literary fiction fans should certainly take the time to pick up.
This is an edited version of a review that appeared on my blog, https://theshelfofunreadbooks.wordpress.com, as part of the blog tour for God's Children. My thanks go to the publisher for providing a copy of the book in return for an honest an unbiased review.
I freely admit that I had never heard of Kate Marsden however, from the moment I saw the striking portrait of her dressed in her Siberian travelling gear that appears at the front of the book, I could see why Mabli Roberts was drawn to her. Staring out from the page, there is a fierce determination in Kate’s eyes and, as Roberts reveals more of Kate’s story, her character begins to match her picture. Kate comes across as a deeply devout and determinedly focused women, compelled by compassion to fulfill what she sees as God’s mission for her even in the face of societal disapproval, financial hardships, and physical impairments.
The novel flits back and forth across Kate’s life, visiting her as she lies dying in a pauper’s hospital before moving back to her early life in England, her time on the front lines as a war nurse, discovering love as a senior nurse in New Zealand, and on her memorable trip across the Siberian steppes as she endeavored to discover a cure for leprosy, and set up a remote hospital to assist lepers cast out by their communities.
The narrative is fractured and fragmentary which, in lesser hands, could lead to the reader feeling unmoored and disconnected. Instead, Roberts skillful handling of the slips in time allow her to explore the gaps in Kate’s life, and to tease out her motives and convictions to create a portrait of a remarkable, if sometimes flawed, woman who was, in many ways, at odds with her time.
Whilst never straying from Kate’s perspective, Roberts allows the reader to critique Kate, whose belief in her convictions and determination to carry out what she sees as God’s will occasionally leads her to disregard the impact that her actions have on others, whilst never entirely losing sympathy for her. Kate’s private life – in particular her relationship with Rose – is also beautifully rendered, and her emotional state throughout is captured with great sensitivity and empathy.
There is also some beautiful descriptive writing in the novel. As Kate journeys across the snowy wilderness of Siberia, I felt like I was right there alongside her. The writing is vivid and evocative, capturing both the beauty and the danger of the surroundings, and I had a real sense of the hardships of Kate’s journey and of the determination that it must have taken her to keep going.
God’s Children is a fascinating historical novel about a woman who definitely deserves to be better known for her work and her achievements. Mabli Roberts has done a brilliant job of giving Kate a voice, and of portraying her as a real, complex woman capable of feeling a range of conflicting emotions. Whilst the fragmented narrative can take a few pages to get used to, if you stick with it God’s Children swiftly becomes a compelling read, that explores the boundaries between the truths of our lives and the fictions we tell to justify ourselves.
With it’s evocative writing and compelling characterisation, God’s Children is a novel that historical and literary fiction fans should certainly take the time to pick up.
This is an edited version of a review that appeared on my blog, https://theshelfofunreadbooks.wordpress.com, as part of the blog tour for God's Children. My thanks go to the publisher for providing a copy of the book in return for an honest an unbiased review.