The Stranger
by Joy Margetts
SPECIAL OFFER! Pre-Order The Stranger now and receive a FREE ebook of The Widow, an accompanying short story!
Will a Wandering soul find his heart a home?
What do you do when your life’s work lies in ashes at your feet? When your heart and body are broken and your faith is shattered?
Disillusioned, grief-stricken and feeling abandoned by the God he once trusted, Brother Silas runs. He sets out on a lonely journey, not knowing where the path will take him, determined to distance himself from his painful past.
But Silas cannot escape the Love that will not let him go. Through the unexpected kindness of strangers, and a series of inexplicable events, Silas’ heart begins to heal. Then an unlikely reunion puts him on the path to rediscovering who he really is.
Will Silas finally find where he truly belongs, or will he remain a stranger forever?
A standalone story in the same series as The Healing, The Pilgrim and The Bride, The Stranger is set among the abbeys and beautiful landscapes of medieval Wales.
To find out more about this book, go to https://subscribepage.io/joymargetts
PRE-ORDER NOW and receive a FREE ebook of The Widow, an accompanying short story!
Release date November 22nd 2024. This item is now in stock with us only, and will be shipped on order.
Purchase Options (choose from drop down menu):
The Stranger Ebook, plus free eBook of The Widow £3.99
The Stranger Paperback, plus free eBook of The Widow £11.99
The Stranger Hardback, plus free eBook of The Widow £19.99
Small Book Bundle: Paperback of The Stranger and The Healing, plus eBook of The Widow, Just £19.99 (Saving £6 on RRP)
Large Book Bundle: Paperbacks of The Stranger, The Healing, The Pilgrim and The Bride, plus eBook of The Widow, Just £39.99 (Saving £8 on RRP)
Book Club Bundle: Eight copies of The Stranger (choose from paperback/ebook) plus a beautifully printed set of Book Club Questions and a scheduled 1 hour Zoom Call with the Author, Joy Margetts! £140
Can’t wait to try it? Download a Free Sample of the book here: https://broadplacepublishing.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/THE-STRANGER-Sample.pdf
Demi Griffin –
Spiritual gems sparkle in this treasure of a story, The Stranger by Joy Margetts. The poignant tale of a wandering monk battling a spiritual storm evokes emotional responses from every scene reminiscent of Pilgrim’s Progress. As Silas runs away from a rigorous life of devotion and religion, feeling as if he lost his faith, his journey turns into a series of lessons that make faith come alive like never before. Joy Margetts beautifully sprinkles Scripture in between chapters and paints vivid scenes around spiritual takeaways. As God reveals the depth of His heart through colorful, unexpected interactions Silas has with the people he encounters, Joy Margetts pulls the reader into the soul of the story, much like Jesus did when telling a parable. You cannot help but come away with awe-struck wonder at the relentless, pursuant love of God after reading The Stranger. Spiritually Inspirational in a reflective way, the story of Silas losing his faith and finding it was never lost, truly moves the heart of anyone who has experienced a crisis of faith. This book offers a unique depth you won’t want to miss. I received a complimentary copy from the publisher, but was not required to leave a review. All opinions expressed are my own.
The Bookish Pilgrim –
“For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in;” Matthew 25:35 AMP
This verse might be one of the themes of Joy Margett’s evocatively haunting novel about a wandering Cistercian monk, “The Stranger,” set in 1233 Wales and England.
From the burning of his little abbey, Grace Dieu in Wales by marauding Welshmen against an English abbey – the last in a long line of attacks – to subsequent events the novel traces the twists and turns of Brother Silas’ life.
Brother Silas and his fellow monks began a small abbey – Grace Dieu in Wales, a country that had little love for Englishmen or their abbey. They faced innumerable hardships – the hard soil of hearts dead set against them, having to scratch out a precarious living from the hard, inhospitable soil that yielded grudgingly to the hoe, to the final raid, sack and burning of the pitiful abbey, taxing Silas’ faith and strength to the utmost.
Utterly demoralised, seeing his dreams go up in smoke, wrung and hung out to dry, the little flicker of faith in Silas’ soul dies down to a barely burning ember.
He feels like an utter failure and abandoned by God who broke faith with him. Thoroughly disillusioned and disappointed with God and his promises, Silas faces a crisis of faith. This is his story.
Anyone else feel like that? If you have, you will find that Silas’ journey touches your heart.
Joy Margett’s deft crafting of Silas’ story and her skills as a wordsmith are evident in the hauntingly beautiful tale of a monk who has lost faith and trust in the God he serves. The language and word pictures are so well crafted that you can almost feel the freezing cold, the mizzle and the damp wood smoke Silas encounters along his journey.
It is a beautiful tale of faith lost and God’s incredible love, pursuit and gentleness in the restoration of one of his lost lambs.
Not to be missed or sidelined because it’s set in a time and season you’re unfamiliar with or because it’s a “historical” novel. It is more truly an evergreen story of the lost lamb or the prodigal son, or the abiding biblical theme of restoration revealing who we are in relation to who God is. I loved this story and Margett’s story telling skills.
I received an e-ARC but was under no obligation to leave a review of any kind. The views expressed in this review are mine alone.