James Patterson & Maxine Paetro |  Fiction

Yes, I know, I have been on a James Patterson kick.  And yes, Beryl really liked him, so it makes sense I am exploring this most prolific of writers!  Woman of God is not a murder mystery … it is one of his “stand-alone” books.

I loved the main character, Brigid Fitzgerald. She is a young physician who selflessly works and heals in the war-torn Sudanese desert. Her faith and her personal values are tested and challenged over and over, as well as her physical safety. 

The prologue is twenty years in the future.  The books itself begins in the current day and takes us along on Brigid’s journey over the next 20 years.  She leaves Sudan and returns to her home base in Cambridge, Massachusetts.  And then, through a series of events and relationships, she becomes a founder and very visible woman in an expanded alternative to the Catholic Church, JMJ.   JMJ is a church that is inclusive and compassionate; a church that eventually, near the end, inspires the Pope to invite Brigid to meet with him at the Vatican in a private Papal Audience.

Patterson’s and Paetro’s writing style is engaging and effortless to read.  Almost every chapter is a mere 2.5 pages.  It is easy to read a bit, put it down, stir your dinner, and then pick it up again.  Please enjoy this interesting read!  It will make you think.