Book Review – Anne Bradstreet by DB Kellogg

This is the next book that I had the privilege of reviewing for Thomas Nelson Publishers.

{From the publisher}

Christian Encounters, a series of biographies from Thomas Nelson Publishers, highlights important lives from all ages and areas of the Church. Some are familiar faces. Others are unexpected guests. But all, through their relationships, struggles, prayers, and desires, uniquely illuminate our shared experience

Anne Bradstreet is recognized as one of the most important figures in the history of American literature, yet the majority of her poetry remained private until after her death. As a Puritan wife and mother, Anne knew that sharing her views and opinions with others was considered a sin, but she clearly valued knowledge and intellect, and was a free thinker. Bradstreet's work serves as a document of the struggles and hardships of colonial life and is a testament to the plight of the women of the age. Her poetry, filled with the love she had for God, her husband, and her eight children, showcased her intense devotion to being a good wife, mother, and Christian.

After reading the description, I was excited to receive this book. However, it did not live up to my expectations. The book is full of facts and factoids about the era in which Mistress Bradstreet lived, but had little information about her as a person or about her poetry. The book has information about where she lived and what was going on around her as far as politics and general challenges facing the settlers of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. It has a little about the Puritan religion, but is also lacking in this area. I understand that there is little information available about Mistress Bradstreet because of the time of her life, but I was disappointed by this book, nonetheless. I would have liked to see more about what family life would have been like or some more about her poetry itself and why it was so amazing that she wrote as much as she did given her gender and religion. The one thing this book accomplished for me is a desire to read more of her poetry, so I’m off to the library to do just that!

 
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

~S