Review of Praying Town

[Favour Amarachi Mgbeoji]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Praying Town" by L. Gawenase Johnson.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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Praying Town is an interesting story that reveals the happenings within the Indian colonies in the 1670s. Written in 31 chapters, the book describes how the gospel was brought to the lands later known as Praying towns. These towns enjoy a surreal level of peace and unity until disaster strikes and leads to the death of many natives.

L. Gawenase Johnson explains in detail how the missionaries selflessly gave their all to restore the peace of the lands after the murder of a popular preacher. Angered and flustered by the death of his henchmen, the antagonist, King Philip, ravages the colonies. Two best friends, Damaris and Amie, find themselves in Norwich with Reverend Fitch after suffering a great loss due to the war. Can the colonies bear the effect of King Phillip’s rage? Would the natives of Namasket and other Praying towns be able to rebuild their fallen lands? How would Damaris and Amie deal with the separation from their husbands and from each other? Find out more as you read this book.

I liked the tragic drama that ensued midway through the book. The suspense kept me captivated and wondering what would happen next. I enjoyed how the author presented Christianity in its purity and selfless nature. Reverend John Elliot, for example, made sacrifices and risked his life to ensure the survival of the natives. Aside from the love and charitable attitudes observed among the natives of the praying towns, the sincere affection between Damaris and Amie is worthy of note. Despite the struggles they went through, including the separation from their family, they still stuck with each other till the very end.

The major flaw I can point out in this book is the inability of the first few chapters to keep the reader glued. There was almost no drama at all until the tragic events of death and destruction.

I would give this book a rating of 4 out of 5 stars. I rated it in this manner because aside from the spice of tragic events, I did not find this book interesting or captivating. I think the book would have been better if some plot twists were added, with some unnecessary boring details excluded. Nevertheless, I would not give the book a lower rating because of the accurate character representation and professional editing of the book.

I would recommend this book to anyone seeking to see the Christian faith in a better light. I also recommend this book to people who believe that Christianity is a “white man’s religion” brought about to enslave people. That mindset is debunked by the selfless efforts of the preachers in the bid to maintain and restore peace and security in the colonies.

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Praying Town
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