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Friday, February 11, 2011

Stepping Heavenward by Elizabeth Prentiss

Genre: Fiction, Christian Inspiration
Length: 341 pages

Reviewed by: Laurelyn Aubrey

“I determined, in the first place, to begin this journal. To be sure, I have begun half a dozen and got tired of them after a while. Not tired of writing them, but disgusted with what I had to say of myself. But this time I mean to go on, in spite of everything. It will do me good to read it over and see what a creature I am.”

Thus begins the book Stepping Heavenward, a delightful story of trials and triumphs, written by Elizabeth Prentiss. The book is written as the journal of young Katherine Mortimer, a spirited girl living in the 1800’s. Katy begins her journal at age 16, and vividly describes the people around and the emotions inside her all the way to the last years of her life. She tells of her quick temper, her struggles with friendships, her mother’s steady example, her father’s death, her marriage, children, and sickness. But most striking is her battle with the sin in her life, and her fervent desire to continue stepping heavenward.

The story is written in a warm and engaging style. Katy’s faults and joys are very easy to relate with; she will have you laughing out loud at her every-day trials and moods, and sharing in her pangs of sorrow at the hardship and sufferings of life. The language is simple and charming; once started, this book is difficult to put down.

Elizabeth Prentiss’s purpose for writing, from first to last, is to encourage women to love Christ and seek to be more like Him every day of their lives. The book is filled with good examples of this, the most outstanding of which is Katy’s mother. Mrs. Mortimer is always encouraging, forgiving, and serving the people around her; she teaches Katy by her own life what it means to take joy in the Lord’s will, even in the most difficult of times. By the end of the book, the reader is given a fresh perspective on life: one that sees the dusty work on this earth as a joy and honor to do for the sake of the King.

Certainly, this is one of the best books I have read that takes the form of a person’s journal. Even though Katy’s story is enjoyable for itself alone, it serves just as well as a devotional. I was left feeling motivated, inspired, and saying along with Katy, “…I will not rest until this struggle is over, till I can say with a smile, ‘Not my will! Not my will! But Thine!’” (pg. 324)

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