Book review: The Pilgrim by Davis Bunn

She was just a pilgrim, about to make a pilgrimage from Caesarea to Jerusalem, on foot.  Then why did an army meet her in the harbor?  Why did she have an assassin tracking her?

Helena, former wife of a Roman emperor, mother of Constantine, was a Christian, and an outcast.  The story of her pilgrimage is historically based, at a time when persecution of Christians was the law of the land in ancient Rome.

As she journeys with her small entourage, they must learn to trust each other.  More importantly, they must learn to trust in God in ways they had never needed to before.  As Helena makes this spiritual journey, it is a spiritual journey for the reader as well.  Lessons of trust, forgiveness, and compassion endear the characters to the reader.

This is not a long story, but I was fully involved in it.  I did not know much about this period of history, so it was exciting to watch the events unfold.  I highly recommend this book to those who enjoy history, Church history, and stories of faith.  I received a copy of this book from the publisher, Franciscan Media, in exchange for an honest review, which I have given.

About the author:

Davis Bunn is an award-winning novelist with total worldwide sales of seven million copies.

His work has been published in twenty languages, and critical acclaim includes four Christy Awards for excellence in fiction and his 2014 induction into the Christy Hall of Fame.

Davis divides his time between Florida and England where he serves as Writer In Residence at Regent’s Park College at the University of Oxford.  Visit Davis at http://www.davisbunn.com.