Newton and Polly by Jody Hedlund 400 pages
I
have never given the author of one of the world’s most well-known hymns, Amazing Grace, much thought. I guess I
assumed it was a priest or a reverend, perhaps even a nun. I was surprised when
I saw on the cover of this fictional biography a beautiful young woman and a
sailing vessel from the 1700s. One of the things I love about historical
fiction is that I learn about things I may have never known.
Newton and Polly is the story of
John Newton and Mary “Polly” Catlett. They met when he was seventeen and she
was fifteen. Their chemistry was as explosive as a nuclear bomb.
John
was a rapscallion as a young man. He liked to drink and carouse, until one cold
December night in 1742 when he heard the voice of an angel. The sweet sound
came from a young woman, Polly, out wassailing (or caroling as we know it) with
some Quaker friends. John was instantly smitten. Thankfully, he followed them
as they headed toward home. Seems Polly’s aunt had orchestrated the wassailing
as a cover for the release of several slaves. As they were about to be
apprehended, John came to their rescue and escorted them to Polly’s parent’s
home.
From
the moment he laid eyes on her, John was in love, passionately and deeply.
Polly returned the feelings. And so began the story of a devoted love that
everyone seemed to want to come between.
John
misses the ship that he was supposed to take for a job in Jamaica that his
father had arranged. And he misses a second ship and another job his father
arranges. His lack of ambition worries Polly’s father, who refuses to give
Polly’s hand in marriage and bans John from seeing.
One
night, John is pressed into service in England’s Royal Navy. He is forced to
fight in the war against France. Feeling he’s lost Polly forever, his life
descends further and further into sin. Year later, when the ship is nearly
destroyed in a storm (more likely a hurricane), John realizes his mistakes. When
he is spared, he vows to turn his life over to God. He returns to England and
becomes a preacher.
John
and Polly’s story is well-written, but moves a bit slow. There isn’t much going
on for most of the book except for the two pining over each other. The storm
that almost killed John and his shipmates was tense and kept me on the edge of
my seat. However, I thought that John’s conversion came a little too quickly.
One minute, during the storm, John hates God with all his might; the next he is
a devoted follower. It was a little annoying that during he was referred to as
John half the time and Newton the other. I did like the story and am giving it
3 out of 5 stars.
I
received Newton and Polly from Blogging
for Books in exchange for this review.
