Winds of Destiny - eBook review

Show, don’t tell. This is the pithy advice given to writers.

Many American history classes tell the story of the Puritans, their search for religious freedom, and their subsequent immigration to the New World. Jayne Bullock’s novel Winds of Destiny shows the story, which many history book writers only tell.

The times during England’s Civil War are seen through the eyes of a spirited and adventurous heroine, Catherine Grafton, the Catholic daughter of a landlord. A Puritan family, the Ringolds, rescues the heroine from a providential mishap. Her adventurous spirit beckons her on a journey with them, which takes her beyond the point of no return to her old life.

The author has thoroughly researched this tumultuous period, showing the details and the settings of the times. The writing brings to life the regional dialects of the characters.

The book is quite relevant for today, in many ways.

First, it can give us a better understanding of American history. What were the struggles of people of conscious in a land that did not tolerate religious freedom? What events in mother England drove the Puritans to such places like America?

Second, Jayne conveys the message of tolerance and understanding, much like the parable of the Good Samaritan. The heroine finds compassion from an unlikely source - those who are “the wrong religion.”

And last, in the uncertainty of the 1640s, Providence takes the heroine on a journey she could not have foreseen. Likewise, are not these uncertain times in twenty-first century America?

Since I have been researching life in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance in Europe, I was most interested in Jayne’s historical novel during such times. I liked this story because she humanized this period as narrated in the first person of the heroine. I would recommend this book not only to those who love a good yarn of adventure and romance, but to Anglophiles as well. It covers the few decades in the seventeenth century when England actually became a republic, which is fascinating.

eBook can be purchased at: synergebooks.com/ebook_windsofdestiny.html

Pages: 175
Words: 106,473
Reading Time: 304-425 minutes


Lord, be my rock of safety, the stronghold that saves me. For the honor of your name, lead me and guide me.
Psalm 30:3-4