False Coin, True Coin

by Lois Hoadley Dick

False Coin, True Coin by Lois Hoadley Dick is a historical fiction novel set in seventeenth-century London. It is the story of John Bunyan, a prisoner in the jailhouse of Cissy Nidd’s father. His crime is preaching, but in Cissy’s mind this is hardly a crime worthy of imprisonment. She endures the horrors of the plague, the Great Fire of London, and a heart-wrenching choice between right and wrong in this Christian fiction book. Her life is changed forever by an encounter with this John Bunyan whose spirit breathes free with the message of the gospel.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Young Adult

172 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1993

Reviews

[The Radical Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author: Lois Hoadley Dick

Recommended Age: 12-14

Date Published: 1993

Genre: Historical Fiction

Summary:
Cissy Nidd is the daughter of a jailer and thief. Forced to help conceal her father’s counterfeiting business, she must spread false coins throughout London and the surrounding English counties. But when she meets John Bunyan, a Dissenter preacher who happens to be imprisoned in their jail, she begins hearing about God’s redeeming grace, and how it could change her criminal life.


Notes from The Radical Reader:

Noble Characters:
Cissy Nidd hates the counterfeiting work her father forces her to do. But with the lives of her family at stake, and her own reputation forfeit if she stops, she continues spreading illegal coins throughout London. But when John Bunyan introduces her to the truth of Scripture and the possibility of a real relationship with Christ, will she continue her criminal work, or reveal to the authorities her treasonous crimes?

Captivating Plots:
Illegal meetings with Dissenter preachers. Hushed conversations in the jail with John Bunyan. Treacherous dealings in the streets of London. Everywhere she turns, Cissy Nidd is defying the Crown and evading its authorities. She knows that the truth of Scripture is something to stand for, but will she continue hiding her counterfeit dealings? Or will she expose her crimes and risk losing everything?

Elaborate Worlds:
From Bedford to London, we see England in the seventeenth century through the eyes of a fifteen-year-old girl. Through riots over England’s mandatory religious doctrines, to plagues spreading throughout the country, to the Great Fire of London that burns and destroys homes, Cissy Nidd is faced with the horrible task of keeping her criminal dealings a secret, or exposing the truth and condemning herself.


Noteworthy Elements:

Violence:
One of the characters in the story catches the plague as it sweeps through London. He begs Cissy for a pistol to end his pain, but she won’t give it to him.

Sexual Tension:
There are no explicit sexual or romantic scenes. At one point in the story, Cissy is almost kidnapped by the town constable who wants to “ruin her reputation” and make it appear as if she is in love with him. Cissy’s brother intervenes before anything occurs. No explicit language or detailed imagery is used.

https://theradicalreader.com/false-co...

[Wayne Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is 1660, and fifteen-year-old Cecelia (Cissy) Nidd, whose mother died when she was little, lives in the village of Bedford, England, on the River Ouse, fifty miles north of London, with her father and two older brothers, Harold and Frank. Wicket Nidd is the town jailor and collector of tolls, but he and his family also counterfeit false gold and silver coins for a Dutchman named Degrooter who is trying to ruin England’s economy in case she goes to war with Holland. Then a Dissenting preacher named John Bunyan, the tinker of Bedford, becomes a prisoner in her father's jail, and in listening to his preaching Cissy begins to wonder if she might be able to change her life that she can be pleasing to the Lord.

However, she has fallen in love with a dashing and gallant highwayman named Gil Turpin, while her father wants her to marry the odious Clerk of the Peace in Bedford, Paul Cobb who is almost as old as her own father. So she runs away to London to live with her Aunt Meg and Uncle Trig and work in their inn, The Black Pot. There she begins to attend the Dissenters’ meetings and to understand the importance of obeying God’s will. Things seem to be going well for a while, but then she must endure the horrors of the plague and the Great Fire of London. What will happen to Cissy and those whom she loves? As she experiences these sufferings, will she be a false coin or a true one? Author Lois Dick says that when she read about the grim realities of John Bunyan's imprisonment and his courageous refusal to stop preaching, she knew she wanted to write a book about him. The reader will get to understand a little about the Dissenters from the Church of England and the difficulties that they faced.

There are a couple of common euphemisms (blasted, drat), but the language is generally wholesome. One person complained that the book read like a soap opera. I admit that sometimes the plot bogged down and moved extremely slowly while at other times it hopped, skipped, and jumped along so fast that it was hard to keep up with what was going on and it was somewhat confusing. But there is nothing tawdry about it. Yes, there is a romantic part, but it is kept clean and pure. As Cissy is drawn to the preaching and faith of John Bunyan, she learns the difference between deceit and righteousness, between the false and the true. In the realm of religious beliefs and practices, preachers are called “pastors,” but I did notice that when the Dissenters met for communion, it is said that they had “a loaf of bread and a bowl of grape juice” rather than wine. Overall, I enjoyed the story.

[Amanda Stevens · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a home-schooled kid of the 90s, I read many books from BJU Press's Light Line and Pennant imprints, and I remember this one being a favorite. It's fast-paced and vivid in its depiction of 1600s England--the conflicts of the Church of England, the Black Plague, the Fire of London, and protagonist Cissy Nidd's meeting John Bunyan when he's jailed as a Dissenter. I loved reading the letters between Cissy and Gil Turpin, the highwayman trying to make good. I loved the question of whether Cissy and Gil will be false or true coin when their love and faith is tested.

I still own this book, though I haven't read it in decades. Given its shortness (less than 200 pages!), I don't see how the author could have fully developed all the setting and events and characters I remember, but when I first read it, I loved its uniqueness among the contemporary and American historical novels available then.

[Kelsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book is awesome in credible i have read it over and over again i would share itwith my friends for sure it is incredible i loveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeedededdddddddddddddddddddxxddxddxdddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd this book i read it all night long i have eye bags now so cool i wish i new who wrought it in person you need to read it

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this a long time ago, but I think it was a pretty good book for children/young adults.

[Olivia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I felt like the book was too fast-paced, and this made it seem rather unrealistic.