Idols of the Heart

by A.L.O.E.

Already a rift is forming, and Lady Selina is secretly satisfied. Poor Clemence had not even entered the home of her soon-to-be stepchildren and had no idea that a great manipulator was setting the stage for disaster!

Her blunders and inexperience with an affluent lifestyle bring unfamiliar anxiety to Clemence. How will she cope with the escalating tension, the maddening hypocrisy she faces every day?

A tragic accident changes everything, and God’s tender Word takes the forefront. For “What shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul; or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” Clemence decides to do the right thing, and poverty becomes the channel by which the riches of God’s grace change debilitating bitterness to joy.

253 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1878

About the author

Charlotte Maria Tucker, the English author, who wrote under the pseudonym A.L.O.E (a Lady of England), was the daughter of Henry St George Tucker (1771-1851), a distinguished official of the British East India Company. From 1852 till her death she wrote many stories for children, most of them allegories with an obvious moral, and devoted the proceeds to charity. In 1875 she left England for India to engage in missionary work, and died at Amritsar on the 2nd of December 1893.

Reviews

[Chloe W · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this story! I did wonder why Clemence would marry a widower without ever having met the children before. But watching how some of the characters grew and changed was beautiful. I was sad that some characters seemed incapable of change but it was also a somber reminder that every day you are going into a certain type of person and if your struggling with something don't put it off until tomorrow to address it - it will be a process but living with a bad habit without addressing it is only helping you make it more of a habit. Clemence was the most enjoyable to follow her journey - she came to grow into a woman I wanted to emulate in so many ways, it was inspiring!

[Kaitlyn Rinehart · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a great reminder of what is most important in life. Also, it teaches a main lesson to be aware of how you spend your time and not let other things or people come before God. The story it told was well written.

[Inge · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read as part of the last step before publication as an e-book by the Project Gutenberg Distributed Proofreaders, to remove the last errors (smooth reading). If you want to read this book, it will be available through Project Gutenberg soon.

To me, it was a bit heavy on religious virtues in the end, but over all it is a nice story which reflects the time in which it was written.