God's Children

by Mabli Roberts

'Kate nurse, intrepid adventurer, saviour of the lepers or devious manipulator, immoral and dishonest?' As she lies on her deathbed visited by the ghosts of her past, who should we believe, Kate or those who accuse her of duplicity? Memory is a fickle recollections may be frozen in time or distorted by the mirror of wishful thinking. Kate's own story is one of incredible achievements, illicit love affairs and desperate longing; those of her accusers paint a very different portrait – of a woman determined on fame and fortune. The reader navigates a narrative as fractured as the Siberian ice Kate crosses in search of a cure for leprosy, and as beautiful as Rose, her lost love, as the full picture emerges of a life lived when women were not expected to break the mould.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Historical, Queer

260 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 11, 2019

Reviews

[Katie Lumsden · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a truly amazing novel. I really loved this one - so compelling, so interesting, with such historical insight and such clever weaving together of the narrative. I would highly recommend.

[Zoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Insightful, engaging, and intriguing!

God’s Children is a fascinating interpretation about the life of Kate Marsden, a British nurse who in 1891 travelled across the Siberian wilderness to find a cure for Leprosy and to raise funds for the construction of a hospital where those afflicted with this degenerative disease could find care and comfort.

The prose is clear and precise. The characters are devout, steadfast, and independent. And the plot using a past/present style sweeps you back and forth between the late-1800s and early-1900s through a world filled with forbidden love, loss, deception, manipulation, riches, power, loneliness, hope, courage, and scandal.

I have to admit that I knew very little about Kate Marsden when I started God’s Children but Roberts did such a wonderful job of blending historical facts with compelling fiction that I was not only left entertained but questioning whether Marsden was truly a missionary with a pure heart or merely a selfish woman seeking a life above her means.

Thank you to Mabli Roberts and Damppebbles Blog Tours for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Amy Bruno · Rating 4 out of 5]

God's Children is an eye-opening and compelling novel based on the life of Kate Marsden, a nurse who is determined to find a cure for Leprosy. She travels to Siberia in search of a mysterious flower that was rumored to be the cure and to ultimately build a hospital to care for the Lepers.

It was heartwrenching to read how Lepers were treated back then. They were run off and left to fend for themselves in remote areas. Too awful for words.

Roberts chronicles the hardships Kate endured, from her dangerous travels through Siberia (you won't believe what she went through!), the shunning from the public because of her dealings with the lepers, and journalists who questioned her true intentions. She came through it all with the grace of a woman who knows her true heart and fierce determination to take care of God's most afflicted creatures.

The book jumps back and forth from before, during, and after Siberia. Some may not like the time jumps, but I thought it worked well, and the story paced nicely.

I found Kate to be a truly fascinating woman! Her drive and conviction are inspiring, and I am so glad that I got to learn about her.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s no way to start a review, but I will admit that this may well not be a book for everyone – its structure is challenging with its patchwork of memories, a dying Kate Marsden revisiting her life’s experiences – but I found it absolutely enthralling. In her acknowledgements, the author thanks the publishers for sharing her vision for the way she wanted to tell the story – it’s original and very different, but her fragmented narrative becomes as natural as breathing, setting her first person recollections against the interpretation by others of her actions and motives.

The book tells the story of her quest for a cure for leprosy – the perhaps mythical flower used by shamans in Siberia – and Kate Marsden’s extraordinary 11,000 mile journey, undertaken with the support of the Russian royal family, to visit the area and set up a hospital for the care and treatment of the sufferers. It’s a magnificent and sweeping story – travelling over frozen lakes and through impenetrable forests in a sledge, wrapped in layers of clothing, sleeping on skins in yurts along the way overrun with vermin, full of moments of extreme danger and occasional exultation.

But that account is also interspersed with other memories – her early life in England, her nursing in Bulgaria, her time in New Zealand working at Wellington Hospital and with the St John’s ambulance service, and her endless efforts to raise money to support her trip and the construction of the hospital. And there are the memories of her private life too – the one real love of her life, a story quite beautifully told, and the other alliances that cost her her reputation amid allegations of immorality and resulted both in doubts about her honesty and her ultimate ostracisation.

The writing is quite wonderful. The journey scenes are exceptionally vivid and filled with atmospheric detail, as you feel the extremes of cold, fear, discomfort and danger along with Kate’s absolute belief that all will be well as she carries out God’s will. The depiction of her relationships – particularly her time with Rose – is perfectly done, the historical context realistically portrayed, with real moments of joy, beauty and discovery.

I very much liked Kate’s clear voice – her conviction about her calling nicely balanced with her naivety about the perceptions of others. She’s not exactly an unreliable narrator, but what you read is her interpretation of events, her personal perspective: there are times that her sureness that she is in the right can make you angry, but there are those moments of absolute joy that shift you entirely into her corner and make you angry instead at those who fail to understand. The emotional touch of the story is immensely assured – the deathbed scenes, some the product of delirium, frequently moved me to tears.

This was such a special book – its reading an experience I found quite unforgettable, and one I’d highly recommend. Without question, this was one of my books of the year.

[Terri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh where do I start! Great story based on a true story. A very different read for me but what an adventure I went on! Read this book!

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a story based on a true story of Nurse Kate Marsden , a intrepid adventurer,saviour of the lepers or was she a devious manipulator, immoral and dishonest. The story unfolds on Kate’s death bed and she is visited by the ghost’s of her past, do we believe Kate or those who accuse her of duplicity. Kate’s own story is one incredible achievements , illicit love affairs and desperate longing, those of her accuses paint a very different portrait- of a woman determined on fame and fortune. Beautifully written by a master storyteller of the highest order, Mabli paints a picture of a life lived when women were not expected to break the mould. My best read by a mile this year and it will be very hard to beat. Mabli Roberts is the pseudonym of Paul Brackston.

[Lel Budge · Rating 4 out of 5]

God’s Children is a unique, engaging read by Mabli Roberts….

This is the story of Kate Marsden and her 11,000 mile search for a flower that could possibly cure leprosy.

This is an epic tale of travels through a hostile environment of, forests, snow and ice with some truly perilous moments.

It starts on Kate’s death bed as she remembers her past…During her story she recounts earlier memories of her life in England, Russia, Bulgaria and New Zealand, we learn of her personal life too which damaged her reputation at the time.

“In the spring of 1890, St Petersburg was filled with blossom.”

Beautifully written with such descriptive writing you’ll feel every chill and moment of danger along with Kate. It’s not a fast read and I felt at sometimes a little disjointed, but it is human, with all its foibles, love, beauty, fear and death…..stunning and it will stay with me for a long time.

Thank you to Damppebbles Blog Tours for the opportunity to participate in this blog tour and for the promotional materials and a free copy of the ebook. This is my honest, unbiased review.

[Judy Nappa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although this story is a re-imagining of her life and goals, Kate Marsden must have been a woman to be reckoned with. Her desire to help those suffering with leprosy in Siberia was a journey most of us would probably not be able to undertake. An interesting portrayal of just how kind or cruel society can be...

[Katherine Stansfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this beguiling historical novel about the C19th nurse and explorer Kate Marsden - a fascinating individual I'd never heard of before picking up this book. The story is very well put together, with different timelines interspersing one another to reflect the narrator's attempts to understand her own story as she nears the end of her life. I admired how the book explores the impact of society's condemnation of Marsden's sexual orientation while at the same time suggesting that she was manipulative and fabricated aspects of her story during her lifetime. In Roberts' hands, Marsden is richly complex and elusive. I also thought the writing about the natural world and Siberia was terrific - there is a vivid description of an insect crawling over Marsden that I fear I will never forget, it was so intense!

[Cdhutson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book will stay with me for a while. It is beautifully written and the author (Paula Brackston) weaves this story together in a way that holds your attention. It's based on a true story that speaks to us today concerning prejudiced of life styles, fear of the afflicted, and also a touch of what greed can do to ones ambitions.
I've been a fan of Paula Brackston for some time, but this book shows a whole new dimension of her talent.

[Amy Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

God’s Children is a sensitively written novel about an overlooked medical pioneer who is thoroughly deserving of more recognition.

I freely admit that I had never heard of Kate Marsden however, from the moment I saw the striking portrait of her dressed in her Siberian travelling gear that appears at the front of the book, I could see why Mabli Roberts was drawn to her. Staring out from the page, there is a fierce determination in Kate’s eyes and, as Roberts reveals more of Kate’s story, her character begins to match her picture. Kate comes across as a deeply devout and determinedly focused women, compelled by compassion to fulfill what she sees as God’s mission for her even in the face of societal disapproval, financial hardships, and physical impairments.

The novel flits back and forth across Kate’s life, visiting her as she lies dying in a pauper’s hospital before moving back to her early life in England, her time on the front lines as a war nurse, discovering love as a senior nurse in New Zealand, and on her memorable trip across the Siberian steppes as she endeavored to discover a cure for leprosy, and set up a remote hospital to assist lepers cast out by their communities.

The narrative is fractured and fragmentary which, in lesser hands, could lead to the reader feeling unmoored and disconnected. Instead, Roberts skillful handling of the slips in time allow her to explore the gaps in Kate’s life, and to tease out her motives and convictions to create a portrait of a remarkable, if sometimes flawed, woman who was, in many ways, at odds with her time.

Whilst never straying from Kate’s perspective, Roberts allows the reader to critique Kate, whose belief in her convictions and determination to carry out what she sees as God’s will occasionally leads her to disregard the impact that her actions have on others, whilst never entirely losing sympathy for her. Kate’s private life – in particular her relationship with Rose – is also beautifully rendered, and her emotional state throughout is captured with great sensitivity and empathy.

There is also some beautiful descriptive writing in the novel. As Kate journeys across the snowy wilderness of Siberia, I felt like I was right there alongside her. The writing is vivid and evocative, capturing both the beauty and the danger of the surroundings, and I had a real sense of the hardships of Kate’s journey and of the determination that it must have taken her to keep going.

God’s Children is a fascinating historical novel about a woman who definitely deserves to be better known for her work and her achievements. Mabli Roberts has done a brilliant job of giving Kate a voice, and of portraying her as a real, complex woman capable of feeling a range of conflicting emotions. Whilst the fragmented narrative can take a few pages to get used to, if you stick with it God’s Children swiftly becomes a compelling read, that explores the boundaries between the truths of our lives and the fictions we tell to justify ourselves.

With it’s evocative writing and compelling characterisation, God’s Children is a novel that historical and literary fiction fans should certainly take the time to pick up.

This is an edited version of a review that appeared on my blog, https://theshelfofunreadbooks.wordpre..., as part of the blog tour for God's Children. My thanks go to the publisher for providing a copy of the book in return for an honest an unbiased review.

[Cheryl M-M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who was Kate Marsden? Was she a woman intent on providing care and a cure for those suffering from leprosy, with big plans to build hospitals? Or was she a clever manipulator and con woman?

The question that remains in the end is whether Kate Marsden was the woman she wanted everyone to believe she was or just an organiser of a well executed scam.

She uses her professional experiences and extensive travels to make more connections. Her fans include the British and Russian royal family, and a spate of wealthy women. Her benefactors want to see her succeed because she acts in God's name. A little bit like an evangelical tv star, but without the medium of television.

She holds town hall meetings to encourage people to spend money and invest in her very ambitious plans. Of course society wants to be seen helping those less fortunate, because it makes them look like better people.

Kate hints occasionally at some unspoken horror experienced at the hands of certain men whilst travelling the isolated areas looking for people stricken with leprosy. That thought sort of petered out during the tale though.

Her sexual preferences are hinted at, but never go further other than to suggest moments of titillation and flushed cheeks. Love is suggested, but desire remains in the imagination of the beholder.

In retrospect it's hard to be completely clear on the truth. Were her detractors extremely successful in plotting her downfall because they were presenting the sordid truth or because their need for revenge had become an obsession? I suppose it depends on which account you are more likely to believe.

It's historical fiction, a biography of sorts and a mystery to boot. Even towards the end, Kate is uncertain what is truth and what is fiction courtesy of the critics.
*I received a courtesy copy*

[Clive Upton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book.

To start with the geographical spread is about as far as you could get without being in Antarctica.

There are some fascinating historical details - words used you have to research. Think - horse drawn transport in Russia and Siberia, the discomfort and distances covered.

What is also interesting is the quite different recollections people will likely have of the same events, and how that is nicely drawn out by the writing.

[Valje · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would like to give this 4.5 stars, read on the recommendation of Katie of Books and Things. It is an amazing fictional account of the life of Nurse Kate Marsden and her attempts to help people with leprosy and how she was condemned by The Press.

[Peter Black · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating fictionalised account of the life of Kate Marsden

[Richard Bagworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

God’s Children by Mabli Roberts

At first the title put me off, however, knowing this author - and having read all her other excellent works - I read God’s Children.
What an amazing story, not just the excellent way the author has told the story but how it was delivered. I can’t remember the last book I read that took me through so many emotions.
I won’t spoil the end, however, it was written perfectly, and I had to reach for the tissue box.
Brilliantly written, an absolute joy to read.

[Nicola Bagworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fantastic story, not just the way the author has written the story but how the story was put forward to the reader.
Extremely interesting, a great account of Nurse Marsden and her calling to help the Lepers of the world.
Definitely recommend this book.