I enjoyed researching the state of medical training in Nolan’s era, and came to appreciate the training doctors receive now in comparison to then! Our existence today is different, but we share certain problems with the people of 1800s Texas—disease and crime continue to exist, and we are still fighting them. But I believe the Lord is our “ever present help in times of trouble” if we will just call on Him.
It was a joy to me to visit the site of Simpson Creek, in San Saba County, Texas, and learn from a historical plaque that there really was a Simpson Creek community back in the 1800s. I’ll be starting soon on the next story in the Brides of Simpson Creek series.
I enjoy hearing from readers. I can be reached through my website: www.lauriekingery.com.
Laurie Kingery
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
How does Sarah’s character, as the meeker, less certain of the Matthews sisters, change during the course of the story?
Before the story begins, Sarah loses the man she thought she was going to marry. Have you ever believed someone you loved was lost to you forever, only to have them reappear in your life? How did that work out for you?
Sarah believes she can only love a man who was loyal to the Confederacy in the recent Civil War. Have you ever believed you could only love one sort of person, only to fall in love with someone of another very different group?
Why is the verse “For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (II Timothy 1:7) significant to this story?
Why do you think Ada is never healed of her insanity?
Years before the story begins, Dr. Nolan Walker loses his wife and child to cholera. Why do you think some healing does not take place despite our prayers?
How do you think crime and punishment were different back in the old West, as compared to today?
How would you describe Sarah and Nolan’s positions in regard to faith at the beginning of the book, compared to the end?
How does Nolan’s experience in the war compare to that of an army physician today?
How do you think online dating services today compared to the mail-order bride concept of the 1800s? Have you ever participated in such a service?
Have things occurred in your life that made you believe God didn’t care about what happens to people? What evidence have you seen that He does care?
Jesse Holt has an expectation that Sarah has been waiting for him, and will go along with his plan for her to live a life on the run with him, but Sarah refuses to do so. Has another person in your life ever had unrealistic plans for you? How did you counter those expectations?
Jesse Holt’s frustrated desire for Sarah becomes twisted into a desire for vengeance. Have you seen a desire for revenge warp someone’s life? How did it impact your life?
How does the life of a single woman in small-town America compare with the life of a single woman today?
Do you have a loyal friend like Prissy Gilmore? How has she impacted your life? What sort of man would be best for Prissy?
ISBN: 978-1-4268-7999-9
THE DOCTOR TAKES A WIFE
Copyright © 2011 by Laurie A. Kingery
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*Brides of Simpson Creek
The Doctor Takes a Wife Page 22