Review
Title: The Sister Preachers
Author: Gale Sears
Publisher: Deseret Book Company
Genre: Historical Fiction
Year Published: 2022
Number of Pages: 272 pages
Binding: Paperback
ISBN-10: 1639930159
ISBN-13: 978-1639930159
Price: $17.99
Reviewed by Christine Tensmeyer for the Association for Mormon Letters
I really enjoyed The Sister Preachers by Gale Sears. The story is based on the mission served by Lucy Jane (Jennie) Brimhall and Amanda Inez Knight. While this book is historical fiction, I loved that the author included footnotes from journals of the girls or letters that they wrote, or other documented experiences of these two sisters for some of the chapters. In fact, I would say that was my favourite thing about this novel, the footnotes! I loved the additional information from historical sources, and seeing how those facts were so neatly woven into the story.
The Sister Preachers starts in Utah, with best friends Lucy, who goes by Jennie, and Amanda, who goes by Inez. Jennie and Inez are asked to go to London and help with the missionary work there as there are a lot of rumours going on about what it’s like to be a “Mormon woman.” Though the girls are dumbfounded by this call, they both agree to serve a mission. The idea of having female preachers is a completely foreign concept for all involved, and there are many challenges for Jennie and Inez as they pioneer this new calling.
The inclusion of the recipes was very interesting. Food was prepared very differently in the late 1800s and the recipes make that very clear. I found the recipe for hare fascinating and mildly off-putting.
I loved the relationship that Jennie and Inez had with each other and the personalities that the author portrayed them to have. Gale Sears authentically portrayed a close female relationship throughout the novel. The Sister Preachers shows how that friendship of trust, and genuine love, can be tested during challenging times and becomes stronger in the end.
I liked all the details about missionary life in the late 1890s. Missionary life is completely different today. Jennie was in the same mission as her fiancé. Can you even imagine? I really appreciated the details of how they would have found housing, the street meetings they held, and even the physical harassment the missionaries endured.
I wish the book was longer. In the physical sense, The Sister Preachers is not a hefty book by any means. In the story sense, The Sister Preachers ends with Jennie leaving her mission after 6 months due to health concerns. I really would have enjoyed reading more of Inez’s mission story and how she interacted with new companions, and how she grew during her mission. There were a few minor plot points that I wish Gale Sears had delved into more, such as Jennie’s mother’s story. It’s said that her mother isn’t quite right and is no longer able to live at home with her family, and that’s really all the details we have in the book.
I think The Sister Preachers is definitely geared to those who are not familiar with this part of history in general, as it had footnotes about Queen Victoria and the Industrial Revolution. I feel like most members of our Church know about the first two female missionaries, but the specifics of Jennie and Inez’s mission and their lives are lesser known. I really enjoyed getting to know their story more. The Sister Preachers left me with a desire to find out more about Jennie and Inez to fill in the gaps. Overall, this was a good read.