The Pilgrim

Bought this as a gift for my Mother. She said it was awesome!!

Inspiring story of the legalizing of Christianity throughout the Roman empire. The mother of the soon-to-be Emporer Constantine shows heroism in her faith as she spreads the word of her son's edict through great difficulty on her pilgrimage to Jerusalem.

This book is a powerful testimony. This historical fictional account of Saint Helena's call is probably pretty close to how her great witness actually evolved, through her complete dependency upon the loving grace of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It is a book of faith and hope, a compelling read.

I was skeptical But I loved it. Excellent book for believers or not.

Having known very little about Constantine's mother, Helena, this book provided background that will always stay with me. She promoted Christianity in perilous times. Historical fiction is a wonderful way to teach history.

This is a work of historical fiction based on Helena, mother of Constantine, finding the true Cross. There is a sense of realism that is engaging. I was previously fascinated with this story of Helena. Now I feel like I have lived it. Helena appears courageous to the point of abandonment. She doesnt give up and has total trust in God to protect her and continue to lead her on her quest. She is inspiring to those who join her on their journey, in The Pilgrim and equally inspiring to the readers.

David Bunn helps the reader become invested in the characters such as Anthony, Cratus, and Favian. I liked Macarius, an old priest who often offers mass to the pilgrims, who has seen a lot and offers wisdom on the journey. I like the encounter with the leper, Aquilina. Helena and Aquilina have a tremendous effect on one another and Aquilina is important to the conclusion of the story. I had chill bumps as they discovered the true path of Christ to Calvary. Although I have never been to Jerusalem, I think we take for granted that we know where events from Jesus life take place. To have been there early on in the first centuries after Christ and not know where these historic sites were located adds to the realism and awe of this story. Also, to have been there when the tides were turning for Christians in the legalization of Christianity and release from tyrannical violence and slavery was momentous. You could feel God there every step of the way.

I would recommend this book to you to help you get closer to this heroic story of Helena and closer to God. This is an amazing story that changes everything for Christianity. St. Helena is attributed with helping to rebuild the churches at the nativity and the Ascension. Id like to think I would have done the same thing as Helena. It is said she brought back a piece of the true cross to her son, Constantine. You can imagine what impact this would have made on him and the local church. This story takes place before a time of unprecedented growth of Catholicism throughout the world.

3 1/2 stars

When I read that The Pilgrim was the story of Constantine’s mother, Helena, I was eager to read it. As I got to know Anthony and Cratus and some of the other characters, I enjoyed it even more. Add in a perilous journey through enemy territory being chased by a massive brute who is eager to kill – I’m in!

As always, Bunn’s book is well-written and draws you in from the beginning. But for all the action and adventure in the stories in the Bible, I rarely feel like I’m sitting on the edge of my seat biting my fingernails with historical Biblical fiction, so I don’t read a lot of it. Since this story isn’t actually from the Bible, I’d hoped it would be closer to the nail-biting end of the reading spectrum. (I figure some Biblical fiction is somewhat sanitized so as not to offend.) But there was only one (really good!) scene when I wondered who would live or die.

The other scenes where I expected more action and anxiety faded off into nothing bad happening to our protagonists. Not just that the enemy didn’t attack, but also without any clear indication that the people believed God intervened, that it was faith that made the difference. *Why* didn’t the enemy attack? Why did *they* think the enemy didn’t attack? If I was supposed to see their faith growing as they prayed for deliverance and were delivered, it was too subtle for me to gather from the text. Instead, I felt like I didn’t know what was going on, like I was missing something. (Yes, I saw their faith growing over the course of the book, but it didn’t seem to be very linked to being saved over and over.)

And the book ended like that for me – like I was missing something. I expected the vicarious thrill of victory over the enemy and the joyful glow of feeling God had delivered them as promised. I expected to hear even the briefest mention of how Helena and Anthony and Cratus saw a change in their lives. But instead, the end gave me an arm’s length description of how Helena’s work changed a nation. That’s great, but that’s the history side. I wanted the more personal side of how Helena was changed, but I never got close enough to her. Almost like a friend who never really lets you in, and eventually you give up and realize this person will never be the close kind of friend. That’s pretty much the exact opposite of what I look for in fiction, so that’s the disappointing part of the story for me.

If you already like this genre of fiction and/or if you like Bunn’s other books, you’ll like this one. But for me…well, I felt like I tried to make a new friend and ended up knowing her as little in the end as I did in the beginning.

[I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.]

The Pilgrim was an interesting read, but I have to say it was not one of my favorites from Davis Bunn. Though I appreciated the portrayal of Empress Helena and the trials she faced as she struggled to remain faithful to Christ, I didn’t really engage with her character. I have enjoyed many other historical novels from Davis Bunn, but I most likely won’t pick this one up again for a while.

Helena, raised from tavern serving girl to Empress by her marriage to a Roman general, divorced and thrown out of her home by the wayward desires of her husband, embarks on a journey of faith. She has a vision from God telling her to go on a pilgrimage to the city that was once Jerusalem. The journey will be long and treacherous because the land is no longer tolerant of Christians and there will be those who seek to stop her from her quest and those who will seek to kill her. She is joined on her journey by a sergeant of her former guards, who vows to protect her, a young Roman soldier who has lost everything including his faith and a battered and beaten priest. They are tracked by Severus, a murderous Roman assassin and fear daily for their lives. Helena is obediently following God's call with the most beautiful faith and perseverance.
Davis Bunn unfolds a beautiful story of one woman's uncompromising faith. A woman, who by her obedient example brings hope and faith back to those she encounters on her journey. This is a moving story, brilliantly told with characters and places that come alive. Davis Bunn's writing skills truly shine in this genre and it is a delight to read.I look forward to reading future offerings of Christian fiction from him.

I was given an eBook copy in exchange for my honest review.

For three centuries Roman emperors did their best to crush the movement started by the disciples of a Jewish preacher they had executed as a common criminal. In “The Pilgrim” Davis Bunn tells the tale of the woman and her son who made that movement the official religion of the Roman Empire.
Bunn uses historical fact, legend, and masterful storytelling to weave a story about Helena, the spurned wife of one Roman Emperor and the mother of a future one, and her quest to find the cross upon which Jesus was crucified. Through this story and her example, I also learned something about forgiveness—and my personal journey.
Davis’ research and master of the craft made me feel like I was witnessing the early days of the church and a turning point in its history. I’ve done research on this place and era for my own book and Davis’ descriptions are spot on.
You might read The Pilgrim for the great tale, the characters, and what you learn about this important time in history. You’ll remember it for what it teaches you about yourself.
I received a copy of this book from Franciscan Media in exchange for my honest review.