Review: Elizabeth Prentiss by Sharon James

Sep 13

Book info

Life: She was the 5th child of the famous Edward Payson, and best known for her work, Stepping Heavenward and her hymn that I read at the beginning of the review. She grew up under puritan influence with a hint of evangelism as well. From a very early age, she showed her strong intellect, and at the age of 16 was regularly publishing poems and stories in a magazine. In 1838, she opened a school, and in 1845, she married George Prentiss. The Prentiss’s had 6 children, four of whom survived infancy.

From an early age, Prentiss understood pain and suffering to be a means of God preparing His children for great work and service for Him on this earth. This belief helped her get through so many trials later in life.

General info about author: Elizabeth Prentiss was an author, poet, teacher, wife and mother, and a strong woman of prayer.

This was my first impression of Prentiss, and I was very much inspired by her life story, her poetry, and her imagination. Sharon James does a really great job incorporating these things into the biography.

This biography, as Sharon says in her preface, ‘is not an academic biography,’ p. xiv. So, this is a very easy biography to simply pick up and read with no backstory on Prentiss whatsoever.

This biography also includes 15 illustrations. Most of them are illustrations of the area she grew up, where she lived, etc.

I found this biography to be very inspiring in terms of Prentiss’ home life, her willingness to serve her family, and her love of prayer and sanctification. It gave me a stronger desire to raise my family with regular prayer, scripture reading, and singing. As Sharon James says on p. 5 and 11.

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