Susie by Ray Rhodes Jr.

Susie: The Life and Legacy of Susannah Spurgeon
by Ray Rhodes Jr.

My Rating: 4 Stars

Goodreads Synopsis: While many Christians recognize the name of Charles H. Spurgeon, the beloved preacher and writer, few are familiar with the life and legacy of his wife, Susie. Yet Susannah Spurgeon was an accomplished and devout woman of God who had a tremendous ministry in her own right, as well as in support of her husband. Even while dealing with serious health issues, she administered a book fund for poor pastors, edited and published her husband's sermons and other writings, led a pastor's aid ministry, wrote five books, made her home a hub of hospitality, and was instrumental in planting a church. And as her own writing attests, she was also a warm, charming, and fascinating woman.

Now for the first time, Susie brings this vibrant woman's story to modern readers. Ray Rhodes Jr. examines Susannah's life, showing that she was not only the wife of London's most famous preacher, but also a woman who gave all she had in grateful service to the Lord.

Susie is an inspiring and encouraging account of a truly remarkable woman of faith that will delight Spurgeon devotees and fans of Christian biographies alike.

My Review: Charles Spurgeon is a well loved preacher from the 19th century. In fact, Spurgeon was known as "the Prince of Preachers," for obvious reasons. Many Christians know and love his preaching. But not many know much about the woman behind the preacher -- Susannah. This book introduces you to Susannah Spurgeon, the wife of Charles Spurgeon - not Charles Spurgeon's wife, Susannah. Susie was a woman of much love - love for the gospel, the church, and her husband. She shared in her husband's ministry and was an important asset to preachers around the world up until the day she died. She is a remarkable woman that you definitely need to read about.

I could only find two downsides to this book. One of those was the structure of how the book was written. Instead of chronologically going through Susie's life, the author themed each chapter which caused the story to be a choppy telling of Susannah Spurgeon's life. It was hard to follow at places due to the choppy format. Also, there were some sections where Charles Spurgeon took the spotlight more than I feel he should have for this book. While I didn't mind reading about him, and his was definitely an important person in this book, there were some places where I would have loved to read more from Susie's perspective on the events of the chapter. Overall, this was a very enjoyable book to read and I loved learning more about Susannah Spurgeon.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.