Susie

I admit that I knew nothing about Susie or her husband before requesting this book. I found this book to be extremely interesting and you can tell the author did their research. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about how Susie came into her own and out of her husband’s shadow.

Susie is a very interesting read about the life of Susannah Spurgeon. I knew very little of Susie prior to reading this book; however, after reading it I feel very well acquainted with this powerful woman. The story flows quite smoothly and I found the book to be very easy to read.

I received a complimentary copy of this title in exchange for my honest review.

I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley.

Charles Spurgeon is one of the worlds best known preachers and this new biography considers the life of his wife Susannah and all of the support that she offered to him throughout his ministry despite having many health problems of her own.

This is a very detailed book and covers a lot of ground including a lot of background information on places that they visited or the general cultural climate of the time. Although this was at times interesting at other times I felt that it added unnecessary length to the volume and was on occasion repetitve. I also felt that the book skipped a lot between times in her life which sometimes made it slightly confusing to read.

However, this was an encouraging and challenging read especially as a Pastors wife myself. Susannah was clearly a wife devoted to her Husband but most of all devoted to the God He served.

Thank you to Net Galley and Moody Publishers for the chance to read and review this book.

Like other reviewers before me, I did not really know anything about Susannah Spurgeon before I read this book. Susie was married to preacher and writer Charles H. Spurgeon. Despite poor health and separations due to his many speaking engagements, their love for each other and for the Lord remained strong Even after Charles died, Susannah continued to do the Lord's work..

I really liked this book. I liked it so much that I did further research on the internet about this fascinating couple. The author also made this story very interesting.

Just like many other pastor's wives are not recognizable, Susie Spurgeon is no exception. I have never heard about her before this book, even though her life is an inspiration. She was a writer, editor, publisher, missionary, and she was fighting serious health issues. Solid people like her are underrated and they remain unknown today, so I am glad that there is something like this book about the subject. I would love to see a well made movie about her too. The only thing I would change about the book is that it would flow a bit better if it were written from the first person or something. It was not an easy read for me, it was bits and pieces stitched together in a not very smooth way.

Oh my goodness gracious, what a book. I read a biography earlier in the year on Charles and now I am thankful that I spent time with Susie. Ray did a masterful job of giving us the woman who stood right beside one of the greatest preachers of all time. In fact, from reading this book, I felt Susanna would have made a name for herself just in how she went about doing her ministry, but when she married Charles, she knew what her true role was and because of that, Charles was able to be the man God wanted him to be. I am blessed and thankful to have journeyed with Susie. These two together (Charles and Susanna) showed the world what a marriage dedicated to the Lord look like. They had their challenges and they had their pains, but because of their love to Jesus, they were to make everything about themselves secondary only to letting people know about Jesus. I am deeply inspired because of this book. It is a must read for anyone at all, especially those who want to learn how to do ministry in the shadows, which is where some of the best ministry happens. Susie was to Charles what Barnabas was to Paul...amen for both of them. READ THIS BOOK.

This biography of Susannah Spurgeon, the wife of Charles Haddon Spurgeon, gives us insight into the life of one of the most famous preachers of all time. We see how Susie was a true helpmeet to her husband, and how she worked beside him in ministry, even with her own writing.
We see a couple who were totally devoted to one another, their children & grandchildren, and to the Lord their God.
I love the writings of Charles Spurgeon and this book has given me some insight into him as a man.
I was given a free copy of the book by Moody Publishers from NetGalley. The opinions in this review are completely my own.

What a wonderfully, brilliant book! I had not, up to this point, known Susie's story. What a courageous, inspiring woman and how grateful I am to feel as though I've been given the opportunity to know her a little bit better.

This biography of Susie Spurgeon covers 125 years. This is 125 years of family history, national history in Great Britain and church history. The book starts with a comprehensive timeline over 11 pages of what’s to come in the book. The next chapter covers 71 years in Susie’s life, fleshing out the timeline in the first chapter. Subsequent chapters flesh this history out even more.

I’m thinking this book was probably written for a group study, rather than for individuals to read as a biography. The way it’s outlined and with the repetitive nature of the chapters, it would be an excellent study for a small group such as a Sunday School class or Bible study. The material is excellent and well researched. It lends itself very well to reading a chapter per week and discussing with other readers.

I am thankful to NetGalley and Moody Publishers for an ARC of this biography. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

I've read other books about Susie Spurgeon, but this one seemed to capture her better than the others. I enjoyed it.
I received this book free from the publisher for the purpose of an honest review.

I am really sorry to have to rate a book about a truly inspiring woman so low. The author was very careful to show Susie, in all her strengths and weaknesses, and to give full glory to God, as she would have wished. I did learn a lot about her through this book, but it just wasn’t an enjoyable read.
It contains a lot of information, but it reads like a series of compiled notes. It’s choppy. Thoughts don’t flow smoothly even inside a paragraph. Then, the whole book is also choppy. The author picks a project or an event and follows it out to the end of her life, and then returns to it over and over again in the following chapters. Even as he is describing a scene he repeats himself, stating a thought numerous ways.
I found it hard to keep interested and a bit hard to follow. It had good information, but it was not compiled in an easily readable way.
I received this as a free ARC through NetGalley and Moody Publishers. No favorable review was required. It was my pleasure to provide my honest opinions.

I did not know a great deal about Susannah Spurgeon prior to reading this book but what an interesting history.
The book is biographical in nature and covers a great span of time including information about the history of Great Britain and the Baptist movement during her life. The pro to the book was its informative nature, its con is the repetitive nature in the writing.

I give 4-1/2 stars. Susie: The Life and Legacy of Susannah Spurgeon, wife of Charles H. Spurgeon. Fascinating.

Susie Spurgeon has left a lasting testimony, not just as helpmeet to her more famous husband, but also in her own right. Her life is worth being remembered (much as it may surprise her!), and I am grateful Ray Rhodes has brought her to our attention. Unsung hero(in)es deserve their place in history, especially when they have something to teach us. Reading of her life has also encouraged me to learn more of her husband’s work.
I appreciated that the book is written in the style of the period, i.e. Victorian, as it suits it & also means that extracts from letters do not stand out.
As a chronic invalid myself, this book has given me hope that God can still use me....

This book was very well researched, but as much as I've tried, I just can't get into it. The book skips around a lot in time rather than following Susie's life strictly chronologically. This made it harder to follow and harder to visualize her story. The book was full of data, but was just not captivating as a biography.

Until I read this book, I had never read a biography about Susie Spurgeon. Through the meticulous research of this author, I felt that I came to know her and could see her heart for her husband, her family, and her God. I enjoyed reading passages of the letters that she and her husband exchanged, as well as some of Susie’s own writings. She had much to overcome during her lifetime, but it she found great strength and peace through her strong faith in God. She was in very poor health for much of her life, yet she was determined to serve God in anyway that she could with the little physical strength that she had.

This book also highlights the true, life-long love story between she and her husband. I loved reading about their courtship and engagement. Their letters to each other are so sweet and indicate much about their life together. Their love and support for each other never wavered through tragedy and loss. The love their sons had for both their parents, as well as their own future ministries, show the evidence of Susie’s never-failing faithfulness to her family.

Even though Susie lived in Victorian times, her testimony lives on to challenge us today in our daily walk with God. I’m very glad that I read this book.

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

Thank you for this ARC.
I am always interested in reading about the woman behind the man; in this case, Susie, the wife of revered preacher Charles Spurgeon.
Unfortunately, the poor formatting proved to be too much of a distraction to continue reading this book. The writing is okay but the tone of the story is quite flat. I will do my best to finish reading and will update my review accordingly.

Very interesting book about Susannah Spurgeon, wife of Charles Haddon Spurgeon. The timeline at the beginning of the book is very helpful. Research is very impressive.

This was a well-researched and engaging read. I have read many of Spurgeon's sermons in the past year and I was interested in this book about his wife who I formerly had no knowledge of. The author does a good job of making this a book about Susie although the great Spurgeon features prominently because of how interwoven their two lives were. I admit I shed tears while reading this book because their love story were so breathtaking, astounding and evidently crafted by God. It's extremely rare to see love so enduring even in the pains and hardships of life in our modern age of cheap thrills.

The books was well written but I found the organization of the chapters could have been better; as it is, some parts, particularly at the end, seemed repetitive and more disjointed from the broader story, appearing to be almost another overview or summary.
I do recommend a reading of this book for any who appreciate Spurgeon's work, as his wife's contribution to his life and their love and perseverance and faithfulness to God are outstanding when considered together.

I fear this will have a limited audience in this modern age but for a biographical account I found it interesting. The facts and events are clearly presented and in a way that I found interesting, despite this area of theology not playing a high profile in my life. If this is your field of particular interest then I would highly recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Moody Publishers for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

I went into this book really admiring the sermons of C.H. Spurgeon, and knowing a little of his sons who carried on his legacy, but knowing next to nothing about his wife, Susannah.



But as I read this book I became very impressed with Susannah who was a very strong believer with many accomplishments to her name, who selflessly served her family and her husband's ministry.



I enjoyed reading about her young life, upbringing, courtship, and then marriage to Charles Spurgeon. I wasn't easy to be married to such a famous man, and to weather man storms by his side, as he was often criticized very publically in the papers. Much of the book draws from correspondences, sermons, and sources of the time like the papers, as well as church records, etc.



Susie was a very well spoken woman, as her writing clearly shows. She was very passionate about serving the Lord through supporting her family, and discipling her twin sons, who went on to each become preachers in their own right.



Overall, this was a fantastic read, thoroughly enjoyed reading about Susie, her life and faith. I thought that it was amazing how much she did to preserve her husbands written work, train preachers, and plant multiple churches. Her determination and serving spirit, even when she was deemed an invalid, is so inspiring. If you like Christian biographies you won't want to miss the chance to read about this remarkable woman!



Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and testimonials in Advertising."

Over all this was a pleasant read and quite well researched. But a bit difficult to keep up because of the writing style and the poor formatting.

Biography of Susannah Spurgeon, wife of Charles H. Spurgeon. She brought her own talents to their marriage and contributed greatly to his ministry as well as offering her own. She had the a book fund which profited many pastors. Both were dedicated to sharing the love of God. If you like biographies, add this to your reading list. It's quite thorough, and beautifully illustrates Susie's life and the depth of her feeling for her work and her husband.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher and Netgalley book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

I really wanted to read this book! We always hear about great pastors and teachers, but not much about the women behind them, And Susie (Suzanne) sounds like an amazing person. There was a lot of research that went into this book and it seems very complete. For me, it was a bit too much (I was hoping for more like a novel) and I couldn't finish it though it definitely was interesting. Thank you very much for providing me with a copy!

Reading the works of Spurgeon has always been a blessing to many believers throughout the years including myself. This book is on the life of the wife of Charles H. and it brings to life all the things going on throughout their lives together. The happy moments, the family dynamic changes, and the hard times and how they navigated through it all by holding on to God. That makes it a book that encourages the reader to know God and hang on to Him in all the types of “water” that life brings. Whether they are ideal calm “water” moments or crazy tumultuous crashing seas it inspires others through the telling of their life and walk with the Savior through it all.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.


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For a few years now I've been encouraged by the writing of Charles Spurgeon and have wanted to find out more about him and his wife. I'm so thankful that someone decided to write a book about Susannah and the life of ministry she shared with her husband. I didn't realize that she contributed so much to the ministry God gave to Charles Spurgeon, even after he died. I also learned that they both had debilitating health issues and that Susie was also a great writer herself. My favorite parts of this biography were the quotes from Susie, which I found most encouraging. I enjoyed reading about the early days of their relationship and marriage, as well as the difficult days they went through later in life. Through it all, they both stayed committed to God and His calling. They didn't let their work overtake their own relationship or the relationship with their children, which is not typical. The support Susie provided to Charles and the love they had for one another is a great model for anyone wanting a successful marriage. I personally do not promote or endorse the author of the foreword, but other than that, I highly recommend this book.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. A positive review was not required, and all opinions expressed are entirely my own.

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.