Christine Sunderland is a well-known writer from the San Francisco Bay Area. Her novels frequently draw from the European past.
Just Released - Offerings
Christine's second novel, Offerings, has been released by OakTara Publishers LLC. Offerings, the sequel to Pilgrimage, is a story of healing of body and soul, set in France.
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News Release
For the last seventeen years, her husband, Jack, and son, Justin, have been Madeleine Seymour's world. Then, during Justin's wedding reception, Jack collapses. Jack needs surgery, and he insists it be performed by the doctor who perfected the procedure. But the doctor isn't reachable, and time is running out.
Dr. Rachelle DuPres, plagued by memories of a deadly failure, flees America to search out her roots in her ancestral village in Provence, France. But as she tries to locate the graves of her Catholic uncles and her Jewish parents, will their roles in the Holocaust bring more angst - or the answers she so desperately seeks?
The second in a trilogy. Don't miss the prequel, Pilgrimage, set in Italy, or the soon-to-be-released sequel, Inheritance, set in England.
Offerings Reviews
From Reader Views
"Christine Sunderland has given readers a great read in the second book of her trilogy. This is a fast-paced novel with great historical detail, drama and loss.
Jack Seymour at the age of twelve witnessed his father's death and never got over the trauma. His marriage to Madeleine is wonderful and he seems to be happy with the way his life is going... (but) he has only six months to live. Dr. DuPres has fled the country (and) Jack and Madeleine fly to France to find her.
The author takes us through the beauty of France, visiting historical sites along the way . . . Her vivid descriptions of churches, villages and the power of miracles are breathtaking. This is a book that is fast-paced and full of drama. Readers won't be able to put down Offerings by Christine Sunderland."
— Carol Hoyer, Ph.D., of Reader Views
From Feathered Quill
Madeleine and her husband Jack scour France on an anxious search for the doctor who may save Jack's life. Meanwhile that same doctor, Rachelle DuPres, treks throughout the country on her own quest for spiritual healing. In the second of Christine Sunderland's inspirational fiction trilogy, Offerings invites the reader to travel alongside these ailing souls as they search for healing, truth and salvation. Read entire review.
Pilgrimage Reviews
From Kirkus Discoveries
"A woman tries to exorcise her demons by exploring the ancient roots of her Christian faith in this heartfelt tale of remorse and redemption.
Middle-aged history professor Madeleine Seymour... is haunted by the death of her young daughter Mollie, who drowned in a plastic pool. Tormented by nightmares... Madeleine seeks the counsel of Father Rinaldi, who sends Madeleine and her husband Jack on a trip to Italy to its Catholic shrines... With its iconography of blood and sacrifice, its stories of suffering and death transmuted into hope and rebirth, it reveals lessons for coping with her long-festering grief and guilt. Balancing spiritual exaltation with psychological realism, Sunderland's limpid prose makes Madeleine's journey both gripping and believable.
A moving study of the healing power of religious devotion."
— Kirkus Discoveries, providing unbiased, professional reviews for independently published authors
From Feathered Quill
Pilgrimage is a story about guilt, forgiveness and belief. Using a compelling fictional story as her vehicle, author Christine Sunderland contemplates deep matters of faith, such as truth, doubt, suffering, miracles, and martyrdom. Read entire review [pdf].
— Feathered Quill Book Reviews
What Readers Are Saying About Pilgrimage
"Your book is wonderful! I picked it up rather late last evening when I had time, and couldn't put it down until I had finished it. I lost a lot of sleep, but it was well worth it. It was the Prologue that hooked me in and I couldn't stop reading until I had reached the end of the last chapter. I had to know how your problem was resolved. It is an amazing story."
Alpha Quincy,
California Writers Club
"I just purchased three copies of Pilgrimage to give to friends who I know will be inspired by your words. I have been reading Pilgrimage slowly to make it last and now I can finish it knowing that another is on the way."
Jacqueline Harrington,
Danville, California
"I feel that I have been on pilgrimage with Maddie! Having been through a rough time these past few years, I could relate to her need for healing, and her experience at Sant' Antimo brought tears to my eyes. In addition to the story, though, I appreciate your ability to speak so movingly and authentically about the beauty and power of Anglicanism, and also the way you wove history and saints' stories into the narrative, giving a lively sense of the "great cloud of witnesses" and our lives as part of the complex and beautiful tapestry of Christianity."
Susan Prudhomme,
Freelance Writer and Novelist, Napa, California
"For me, the point in the story that brought tears to my eyes …was when Maddie said, 'I knew what to do. It was so clear. It took the cloth out of my bag…then I looked for Jack. I ran into the bright square, waving my linen like a flag of peace, or surrender or victory.' May Maddie's 'flag of peace' move from the pages of (this) book, stream from homes, flow down streets and cross over the borders of our troubled world so that all may come to the truth of how God loves, as Maddie puts it 'He loves through real things.' "
Father Seraphim,
Missionary, Sierra Leone, Africa
"I loved the descriptions of the countryside and the colors and crevices in the old churches … the rolling hills and sounds of people praying, singing, chanting, eating, drinking … it was so real, so visual, so captivating!"
Tina Pomroy,
Oakland, California
"Some books can be taken in quick gulps, like drinking a glass of cold water on a hot day, and other books need to be sipped and savored. I think Pilgrimage may be a 'sippin' book."
The Rev. Donald True,
Louisville, Kentucky
"Let me state that it was most enjoyable and meaningful. It does a marvelous job of education … especially the theology of the Mass and the history of the Church. I also enjoyed the bit of mystery woven throughout, as well as the patience of the husband during the pilgrimage. This book can hopefully reach Protestants and Roman Catholics in order to promote better knowledge and understanding."
The Rev. Dr. Robert Rawson,
Wimberley, Texas