The Secret Bridge | A LampLighter Book Review

Lamplighter Publishing

The Secret Bridge is a beautiful book from Lamplighter Publishing that had me captivated from the very first chapter because the story was charming and begged to be read.

The Secret Bridge

It is such an elegant hardcover book! It is very high quality with a soft faux leather feel, engraving, and gold embossing on the cover. It's soft and feels good in your hands. Its 272 pages are high quality paper. 

The Secret Bridge

Written in 1899 by Amy Le Feuvre, The Secret Bridge is a delightful book.

After the death of her father, Bridget Channing embarks on a ship headed towards England. Upon her arrival, she learns of the death of her only living relative. She is alone and without a penny, until a stranger shows kindness and sensitivity to her plight. Independent and will-full, Bridget is determined to resist him and not accept his pity, but she soon faces the harsh reality that she cannot make it on her own.

We first meet him, Godfrey Bullingham, aboard the ship in the first paragraph of the book. He has a good sense of humor with an easy going good nature and was "a favorite among the passengers." He is sympathetic and takes "wholesome kindly interest in the welfare of others" and soon takes a particular interest in Bridget. The first mention of him seeing her is her "gazing with a wistful dreamy dark eyes out upon the ocean in front of her." We immediately fall in love watching him watch and pursue her with his kindness and charming character.

A unique relationship is formed and Bridget's life is suddenly full of promises, secrets, and mysteries. Bridget answers an invitation to "acquaint thyself with Him" and as she seeks to know God and become acquainted with Christ, she longingly awaits her bridegroom as mysteries unfold around her and her secret becomes harder than ever to keep.

Fancy ornately decorated drop caps common in older books, old fashioned flourishes surrounding roman numeral chapter headings, an illustration or two, hand written letters, and an urgent telegram in bold print all add to the old fashioned feel, charm, and uniqueness of this book.

Footnotes with definitions and Scripture references further enhance your reading experience.

Please do read this book!

The recommended age is 12 and up. I read it aloud to my 10 year old daughter, Eliana, and we both loved the book. We read it quickly, reading several chapters at a time and sneaking in chapters whenever we could.

Together, we decided that:
  • It is a sweet love story.
  • The language is beautiful.
  • The characters are well developed.
  • The poetry, hymns, and scripture scattered throughout the book are beautiful, natural, and inspiring.
  • God is preached but with very few words. (Mr. Jocelyn's character is so well developed!)
  • It was very thought provoking and inspiring. 

I've had the same favorite book for 20 years. It was a powerful book that inspired me to want to grow closer to God early in my relationship with Him. While that book was powerful inspiration to increase my faith, this book was powerful in that it makes me want to have Christlike character that draws people to Him. This book made me want to read and study so that I can learn to be more like the characters - more like Christ! I want my daughter to read this book and aspire to have the same sweet, gentle, and kind but determined spirit of the main character. My 12 year old son thought it was too girly, but when he asked me for a book suggestion the other day, I handed him this one, and he is reading it. I can't wait for him to meet Mr. Jocelyn!

Lamplighter's mission is “to make ready a people prepared for the Lord, by building Christ-like character one story at a time.” So some of the original works they publish "have been edited to remove questionable or inappropriate language or content that does not reflect the character of a loving and just God." When you see "the Lamplighter symbol on the spine, you can trust that it upholds a strong Christian worldview."

The Secret Bridge {Lamplighter Publishing Reviews}

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4 comments

  1. It is books like this that make me so badly wish I had a daughter to share with. It sounds lovely.

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  2. You still may. ♥ I had 4 boys before I had my girl. :)

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  3. We read The Giant Killer and The Lost Clue, both Lamplighter Books. My kids really enjoyed them!

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  4. I haven't read those,but they sound great! I have a lot of their books on audio and they have been our all time favorite audio books!

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