Patricia St. John was a single, Christian missionary to Morocco, where she worked in medicine. It was so refreshing to read a book that didn't declare raising children as the "best, highest calling" for a woman who desires to serve God!

In addition to her medical missions, she writes of her growing up years in England and Switzerland, and her brief stints in Lebanon, Rwanda, and Ethiopia.

I did find the organization of the book a bit frustrating. The author jumped back and forth in time with various chapters and I much prefer chronological reading. For this reason alone, I'm unsure how much of the book will actually stay with me.

I'd never heard of St. John before picking up this book. I imagine it would be even more interesting to those who've read her other works (novels and biographies) and could learn about her inspiration for some of those stories. ( )

Patricia's fascinating story, so much in Morocco. Good read ( )

Patricia St. John writes about her childhood, her years working as a nurse during WWII, as a teacher and matron at a girls' boarding school, and as a missionary nurse in Morocco, as well as how she came to write each of her novels and the "backstory" behind them. I found this an interesting and inspiring read. ( )

The author lived an incredible life. I knew of her only through her children's books "Treasures of the snow" and "Secret Garden." But she was also a missionary primarily in Morocco where she ministered alone in a Muslim community after initially travelling there to help her brother in his hospital work. Her heart for the Gospel shines through the pages as she works as a nurse and does whatever is needed in the community to reach the people for Jesus. I enjoyed her sense of humour especially when talking about the cultural dynamics. I identified with a lot of the odd things she experienced and could imagine the situations.

Self-sacrificial is probably the word I would use to sum up her life. Her home was always open to those in need and people flocked to her whereever she went. She had little privacy and spent a lot of time caring for sick relatives. She didn't marry choosing to commit her entire life instead to the service of God and other people.

What amazes me is how she found time to write so many books. She not only wrote the much loved childrens books but also a series of biographies and other works. She mentions them all in this book detailing when she wrote them and what they refer to. She was always writing with a Christian purpose and that is evident in all of her stories.

I was challenged and inspired by reading about the life of Patricia St John. She allowed God to use her in many countries and in many ways. She will continue to touch people's lives through her book legacy no doubt for many more years to come!

I am rating this 4 as I found the last section of the book a little repetitive and with too much irrelevant detail about various organisations the author helped and how. It was almost as if there was a requirement to acknowledge everyone or to list every achievement. That may be interesting to others but I lost interest.

Receommended for Christians who want to make a difference.
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