Face to Face
A Novel of the Reformation
By Amy Mantravadi
1517 Publishing, 368 pages, $29.95
Amy Mantravadi’s Face to Face is the second of a two-part novel series that puts flesh and blood on towering figures of the Reformation—Martin Luther, Erasmus of Rotterdam, and Philip Melanchthon. Mantravadi’s imaginative take in this historical fiction does a good job in drawing her readers into both the drama and the heart of the Reformation.
The book picks up where Broken Bonds left off, entering the pivotal year of 1525—a watershed moment for Luther and for Europe. That year witnessed the eruption of the German Peasants’ War, Luther’s marriage to the runaway nun Katharina von Bora, and his famous theological clash with Erasmus over free will, which culminated in The Bondage of the Will. Mantravadi uses these momentous events and situations as a backdrop to tell a story of love, trust, betrayal, and spiritual longing—reminding us that these famous figures were real living, breathing humans marked by hope, fear, grief, temptation, and joy. Face to Face captures that humanity vividly.
While Broken Bonds spent much of its energy developing the relationships between Luther, Erasmus, and Melanchthon, Face to Face takes the reader deeper into their inner worlds. Through frequent use of inner dialogue, Mantravadi reveals how each man, in his own way, longs to truly grasp and experience the grace of God. These moments provide some of the novel’s most powerful passages.
Readers familiar with Church history—especially the Reformation—will find much to enjoy here. Mantravadi dramatizes topics that we usually treat in abstract or doctrinal terms, showing the human faces behind the theological controversies. Her strength lies in making complexities of these issues accessible by portraying them in personal, interactive form rather than systematic exposition. For readers of Reformation history, the novel brims with delightful Easter eggs and allusions to historical or theological topics that they will immediately recognize. For those less acquainted, it works just as well as a compelling story of people from another age who we can nevertheless relate to.
The Rev. Andrew (Drew) L. Christiansen is the rector of St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church in Lake Charles, Louisiana. He is working toward a Ph.D. at the Institute of Lutheran Theology and hosts, along with the Rev. James Rickenbaker, Doth Protest: A Podcast on Reformation, History, and Theology.
