In one of Orson Scott Card's essays I read several years ago, he mentioned that he got a lot of flak for this book. People didn't like how he wrote about Joseph Smith--his human-ness as well as his Prophet-ness. They didn't like seeing Emma as anything other than an "elect lady" or a apostate villain. Who would presume to speculate on how the Prophet spoke to his wife in bed? Orson Scott Card, that's who. Naturally, I had to read this book.I found it at in the Chicago library system and raced through it much faster than I thought I would and found myself thinking about it and wishing I could pick it up more often than was really possible.The story follows Dinah Kirkham, a young woman from Manchester, England, and her family as they move down and then up the social standings and eventually meet Heber C. Kimball (over 150 pages into the book). At this point, Dinah has been married for several years and has two children with Matthew Handy. This marriage was quickly arranged after an incident with the factory foreman. The Mormon missionaries are the only thing that brings some measure of joy into her life, and the gospel even makes her situation with Matthew better for a time. After several months, the Apostles tell the Saints that as many as can should move to Nauvoo to build the Kingdom of God.Dinah's mother and one brother, Charlie, have joined the Church. Her husband and her other brother, Robert, have not. Dinah's father abandoned them when the children were young. Robert is a prosperous engineer, and Matthew works for him. Together they conspire to keep Dinah and her children in England with a charge of mental incompetency, and they serve her with that charge as she is on the boat for the United States before it leaves. She makes the most painful decision she could and leaves her children and goes to Nauvoo because of the bright and burning testimony she received months ago.The rest of the book deals with her relationship with Joseph Smith, Vilate Kimball, and many other prominent figures in Church history. It discusses Joseph Smith's plural wives and how the doctrine of celestial marriage nearly tore the Church apart and was really the ultimate cause of the Prophet's martyrdom.I can see why so many people did not like the book. It presents an unvarnished look at what those early days must have been like, especially for those plural wives. Through it all, however, is Dinah's unshakable testimony that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God, that his revelations were true, and that whatever God required was right. This book does not tear down faith; it builds and strengthens.Note: As you might guess from a book about polygamy, there is some sex. Never graphic, never inappropriate, never unrealistic. Having looked over some of the other reviews on this site, I noticed that many readers thought it "trashy" or some other such silly term. Sex is not inherently trashy; as members of this Church, we believe that the sexual relationship between husband and wife is one of the most sacred and special and beautiful of all our earthly relationships. It's not a sin to talk about it or describe certain aspects of it tastefully and with that idea of sacredness in mind. Certainly, there are encounters that are NOT sacred in this book, and they are treated as something significantly less so. But there are many good and proper encounters that are treated with realism and respect for their sacred character. Don't let a little reasonable description of husbands and wives turn you off from an excellent and uplifting book such as this.
Most books about early Mormon women give the same perspective: life was sometimes hard but we had faith and it made the hardships disappear. The Mormon women unquestioningly followed their leaders and husbands, without any doubts and without any questions. They knew they were strong and capable but they did what they were told.Orson Scott Card dared to tell a different tale in this book. Dinah was a strong woman who grew up in a time and place (early 19th century London) where women weren't encouraged to be strong. She was dominated by her two brothers and had few opportunities. Forced into a marriage that she didn't want, she almost gave up the idea of having control over her own life.But then a Mormon missionary appeared in London who gave her a Book of Mormon. Dinah read the book, knew it was true, and eventually gave up everything to follow the man who had transcribed the book. Which...makes it sound like every other Mormon pioneer story. But in this case, Dinah isn't afraid to tell her tale. She describes her pain, her doubts, her disappointments, and her growing faith. She's real, and she can be a real (if fictional) heroine to women who wonder if others have walked the same road.
Do You like book Saints (2001)?
I read this book when it was called "A Woman of Destiny." I've read that it was pushed then as a romance novel, but its scope is far greater than that. I was raised a Mormon and have been very interested in Mormon history, theology, and sociology. I can understand how many LDS/CJC members would feel threatened by Card's portrayals, but I personally found them very humanizing and revealing of the everyday reality of life in a new religious community. A warning: One of my friends read this at my recommendation during our internship and was disappointed when she finally realized that it was actually fiction (the chapter introductions can lead you to think that the author is actually tracing his family's history). However, this is, to my mind, very good historical fiction that is all the more convincing by having been written by a great storyteller who is also a Mormon and who also is not afraid to deal with moral issues (including religion and, in this case, polygamy) at a deeply personal level and yet within the sweep of history. I highly recommend this book to anyone in or out of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
—James M. Madsen, M.D.
Wow. This book demanded a lot from me but, boy did it deliver.It's definitely not a book you'd want to read for Family Home Evening. It portrays the early Mormon pioneers and church leaders as humans with passions and weaknesses. To faithful members of the church, this may seem jarring and at times even blasphemous.Although there are a few things I would've done differently had I been editing the book, I felt on the whole it was tastefully done. It made the characters real to me and helped me understand that a man can still be a prophet and still have human frailties. But it doesn't focus on those weaknesses it focuses on their everyday struggles to keep the church together, keep families safe and happy, and seeking out the Lord's will and accomplishing it.Of most worth to me was the understanding I gained about the law of polygamy, why the early church practiced it, how it worked, and why it ended. His research is phenomenal.Card argues that all church records and journals should be made public regardless of whether they might injure the church. His reasoning is that the church is true, so in the long run, the truth will out.I believe the church is right to simplify and "clean up" the church history because so many members are just finding their faith. If they had to wade through raw history and every little thing that Joseph Smith supposedly did wrong, focus would be taken off the Book of Mormon and the absolute truth of the gospel.The gospel is simple. Church history, not so much. I love the understanding this book afforded me (and yes it even strengthened my testimony of the church) but I would be careful with it.I would recommend this book to non-Mormons wondering about polygamy and the strange ways of the church, and also to those members whose testimonies won't be swayed by a little raw realism. Take this novel with a large grain of salt and I don't think you'll be disappointed.
—Ryan
I don't recommend this book to anyone. I didn't hate it, per se, I just don't think it really contains enough meaningful writing to warrant reading it.I thoroughly enjoyed Card's methods of helping you to really understand a character and get inside their mind. However, certain characters in the book are real people, and although Card is an avid historian, he quite likely used a little too much artistic license in his portrayal of certain characters and specifically conversations, situations, events, etc.If you want to truly get to know Joseph Smith and early saints, there are far better books to do it with. I'm not saying they have to be a "rosy story" about the complicated Mormon past, but I enjoy history books much more that contain facts rather than invented stories.Card is a good author, and I've loved many of his books, but this one is a misser, in my opinion. I'm not offended by the book, I just give it a solid "meh".
—Doug Cannon
