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I guess I shouldn't be surprised that a book marketed as Christian fiction did not paint a favorable picture of early Mormons or the practice of polygamy. Camilla is an only child who is often treated harshly by her father. One day when being punished by being made to carry a heavy burden to school, she meets Nathan, a Mormon who is part of a group temporarily staying in the neighborhood. It is almost love at first sight, and eventually Nathan asks her to leave with him when the group heads for Utah. She knows little about the religion and joins to be with him. She is baptized and they are married, and eventually have two girls. After the death of their third child, a boy, Nathan becomes depressed. Seeking solace in God and in the teachings of the Mormon church, he becomes convinced that it is God's will that he take another wife. It is after the death of their child that Camilla becomes convinced that the Mormon faith is a lie. Obviously this creates more than one conflict. As I've said before, I often find that Christian fiction writers don't accurately portray Catholicism, so I'm not sure how much of what Pittman writes about the Mormon church is true. This book is the first in a trilogy, and its ending is a cliff-hanger (somewhat resolved by giving you the first chapter of the next book in the same volume).
Still, it was an enjoyable read about an interesting part of our country's history. Grade: B.
I'd like to thank Rebeca with Glass Road PR for providing a review copy.
