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It struck me as more than a little odd that I was reading about the incredible hardships of some Mormon settlers as I lay on a beach in Mexico sipping my pina colada. Ahhhh. But this was a perfect read for hours of reading time. Before reading this book, I knew very little about the Hole in the Rock pioneers. I knew they had cut a hole in the rock for their wagons to get through and that is about it. This was a fascinating glimpse into that event, and it is an incredible story. I like how Gerald Lund tells about history in the form of the story, though that is also the weakness of the book. Sometimes the fictional characters and ongoing romance are a distraction from the amazing true story. On the other hand, telling about the events in a story makes it very readable, a good beach page turner. I think by including footnotes after each chapter telling the reader what is based on factual events, Gerald Lund has really come up with a way to make telling history in a story work.

2023-05-28 20:20