Top critical review
3.0 out of 5 starscompelling reading however flawed it is
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 23 April 2009
It is true that there is much not to like about this novel but on the whole I am still glad that I have read it. What I found tiresome was not its length, I like long books, rather the fact that we were lured in a story that didn't really exist. A lot of readers have commented on the fact that there is a double plot, a present day one and a historical one and some have found that it worked. I didn't. The 21st century part of the book seems to me to be mere padding for the core of the story which is Ann Eliza Young's account and as far as I am concerned the more compelling one and by far the more interesting of the two.However misguided people can be, however appalling their leader's actions may be, it is still fascinating to see how a clever, charismatic person can entice thousands into following a mode of life that should be by right alien to them.It is frightening but also intriguing to see how so many can be manipulated into doing what serves only a few and how thousands can and will endure misery for the sake of belonging somewhere and not being cast off.It is to no one's credit that it should be so but it is true of human nature now as it always was. Through reading this I learnt a good many things( I was,however, frequently annoyed by the non satisfactory story of Jordan, his mother, his quest for the truth, his dog,his runnaway companion, his lover...) but the story of the pioneers, their courage and faith and perseverance was,in my opinion, well worth reading. And the book also left me with the warm feeling of being really happy I wasn't born into some desolate corner of Utah.