While not as enthralling as some of his Sci-Fi novels, I found this gave an interesting perspective to a part of history that many have a hard time understanding.

I found this book, falling apart, at the back of a privately owned used book store located just off of the courthouse square in downtown Seguin. The title was "A Woman of Destiny", the cover was bent and worn, and several of the middle pages were loose. However, this was before I'd discovered the wonders of used books on Amazon.com and so I was collecting every Card book I could find by way of - if I saw it, and I didn't own it, I bought it. I had no idea what I'd found...

It took me quite a long time to get through it. The story starts very slow, and is set in England during the Industrial Revolution - which is one of my LEAST favorite time periods. However, the story begins to truly develop and ends up being one of the most engaging emotional reads of my life. Don't get me wrong, it was very hard to finish the book because the trials of themain character are so incredibly heart breaking - but it is good. Once again, Card pulls off a masterpiece. Only, this time, he's left me realizing I'm totally a second rater. I fear I love my son more than I love God - I don't think I could ever make the choices that Dinah did. Oh well.

Seriously the worst book I have ever read. Not historical fiction, as the history included is so inaccurate. Yuck. Gave me the heebie jeebies.

could not get into this one at all. Some of his books I really like, but this was not one of them.

I hate this frustrating book. I will go on a long rant about just why I hate it too. I am beginning to discover OSC is not a good writer. I loved Seventh Son when I first read it, which is a re-telling of the Joseph Smith story. He did a great job with that book. What happened?
The problem is the motivations of the characters just are not realistic. Would people really convert to a religion after one night of talking to a missionary from it? Will you be willing to die for it and traumatize your children for life by leaving them? That just doesn't seem believable for me. It's contrived. It's like he's pushing the characters into doing stuff that is out of character or makes no sense. There's better choices the characters could be making, but he forces them into the choice that makes the least amount of sense because the PLOT says so.

For example, it made no sense for Dinah to marry Matthew when she had some other choices BESIDES marrying him. Charles would have helped her, Robert too, but she CHOOSES to marry Matthew and have kids with him. All through the book OSC tells you that Dinah is a strong character, but to me she seems bland and irritating. Her sacrifice of leaving her kids for Mormonism doesn't make her seem brave and noble to me. She could have convinced Matthew to become a Mormon with her if OSC hadn't turned him evil. No, the whole point is for her to go to the US and become one of Joseph Smith's plural wives. She could have waited for the kids to grow up and THEN run off to America. She could have sucked it up and endured to avoid traumatizing her kids for life. I would have respected her more. But no, she just leaves them. This just makes me think she didn't care about them in the first place. You've only been in this religion for FIVE SECONDS! Already you're ready to give up your kids for it? MAKES NO DANG SENSE!

In this book OSC makes you hate characters you're supposed to like and like characters you're supposed to hate. Robert seems to be the only sensible one except when he sold his brother to a chimney sweeper he didn't know from Adam. He's the only one who doesn't jump with both feet into Mormonism. He tries to keep Dinah from just up and taking her kids from their father.

Another thing is, I wonder if he wrote this book before or after Ender's Game. It has the same dynamic of the older brother who is supposed to be a jerk, the sweet younger brother and the sister in the middle.

This book is just not enjoyable. It's a chore to read, full of eye rolling on my part and frustrated sighs. It's so irritating it aggravates my IBS. If the characters aren't bland, they are self righteous. Some of them are hypocritical to the point of making me shout at the book. I read this book for research, but after this, no more OSC. Just no more. I do not need that kind of stress, I give UP.

Oh, and one more thing. Emma Smith. Why did he make her out to be a bad guy? If you were her, wouldn't you feel the same sort of desperation she felt? Your husband has this new polygamy doctrine. It directly lead to jerks like that scum that's now in jail for marrying underaged girls. How is she supposed to feel? OSC made it seem like we should hate her, but I felt bad for her. Joseph Smith married 33 wives, for crying out loud! (Some of which were already married at the time.) It's weird for a guy who rails on gay marriage to write an apologia for polygamy. Polygamy causes WAY more misery than gay marriage. You're talking 10 wives, 50 kids? I hate how Dinah kept trying to convince people that it will be sooooooooooo wonderful to share your husband. WTF?!

One more thing. Damn and hell are in the bible. There's no reason to get bent out of shape about the words DAMN AND HELL! Especially if you daughter was attacked and beat up. HAVE SOME FRIGGING PRIORITIES HERE! It's the same thing that made Folk of the Fringe so annoying. THEY ARE WORDS! GET OVER THEM!

I enjoyed this book while reading it, but it left me with a sour taste in my mouth at the end when I found out that it was a fictional story. I probably should've known all along, but he wrote it to make it sound just like a true story. So...in the end I didn't really like it.

This is an interesting take on the Early Saints historical fiction. In most historical novels about the early Church, the main characters are all fictitious. In Card's novel, the main family is ficticious, however, many of the Church leaders, including Brigham Young and Joseph Smith play vital roles. It is interesting to see what these people may have been thinking, and he covers polygamy pretty deeply which most authors do not dare to tread. It is hard to know, sometimes, what is an actualy event and what is fiction, so you take it in with a grain of salt. It is helpful and insighful to read is postscript at the end of the novel.

OH MY GOODNESS! As usual it is hard to tell if a woman that would leave her children for the LDS is church is extremely faithful or just plain crazy. I loved this book, but was also really bothered at times, that is why it gets 4 instead of 5 stars. I don't think reading Escape by Carolyn Jessop right before this was helpful. The whole polygamy thing gets us all, but while at times I've chosen to ignore it, I think it is really powerful to read a story, even if fictional about the women that endured it. I love Emma Smith and while in this book she is definitely not the heroine, Card has a much different version imagined than the movie "Emma Smith - my story" portrays. Of course the movie skirted right over polygamy and Emma leaving the church. I could go on forever.... Alas, I will take a break from religious matters and head into Gothic Literature.

Does anyone think that Dinah might be based on Eliza Snow?

Oh I am so glad to be done with this book, it was a chore to make it to the end...and I was listening to it! The book is about polygamy from the view point of an opinionated outspoken woman in the early days of the saints. Had some interesting perspectives, but a lot of wicked characters with moral issues.

I imagine that many members of the LDS faith could find this historical fiction troubling. It has been said that Catholic doctrine proclaims the infallibility of the Pope, but the members act as if he weren't, while Mormon doctrine proclaims that their prophet is not infallible, but the members act as if he were. This novel may portray some early leaders as just a little too human for some people's taste. Its unflinching portrayal of polygamy may make some people flinch.

I found it good historical fiction regarding a time and events that are not well understood or even recognized generally. I've read other reviews that find it implausible for a conversion such as Dinah, Charlie and Anna experienced to have taken place or her abandonment of her husband and children as far-fetched. I found neither of those events to be out of the realm of possibility, since I have very similar stories in my family history.

This is a a book that I may have to read again to give a proper review, I really didn't know what or how to feel about it, maybe you should read it and share your thoughts with me!!

I love this book, have read it several times!