Loading...
38th out of 136 books
—
141 voters
My rating:
add to my books
Before the Dawn: A Novel,
by
Dean Hughes
When the bishop calls Leah Sorensen to be Relief Society president, her first impulse is to assume he's joking. "They'd all vote against me if you put my name up," she tells him, "and I'd vote with them." She's prickly and proud, a farm widow who doesn't get along with the town women at all. Why would the Lord want her? Because it's 1932, the depth ...more
Hardcover, 297 pages
Published
August 20th 2007
by Shadow Mountain
(first published 2007)
There is a good chance some of your friends read this book. Sign in to see!
sign in »
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
839)
Leah Sorenson, a gritty, reclusive widow, is called to be Relief Society president in a (fictional) rural Utah town during the onset of the Great Depression. She’s filled with uncertainty about whether she will be able to accomplish the daunting task — besides there being so many in need (and a farm and two children who need her) she is plenty rough-around-the-edges and sure that the women of the Relief Society won’t accept her — and she’s not sure she could ever love them, anyway, when she’d be...more
view 1 comment
Alyson
rated it
Recommends it for:
LDS readers, particularly women
Recommended to Alyson by:
Annette Ericksen
I admit it, I started out really not liking this book. I'm prejudiced against Mormon fiction most of the time, and I probably don't often give it all the benefit of the doubt it deserves.
But when I finally buckled down and read a few chapters, I was totally drawn in. This is Depression-era LDS-specific historical fiction, and it was marvelous. The characters are very richly drawn and well-developed, and the story reached out and grabbed me.
It was disconcerting for me to d...more
But when I finally buckled down and read a few chapters, I was totally drawn in. This is Depression-era LDS-specific historical fiction, and it was marvelous. The characters are very richly drawn and well-developed, and the story reached out and grabbed me.
It was disconcerting for me to d...more
Alli Elggren
rated it
Recommends it for:
anyone who has had a difficult church calling or one they didn't think they could do!
Recommended to Alli by:
Ali
My good friend Ali lent me this book almost a year ago and I'm embarrassed to say that I just read it this week! I'd recommend it to LDS readers that have received a church calling they were unsure of or doubted their ability. It's a sweet story and an easy read. The story is set during the Great Depression in the 1930's, but it's amazing how I can see some of the same problems we have in today's economy. Without giving too much away, I enjoyed seeing Leah, the main character, evolve and lea...more
This story of a widow called as the RS president in a rural town in the 1930s is a bit slow moving but has some soul searching questions to ask of yourself as she finds that she does have love for, and something in common with all the sisters in the ward, regardless of station, homes, money, age, etc. One of my favorite lines "if you look around for friends who are just the way you want them to be, you'll never find any"
Also contains a great allusion to looking at people and onl...more
Also contains a great allusion to looking at people and onl...more
An interesting historical fiction, set in small town Utah during the depression. It's about an LDS woman, who has isolated herself on her family farm after her husband dies, she has hunkered down and done what she had to do to keep the family and farm afloat, but she is carrying a huge chip on her shoulder about her lot in life. Because of her experience in barreling through in hard times, her bishop feels impressed to call her to be the Relief Society president. Not a fan of other people the...more
If you love being reminded about the way things used to be, and you are LDS or want to know someone who is, this is the book for you. I remember now why my mom was not a "member" of the Relief Society way back when - she simply couldn't afford the yearly dues of 50 cents. Several of her recipes appear in the old South Ward Relief Society Cookbook, but her name is not on the membership list, and I had always wondered about that because she used to attend every meeting. This book took...more
This is the story of a hardened and weathered widow raising two children in a small farming community in Utah. At the beginning of the Great Depression, she is called by her bishop as President of the Relief Society. She is anything but accepted in the social circles that most of the "usual presidents" run in. She is tough and cynical and most Sundays spends her time running her old farm with her two children instead of attending meetings. However, she accepts the call and discover...more
I have really liked some of Hughes' books and been disappointed by others. I liked this one because the main character was a not to typical LDS woman who had real things to work through. I like that it was true to the flaws that unfortunately too many of us have. Women judge other women on so many levels and it is refreshing to not have it glossed over in the name of "relief society." Instead this novel explored the trials one woman faced in working through judgements and at the sa...more
When the bishop calls Leah Sorensen to be Relief Society president, her first impulse is to assume he's joking. "They'd all vote against me if you put my name up," she tells him, "and I'd vote with them." She's prickly and proud, a farm widow who doesn't get along with the town women at all. Why would the Lord want her? Because it's 1932, the depth of the Great Depression, and, as the bishop tells Leah: "You lost your husband and you didn't give up. You know how to survi...more
I started out liking this book. I thought, hey, this is pretty interesting for a character-driven book instead of the usual plot-driven books I pick up for fun. I think Dean Hughes is a good writer, but the more I read, the more I thought some of the scenes were cheesy, there was too much dialogue, and there was a little over-kill on the character development.
I'm kind of picky about fiction. Yesterday, after I finished Before the Dawn, I was thinking maybe I just need my fiction to ...more
I'm kind of picky about fiction. Yesterday, after I finished Before the Dawn, I was thinking maybe I just need my fiction to ...more
Dorothy
added it
I loved this book. I could relate with the main character. She was given a calling that she didn't want and wasn't ready to do but with the help of the lord and a very wise bishop she was able to see the best in everyone even though she had felt slighted in the past by some of the towns women. It isn't easy being a woman sometimes and it is always amazing to me that we don't support each other better. The gospel gives us the opportunity to serve and sometimes we judge when we shouldn't and mi...more
This was not one of my favorites of his. Though it has a good message, I found it fairly slow and predictable.
This is a nice example of solid historical inspirational fiction from the Latter-Day Saint faith. Not at all preachy, yet it celebrates the powerful good a woman's charitable organization can accomplish, especially in tough circumstances. I particularly appreciated the emotional growth of the lead character. So often in inspirational fiction we see right off what the problem is, but here I felt like Leah was in the right at the beginning. As she slowly comes to see those around her more clearly,...more
I was pleasantly surprised by this one. Yes, it was a little predictable, but I still enjoyed seeing how it all worked out. I thought Hughes did a great job of staying true to history, while still making it accessible to modern audiences. It was even more interesting to read when you know he described it as a way to capture what he learned from watching his wife serve in the general RS presidency. It has a great message about how there isn't one right way to be a daughter of God - the church nee...more
This is a story of personal and spiritual growth and the role of the Relief Society, set in the early years of the Depression in the Uintah valley of Utah. This is a good read and I highly recommend it. It's good to be reminded, at this point in time, of how much more difficult life was during the Great Depression. It's always good to be reminded that we can all change and improve, that we should not judge people, and the value of working together.
The day to day life of the main char...more
The day to day life of the main char...more
From experience I do not like LDS genre fiction. So I was not expecting much from this book, but I really admire the person who recommended it for my book club so I gave it a whirl. It's set during the Depression and is about a widowed, hardened woman who is called to be the Relief Society President in her ward. I liked the main character; she was very flawed in ways I related to. I liked the candidness of the story. I also liked to see women overcoming their tendency toward pettiness and drama....more
I am always amazed when a male author really gets into the mind of female characters and understands us like we are. Dean Hughes does that in this book, which takes place in a small town in Utah during the depths of the Depression (1932). Leah Sorensen is a proud and prickly farm widow who doesn't get along with the women in town. How can the Bishop possibly be "inspired" when he calls her to be Relief Society president? This story caused me to seriously consider my own life in ter...more
I just picked this up from the library because I wanted a quick read. I enjoyed it a lot--it's a look at the Great Depression in a small Utah farming town. There are so many trials and hard things that they experienced, but I loved seeing the town come together to help each other and how honest the author was with his leading lady. She was spicy and not your typical Mormon, but she has a testimony and it's neat to see the way she contributes through her hard work and experience during a time of ...more
Becky
rated it
Recommends it for:
Women of faith - everywhere!
Shelves:
favorites,
historical-fiction
I really enjoyed this book. It is set in the 1930's. The "depth of the Depression", in a small farming community. The main character Leah is a widow raising two children and running the farm alone for many years. She has become hardened and bitter especially about the women in town and Relief Society. She attends Sacrament meeting, but rarely Sunday School and Relief Society. Then...the bishop calls her to be the Relief Society President! As the story enfolds, Leah discovers the...more
I have always enjoyed this author's books and this is no exception. This book touched my heart - it is about a widow in the depression who works hard trying to make her farm work and raise her two children. Her Bishop (Mormon faith) extends a call for her to be the Relief Society President and she thinks she is the last person to do it. Throughout reading this I was so very grateful that I am a part of Relief Society and humbled at all the time's this organization has helped me in my own lif...more
Mandi
added it
My mom recommended this book to me because the main character reminded her so much of my Grandma. This woman lived during the Depression, a widow, with two teenaged children. Her bishop asked her to be the Relief Society president and at first she doesn't believe him. After a week of thinking it over, she says yes, with bad grace. Dean Hughes has done a good job of showing a woman's growth through a difficult calling without making it seem trite. I enjoyed this woman very much.
Set in 1932 during the depression in a fictional Utah town. Leah, a tough widow with two teen-age children is called to be Relief Society president. She has struggled to make ends meet as she runs her farm and feels estranged from the town folks. Chronicles the issues of the depression as she rises to the challenge and learns to lead and love the sisters in spite of differences. Sensitively written and well researched. I enjoyed it and could see parallels to issues in wards today.
After reading a few depressing books lately, this book was what I needed to feel better about the human race. Was it predictable? Yes. Was it a little cheesy? Sometimes. Was the writing spectacular? No. However, it was sweet, inspiring, compelling, and I loved it. It also felt timely considering the economic climate right now. I know we don't have it nearly as bad as they did during the Great Depression, but it felt a little familiar in ways.
I just finished this story of Leah, a plain drink of water women in the early 1930's who lost her husband at age 32 and was left with 2 young children and a farm to run. The story starts 10 years later during Spring plowing when her LDS bishop show's up and calls her to be the Relief Society Pres. which at first she flat out refuses, and then, because of a repeated dream she has accepts the call and follows 18 months of struggle at the beginning of the Depression and the breaking down barriers ...more
I really loved this book. Made me laugh a little, cry a little, think a lot. That's the sign of a good book, right? I love Relief Society, I really do. When they were all quilting and Leah thought, "quilts are the best thing we do. I hope we never stop doing them," it just made me think of all the quilts I've helped with in RS and all the people I'll never know that were warm because of my small efforts. Good book and I'd highly recommend it.
I was serving in a RS Presidency when I reasd this book, and I learned lots of tidbits about serving RS sisters. I like that it is written as a historical novel, but also as a tribute to RS (the author is married to a former counselor in the General RS presidency). It's also about the Great Depression and we can begin to relate to that now. I would've given it more stars except at times the plot was too easily worked out.
I really enjoyed this book. It is about a crotchedy old woman, who is called to be relief society president. She lives in a small Utah town during the depression. She speaks harshly to people, basically telling them the way things are, and offends many people because of that. She learns a lesson that I think we all need to learn, and that is that we really need to get to know people before we can judge them.
I learned some things about Relief Society that I did not know before reading this book. Having been involved in the Relief Society program recently it was very interesting to me to read how the program used to function. The story is also good, with the main character being believable and very human. I was able to identify with her, to see her as being a real person instead of just a character in a good story, and that makes the story all the more interesting to me.
This book didn't captivate me the way some of Dean Hughes' other writing has in the past, but I still enjoyed it. I especially enjoyed the historical aspects of the story. This one takes place during the great depression, a period of time that fascinates me. Some of the things described in the book brought to mind things happening right now in our own neighborhoods due to the recession.
I know I can always count on Dean Hughes to tell good stories and tell them well. This book did not disappoint; all of the characters are vividly drawn and their stories are compelling. My only complaint with it was that I struggled to like the main character, but I believe that detail was intentional and it only made her moments of growth more fulfilling for me as a reader.
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Readers Also Enjoyed
Dean Hughes is the author of more than eighty books for young readers, including the popular sports series Angel Park All-Stars, the Scrappers series, the Nutty series, the widely acclaimed companion novels Family Pose and Team Picture, and Search and Destroy. Soldier Boys was selected for the 2001 New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age list. Dean Hughes and his wife, Kathleen, have three ...more
More about Dean Hughes...
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
“I'd rather do something than read about it."
"That's fine, but if you do it, and then can't think what it means, it's never much of a memory. Life has more to so with memories of the past and longings for the future than it ever does with *right now*."
-pg 138-9”
—
4 people liked it
"That's fine, but if you do it, and then can't think what it means, it's never much of a memory. Life has more to so with memories of the past and longings for the future than it ever does with *right now*."
-pg 138-9”
“What a storyteller does is *see* more than most of us. We say he's making up his stories, but he—or better yet, *she*—watches more carefully, and then tells us what we would have seen ourselves if we'd just stopped to look."
-Leah said—to Nadine, although she was looking at Marjorie (pg 138)”
—
1 person liked it
More quotes…
-Leah said—to Nadine, although she was looking at Marjorie (pg 138)”
