Reveals the story of an extraordinary woman who lived in a trying time. As the wife of Joseph Smith, the first Latter-day Saint Prophet, Emma knew ...
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reviews
Dec 21, 2010
Rachel
rated it: 
Honest and fact-based; I liked it. There is no question that Emma had a lot to endure throughout her life. The absence of any first hand journal makes it hard to draw certain conclusions about her thinking and motivations, but this book does a good job outlining her life, her conduct, and addressing (briefly) questions regarding her views on plural marriage, Joseph Smith, the Book of Mormon, and the Restoration.
As an aside, the question and answer format could be irritating, as when More...
As an aside, the question and answer format could be irritating, as when More...
Jan 04, 2009
Sharon
rated it: 
Finished this 100 pager in a morning, essentially. It's a Q/A format, 150+ citations at end, primary source quoting book. Perfect, I think, for Emma Smith. What a curious place in history she has! I felt comfortable coming to my own conclusions about her because of the lack of commentary. I guess I nixed the last star because a few citations were repeated and I'm impatient with that when the book is so short and I'm rereading a bit just 45 minutes later... I learned a lot of facts I didn't
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Feb 02, 2009
Naomi
rated it: 
After watching "Emma Smith: My Story" which I found to be a pleasant surprise, I was interested in learning more about Emma. Unfortunately, this Q&A formatted book by Susan Easton Black proved a disappointment. None of the information was new to me. The Q&A format seemed a bit contrived, full of leading questions (and questions I would never have asked)merely tailored to convey certain information about Emma. For example, "Did Emma carry a new translation of the Bible across the M
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Jul 26, 2010
Lisa
rated it:
I really liked that this book was based on facts and what is directly known about Emma, not on conjecture or assumption. I have always appreciated Emma and all that she went through in her life. It left me with a few questions, mainly on the issue of polygamy. Was Emma mistaken (lying) about whether or not Joseph received a revelation on this principle and actually lived this law, or did the church leaders that followed after Joseph introduce this principle and attribute it to Joseph? This b
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Mar 28, 2009
Jan
rated it: 
This is a question and answer book where Susan Black tells us everything we know about Emma. As the pioneers settled in the SLValley, a feeling of betrayal seemed to permeate about Emma and that is when the bad feelings about her began. They lasted for a very long time. I am happy that the church is now giving her a second chance. I personally love Emma and think she went through much more than I could have.
Dec 11, 2008
Heather
rated it:
I have a great admiration for Emma Hale Smith! I recommend that anyone who doesn't know much about her, or is confused by the bad rep she is sometimes associated with, read this book!!! I was raised to beleive that she was not supportive of Joseph and his callings most of the time, which is absolutely not true! She was an amazing woman, and like everyone else, she made mistakes, but if I can ever be half the woman she was I'll be happy!
Jan 26, 2009
Chelsey
rated it:
This is a really quick read...it is written in a question/answer type form and just really easy to follow. I took Susan Easton Black's class on Joseph Smith at BYU. It is interesting to see how much she has learned about Emma since then. I am giving it to my 11 year old to read next.
Mar 15, 2009
Allison
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I was not a fan of the question/answer format of the book. I did however, learn some interesting facts about Emma. I gained more respect for her for the woman she was and the trials she faced in her life.
Jul 07, 2011
Dora
rated it:
I didn't really care for the format of this book. It listed questions and then answered them.
Feb 21, 2009
Sara
rated it:
I read this book in 2 sittings. Most of the information I already had known but there were a couple of discoveries .......
Sep 18, 2011
Sirpa
rated it:
Basic information about Emma, whom I must say that I both love and admire. What Susan does as a historian is present facts from historic documents and and allow the reader to decide what they think about Emma. I agree with Naomi's review that the questions were often a bit contrived, but this is a good first look at the enigma that is the Prophet's wife. I assume the other books in this series are similar.
Sep 20, 2008
Sue
rated it:
A quick, straight forward look at Emma Smith's life, written in a question and answer method. It was factual and well researched but still left me wishing that I knew a little more of Emma's motivations, feelings and thoughts. This wasn't due to the author leaving this out but rather that Emma didn't keep a journal so we just don't know that sort of thing.
Jun 16, 2008
Jennifer
rated it:
I really enjoyed this book. I love Emma Smith and often get annoyed when I hear others talk down about her and I wanted to undrstand more about her personally. This book was great. Quick read with straight forward answers. And with it being written by Susan Easton Black, I know that it's all accurate and true.
Apr 10, 2008
Marcelle
rated it:
Read this book for my church book group. It was good in that she systematically answered often asked questions about Emma. It was lacking in that we all want to know more about what Emma felt, thought and did -but I can't blame this author as no one has this info. Too bad Emma did not keep a journal!
Jun 08, 2008
Heidi
rated it:
After seeing the Emma Smith movie, I wanted to learn a little more about her life. This book gives the basic historical facts about Emma Smith but the author points out that there is much of her thoughts, feelings and motivations that we don't know about because she didn't keep a journal.
Nov 04, 2008
This book wasn't what I thought, but it was very educational. It's not a story, but a Q&A. I've always been intrigued by Emma Smith. This book only gives facts-not sugar coated. Some stuff was fun to learn, other stuff wasn't.
Sep 23, 2008
Heloyce
rated it:
Basic fundamental history of this remarkable woman. I was grateful for a book that answered questions many have asked. It was straight forward and to the point letting the reader draw their own conclusions.
Nov 25, 2008
Emy
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Susan Easton Black does a great job of providing factual info on Emma Smith. Written in a Q&A format so I had to knock it down a few stars for being on the dry side.
Apr 29, 2008
Annie
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The book leaves so much still not understood about her. I liked the well documented presentation but I was a little disappointed that there was not more.
Apr 08, 2008
Rae
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This is part of the "Setting the Record Straight" series. Susan Easton Black has written a concise question-and-answer timeline and "biography" of Emma Smith.
Aug 12, 2008
Anne
rated it:
This is a Q and A book. Susan Easton Black only uses real sources. True to her research ethic.
No new revelations, just the facts
Easy read--short
No new revelations, just the facts
Easy read--short
Jul 26, 2008
Delaney
rated it:
This is a really staight forward chronilogical representation of Emma's life. Very quick read. Not too in depth, but insightful.
May 19, 2008
Jana
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I thought the book was insightful. The book had facts that I ready knew from reading other books about Emma.
Nov 08, 2011
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