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4th out of 418 books
—
330 voters
Fire of the Covenant
In the summer of 1856, three companies of handcarts were outfitted and sent west from Iowa to the Valley of the Great Salt Lake. All went well, and they arrived without undue incident. But two additional companies - one captained by James G. Willie, and the other by Edward Martin - left England late in the season. Whey they arrived at Iowa City, they were long past the tim...more
Paperback, 764 pages
Published
December 1st 2004
by Bookcraft
(first published January 1st 1999)
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"Come, come, ye saints" This song has been going through my head for the last week. I started this book forever ago (about 5 months). I will be honest and say it took me about 100 pages to get into the story. Then I was hooked. And all I have done for the last week is read this 760 page book. I know a bit about the martin and willie handcart companies. I have ancestors that were apart of both companies and survived. I have read their journals and been to martin's cove. This only added to my expe...more
I'm really enjoying this book and trying brace myself for a good cry. I know how this story ends. It has been so good to hear the details of the preparation of these saints and to better understand their story.
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I reluctantly read this book before going on the 2007 pioneer trek to Martin's Cove. I was really worried that it would be extremely sad, and I didn't want to hear a lot of details about the suffering and death that I knew occurred. However, I was pleasantly surprised that the author was able to tell this story accurately, (using actual people and events, as well as fictional characters)… yet inspiringly. I’ll admit, It took about half of the book for me to really get into the story, but once I...more
The actual events and historical accounts were very interesting. I would rather have read a compilation of journals and factual information on the subject, akin to something Laura Hillenbrand would have written. Instead Lund created fictional characters and wove them into the story. While interesting, it was so cheesy that it was hard to take seriously. My favorite bad line of the book: "Dan Jones, cook for the company, provided excellent meals every day, but guilt was the sauce that flavored th...more
I read this to better prepare myself for an upcoming pioneer trek with the youth at church and found this to be an extremely worthwhile and helpful for putting the Martin & Willie handcart company story into the right perspective. The narrative behind the facts, both the fictitious and real characters, told repeatedly trying experiences of unwaivering faith, desperate hope, and true compassion that made such sense to me - my heart ached for these overly weary and deprived people as they stru...more
I would mainly recommend this book to anyone planning to go on an LDS Youth Trek. My husband and I were called to go on one and I had a REALLY hard time getting into any of the historical aspects/biographies we were supposed to learn and memorize UNTIL I read this book. Lund does a great job of bringing a lot of the well-known stories of actual handcart company members into the storyline. It made it so easy for me to keep them straight, and I really ended up feeling so attached to the families i...more
I read this book years ago and was reunited with it recently. I picked it up and started reading, and have pretty much only put it down to get another kleenex.
Gerald Lund isn't necessarily a brilliant author and I don't really consider his books excellent literature, but I do appreciate the tremendous amount of research that he compiled into his books and how he brings real past events to life. This book follows some of the Mormon pioneer handcart companies of 1856. Some characters are fictional...more
Gerald Lund isn't necessarily a brilliant author and I don't really consider his books excellent literature, but I do appreciate the tremendous amount of research that he compiled into his books and how he brings real past events to life. This book follows some of the Mormon pioneer handcart companies of 1856. Some characters are fictional...more
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I was given this book as a gift. A parent of a friend found it used and bought it for me, knowing I like reading. I'm not even sure I knew it existed prior to that; nevertheless, I started reading it immediately.
Fire of the Covenant is a historical fiction in the same vein as The Work and the Glory. It follows a fictional family from Scotland as they make the decision to move to Utah in the middle of the nineteenth century. Through literary devices of the author, they meet and mingle with histor...more
Fire of the Covenant is a historical fiction in the same vein as The Work and the Glory. It follows a fictional family from Scotland as they make the decision to move to Utah in the middle of the nineteenth century. Through literary devices of the author, they meet and mingle with histor...more
I didn't expect to like this book as much as I did, but it was powerfully written, and really added an extra level of interest and depth to what these people suffered as they walked across the United States in the beginnings of a harsh winter with very little in the way of food, clothing and supplies. I really liked that this book didn't focus so much on the religion as it did on the belief of the saints crossing the plains. It's a thin line, but rather than feeling religiously heavy handed, it...more
I have a hard time knowing where books like this fit into my life. It's not enough true to be testimony building, so it feels like fiction. And it mostly is. I loved that Lund included the historical accounts at the end of each chapter. And he certainly incorporated a tremendous amount of historical truth into his story about these handcart pioneers. It is absolutely tremendous to consider all that they suffered to get to Salt Lake City. Living on 4 OUNCES of flour a day is staggering, let alone...more
My husband and I are reading tons about the handcart companies lately. We went on a trek at Martin's Cove and the Willie site and it was an amazing experience. We already knew some about everything because John's parents are serving a mission there, but afterwards we have read many different accounts and such. Anyways...having said that...
I think this is a great book to read if you don't like to non-fiction your way through history. I personally think that the whole (true) story (with reading ce...more
I think this is a great book to read if you don't like to non-fiction your way through history. I personally think that the whole (true) story (with reading ce...more
An amazing book. Follow fictional characters from various countries as they join the Martin & Willey Handcart Companies in their trek across the plains to Salt Lake City with the Mormon pioneers. You get a closer look at how these people survived the ordeal of being stuck in the snow in Wyoming after an early winter sets in. The survivors of these companies are honored for their Faith in God that made them keep going to be with the saints in Salt Lake City.
This is a remarkable story! I must admit, I, myself, went through the accusations and questions of where was God in all this and why did these captains leave so late in the year, but Lund does a fantastic job helping the reader understand they had no choice in the matter and that God was with them all along the way. It deepens my respect and admiration for our early pioneers who sacrificed literally EVERYTHING for religious freedom and obedience to God's commands.
I liked this book better than Lu...more
I liked this book better than Lu...more
Before read: This book's 760 pages is a little overwhelming, but seems an easy read. I strongly related to the introduction of Lund's wondering how any survived. My question was similar as I spent some time studying the handcart pioneers this summer. I wondered how so many survived. There are now first hand accounts on the church website--Levi Savage's was particularly meaningful to me. He kept a daily account unitl my ggmother was orphaned (mentioned family by name) and then updated weeks later...more
This was wonderful to read during my current bout with the flu. Pretty hard to sink into self-pity when you're "journeying" with the Willie and Martin handcart companies!
I loved the fictional characters Elder Lund wrote into this story--it really helped keep my interest sparked through a very long book.
I have a new, powerful appreciation for the horrendous journey these Saints experienced because of their desire to follow a prophet's counsel to gather to Zion.
I always thought that it was a "mis...more
I loved the fictional characters Elder Lund wrote into this story--it really helped keep my interest sparked through a very long book.
I have a new, powerful appreciation for the horrendous journey these Saints experienced because of their desire to follow a prophet's counsel to gather to Zion.
I always thought that it was a "mis...more
So I’ve read this book before, but it had been, like, ten years. And you know what? Ten years can make a rather marked difference on your perspective. I remember reading this the first time and getting swept away in the fictional love story. The second time I thought the love story was basically on the hokey side and actually could have done without it. Then again, I don’t remember crying through the book the first time around. The second time, I was in tears through the whole rescue of the Will...more
I love historical fiction books and I learned so much about a part of my LDS heritage in this one. This is a story about the early pioneers of 1856 who traveled across the Plains in handcarts to join with their fellow Saints in the Salt Lake Valley. It describes their unwavering faith and endurance in the midst of severe trials as they are caught in unrelenting snow storms and are suffering from sickness, starvation, and exposure. At the last minute as they are about to perish, they are rescued...more
I generally have a hard time getting into these books but this has always been one of my favorites. It makes you so appreciative of the hardcart companies and the hardships they faced. Plus has a great story intertwined in the history. A MUST READ..
I absolutely loved this book. Even though there are fictional characters dropped into this story the author also inserted real families and their real stories as told from their journals, which made it that much more poignant. What these people went through and the incredible faith they had is something that is very hard for us to understand today. While reading this book, I did some research and actually discovered that I have a family member who was in the Martin handcart company, which of cou...more
I'm reading it again. I started listening to it on CD on the way home from Boise. I wanted Preston and Ian to listen with me. They really enjoyed it. But we didn't get it finished, so I picked it up to finish when we got home. I'm unable to read it for long periods of time because I get melancholy. I'm at "that" part of the book. "That part" is the reason I put off reading it for so long. But Gerald Lund does such an excellent job in keeping it historically correct, and it was surprising to me t...more
This is one of Gerald Lunds better books. His writing style is much more developed in this book than in the first of the Work and the Glory series. Although at times his fictional characters are a bit to unbelievable for me, overall the story is appealing, and more importantly for me, it helped me to gain a better understanding of the role that religion and faith played in this historic and tragic event. After reading this book I decided to start reading the Work and the Glory series but I could...more
When Justin and I and our little family lived in Student Family Housing at BYU at the "turn of the century" :), we would often spend Sunday afternoons (and sometimes evenings) or vacation days reading LDS Church-themed/related books together. We took turns reading to each other, but usually I ended up reading the most. We read the entire Work and the Glory series and Children of the Promise series that way. After we finished those, we read this book together. By the time we started this book, Ju...more
Great book. I like reading historical fiction like this because it sort of forces me to learn history. And when it's church history it's even better. I always feel guilty for not knowing enough about church history but I can never bring myself to reading word for word. So having a fictional story along with the history makes it really interesting and when I am studying church history it sinks in a lot better because it seems more alive. this book was very long, but I learned a lot more about spe...more
So this isn't the most fantastic writing; the characters are a little flat and the conversation a little predictable, but wowsers! I don't know how the early saints had the faith and courage to pull handcarts across a wild country--in brittle cold snowstorms and with very limited food rations. I appreciate the journal entries and facts that Lund leaves for the reader at the end of each chapter. I finished the book and wanted to be a more giving and less selfish person. This is a good jumping-off...more
Although at the beginning I was unsure about the historical fiction format of this book, in the end I loved that Gerald Lund was able to tell this amazing story in such a memorable way. I feel like I really know these real people, and I certainly feel like I understand more fully the incredible trials they endured. I almost feel like their experience has become my own...a deepening of the fire of my own faith by living their tribulations out with them. I am so grateful for these faithful saints,...more
I read this book so long ago, but still remember how much I loved it. After watching the movie "17 Miracles" I got it out to read again. I also told all my kids they should read it too. Even though there is much tragedy that befalls these handcart companies, this book perfectly describes all of the many miracles that occurred. You truly can see how the Lord was mindful of them in their journey and how much more sadness would have happened if not for the Lord. My testimony grew and I was deeply t...more
This book helped me understand a little more fully what the handcart experience must have been like: the hardships, extreme conditions and seemingly endless atrocities. In spite of it all, the book was not depressing. It was encouraging and uplifting. I also appreciated that the author included notes at the end of each chapter with real journal entries of the handcart pioneers, to show that the experiences he wrote about were based on actual events. Even the fictional characters seemed real to t...more
I loved this book. It not only taught you more about the Willie and Martin Handcart companies and told of actual facts of what took place and people's journal entries, but it did it in a way that kept your attention because of the "story" that he developed with fictional characters to help take you through the whole experience. Great book! I read it to get me pumped up for the trek that is this this summer but it is a good read for anyone who wants to learn more about our pioneers and the strong...more
Excellent! Touching and inspiring.
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
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| Fire of the covenant | 1 | 29 | Nov 01, 2008 10:41am |
Jul 22, 2009 12:52am