Nightfall at Nauvoo

by Samuel W. Taylor

In May 1839, Prophet Joseph Smith and his followers--driven out of New York, Ohio, and Missouri--established a Mormon settlement on the fever-ridden swamps of Commerce, Illinois. Three years later, the holy city they called Nauvoo had become the largest city in Illinois--about four times the size of Chicago. Nauvoo had its own militia, it's own newspaper, and the members of the Church of the Latter Day Saints were the most powerful voting block in the state. By 1846, the boom town had become a ghost town and the Mormons were once again moving West.

NIGHTFALL AT NAUVOO is the story of a frontier town and its colorful, controversial founding fathers.

The author also wrote the short story "A Situation of Gravity" on which Disney based "The Absent-Minded Professor."

Genres: Religion, History

431 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1974

Reviews

[Linda Hart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another one of those books that I'd give 6 stars to if possible. He tells the story of Mormon persecution, the events that led to their night time exodus from Nauvoo in the middle of winter, & the events that followed in the most compelling narrative I've ever read on the subject. It reads like exciting fiction, yet is historically accurate. To the chagrin &/or disbelief of some present day church members it tells of events & personalities that have been, for the most part, kept secret, yet leaves the reader with a profound respect for the characters (e.g. Porter Rockwell)and deepened testimony of the truth. I wish this were still in print. The library and amazon used books should have it, but in the event you are unable to attain it, you may borrow my much loved copy on the condition you buy a plane ticket for one of my young grandchildren who live too far away from me to come for an extended visit and also put me in your last will & testament as inheritor of all your worldly possessions!

[Jeff Clausen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This long and complex tale of the Mormons’ saga is an interesting blend of history and fly-on-the-wall storytelling. Without exactly claiming to be the final word on characters’ conversations and motivations, it sort of fills in the gaps between known events and how the Mormons (and non-Mormons) came to their respective decisions and actions. It is ultimately a somber account of all the grief that this sect came to, both because they were different and cohesive— nothing wrong with that— and because the rumors about polygamy were oh so true. Overwhelmingly and sickeningly true. Weird sexual practices aside, the Mormons were just plain dedicated and hard-working Christians who wanted to worship their Prophet as they chose. Well, that was a bit odd too, with the gold plates and the revelations from God, oops, there’s that multiple wives thing again. But during this particular period, they were as fascinating as any group around.

[David Cook · Rating 2 out of 5]

BOOK REVIEW - Nightfall at Nauvoo by Samuel W. Taylor

Nightfall at Nauvoo is a dramatic and controversial account of the final years of the Mormon community in Nauvoo, Illinois, leading up to the death of Joseph Smith in 1844 and the expulsion of the Saints from the city. Written in a lively, journalistic style, the book captures the tension, conflict, and tragedy of one of the most turbulent episodes in early Latter-day Saint history. Yet while Taylor’s narrative is undeniably engaging, it is also marred by selective interpretation, exaggeration, and a consistent undercurrent of bias that undermines its historical reliability. Written in 1974 when there were few historical resources available than today, yet even by 1970’s standards this is not a serious historical work and should be classified as historical fiction.

Taylor was a gifted storyteller as influenced by his own bias but he was no historian. There is no scholarship in this work. He portrays Joseph Smith as a man both visionary and self-deceived, but the tone frequently lapses into cynicism, as if Taylor’s purpose were less to illuminate than to expose. The author’s flair for narrative comes at the expense of context: complex political and theological developments are oversimplified, and key figures are reduced to caricatures.

Historians have noted numerous inaccuracies in Taylor’s retelling—from his depiction of Nauvoo’s municipal court proceedings to his treatment of plural marriage and the Nauvoo Legion. Events are compressed or exaggerated for dramatic effect, while sources are sometimes treated carelessly. Taylor’s lineage (he was the grandson of John Taylor, the third president of the Church) makes the work even more curious—an insider’s critique tinged with resentment toward institutional authority.

What most distinguishes Nightfall at Nauvoo is its tone. Taylor writes with a palpable sense of disillusionment, suggesting that the church’s descent into persecution and chaos was largely self-inflicted. There are moments of genuine insight—his portrayal of the human weaknesses of church leaders and the mob-driven hysteria of their enemies—but the overall narrative leans toward sensationalism. The result is a book that reflects as much about Taylor’s personal grievances as it does about the historical record.

Quotes:

“It was a time of sunset and shadow, when men who had seen a great light were blinded by its brilliance and stumbled into darkness. Faith and fear, loyalty and ambition, revelation and revenge—all mingled until no man could tell them apart. In that twilight, Nauvoo stood proud and doomed, its people convinced that heaven was near even as the night closed in.”

[Harron68 · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I was a very reluctant reader I got this in paperback. I could not put it down. Very readable "historical fiction" based on facts. What happened to the Mormons as they were forced to migrate West is the stuff of American history as much as of the people.
A book of cultural and religious differences, intolerance, politics, greed for money and power, and in the 1800s. This was, after all, a time when Lincoln was living in Illinois, the Whig Party was fading the the Republican Party was yet to evolve. The locals who feared and resented the Mormons had the support of state authorities as the Mormon population grew and word of plural marriage added fuel to the fire. The Mormons were driven out of Missouri by force after armed struggle over the Mississippi and into Illinois.
The jealousies within the church also come clearly into focus. Although a novel, it puts readers into the lives and times of a persecuted minority driven from Illinois after the murders of John and his brother Hyrum, and intended successor. The story is riveting with lessons for today's divergent politics and populace. Four stars. I'd give it five but since it's not quite fiction nor historical fact in total, four will suffice. Read it and see!

[Eric Oppen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good, novelistic look at the rise and fall of Nauvoo, one of the strangest chapters in American history.

[Peggy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book and want to read the others that the author has writted.

[Ruth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another book in my fathers bookcase. This novel by Samuel W. Taylor is about the Mormon’s building and then leaving the beautiful city of Nauvoo. The author deals mostly with the men. Mormon converts, believers, leaders, the disillusioned, and the apostates. Gentile friends, sympathizers, political opponents and enemies. Taylor explores possible motives for various actions including faith, political schemes, revenge, self aggrandizement, and greed. Most of his character sketches seem plausible. In his extensive research Taylor accepts all written accounts as correct from the writer’s point of view and he allows the readers of his novel the freedom to believe in Joseph and the restored gospel or not.

Lesson’s learned: Life is hard. Keeping motives pure and centered on God is difficult. The goal: Moses 5:8

[Andre · Rating 5 out of 5]

A person reading this novel, by the grandson of LDS President John Taylor, will learn more factual history of Nauvoo than though reading almost any other volume of Mormon history. For what it is worth, as a young teenager, I spent many hours at the same table in the Provo (UT) Public Library with Mr. Taylor as he researched this book. He later wrote the stories from which the movies "The Absent-Minded Professor" was made.

[Spencer Ellsworth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a kind of omniscient historical novel that repeats a lot of anecdotal, prove-ably untrue stories like Emma Smith pushing Eliza R Snow down the stairs, or Joseph Smith being involved in counterfeiting. It's occasionally billed as nonfiction, in with Taylor's more research biography of his grandfather, second Church president John Taylor, but it's fiction. Knowing that, you can approach it and have fun.

[Derek Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Historical Fiction that reads like a story, but is very close to well-documented historical accounts that I've read. By the grandson of Mormon church president John Taylor, but not sugar coated. If you are interested in some Mormon history but aren’t ready to plow through a history book, or contend with the really virulent anti-Mormon stuff, this is interesting and very readable. (Book was a gift from my sister.)

[Dennis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great historical perspective of the early LDS church. I didn't realize until well into the book that it was written by a one time member of the church and a great great grandson of early prophet John Taylor. There were a few parts that were historically inaccurate and slanted to particular and sometimes anti point of view, but overall, good background reading with interesting insights.

[James Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

written with a definite antimormon bias, trying to sound like an objective history, but written as a historical novel.

Good reading nonetheless, it helped to put flesh on several historical characters otherwise not known well.

[James Madsen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very good novel, one that humanizes Joseph Smith, for better or for worse.