The fictional McKensies of Scotland and the fictional Pedersons of Norway are among the converts who, late in the season, set out for Zion during the inaugural year of the great Latter-day Saint handcart migration.  Three previous companies have made the trip without undue incident, but the lateness of the last two-one captained by James G. Willie and the other by Edward Martain-eventually causes them to be trapped by early winter snows in what is now Wyoming.  The disaster that results also provides the circumstances for people driven by the fire of their covenants with God to rise to heights of unsurpassed courage and endurance.  Part of the mixture of tragedy and triumph is the rescue effort that Brigham Young mounts when he finally learns of the emigrants' plight.  


This is officially my new favorite book right now.  If you are into mormon pioneer history, you are going to absolutely love this story about the Willie and Martain Handcart companies.  But a fair warning to all of you who cry easily...I was getting choked up in the Preface when author Gerald N. Lund was talking about how he came to write this book.    He took pioneer journals from those companies and used the stories in them to create this story, set to fictional characters.  This book seriously has something for everyone...romance, history, action, tragedy, and triumph.  One of my favorite parts of the book is at the end of every chapter, the author put chapter notes with stories from the pioneer journals, as well as history tidbits to give readers a better understanding of what was going on in that time period with the saints. I would highly recommend this book to any Latter-day Saint or even just anyone interested in history.  


Recommended by: Scott


Rating: 5 out of 5 stars