Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Don't know much about history....

I like historical fiction. I like it because I can pretend it's educational! No, seriously, I like it because it personalizes history and opens my eyes to new perspectives on historical events. I also like it because it serves to introduce me to different events in history that I had never heard of or to which I had never assigned much significance before.

That is the case with The Veil, by Diane Noble that I completed recently. It is a fictionalized account of the events surrounding the Mountain Meadows massacre in Utah in the 1850s. Historical events are often tainted by subjective accounts and require scrutiny from multiple perspectives. This book did make me want to learn more about the events surrounding the massacre.

A shroud of secrecy cloaks a new nineteenth-century sect known simply as the Saints. But that veil is about to be drawn away. Amidst the majestic beauty of 1857 Utah, the members of one secluded religious group claim to want nothing more than to practice their beliefs without persecution. Yet among them are many who engage in secret vows and brutal acts of atonement…all in the name of God.

But one young woman, Hannah McClary, dares to question the truth behind the shroud. Soon Hannah and the young man she loves–Lucas Knight, who has been trained from childhood to kill on behalf of the Church–find themselves fighting for their very lives.

As a group of unwary pioneer families marches into Utah toward a tragic confrontation with the Saints at a place called Mountain Meadows, Hannah and Lucas are thrust into the most difficult conflict of all–a battle for truth and justice–even as they are learning for the first time about unconditional love, acceptance, and forgiveness.…


Diane Noble is the author of eighteen books, including Heart of Glass and Phoebe, along with several novellas, devotionals, and nonfiction books for women. Diane is a two-time recipient of the Silver Angel Award for Media Excellence and was a recent double finalist for the Romance Writers of America prestigious RITA Award.

You can purchase it at Random House's website.

5 comments:

Tracey said...

Sounds fantastic, I am passionate about all history, fiction or fact.
Love Tracey xxx

Housewife Savant said...

Fictional works get actual history to STICK in my brain.
It's a win-win.

monica said...

Very great!

Stopping by from SITS to say Hi!

Melissa @ The Inspired Room said...

That sounds like great summer reading! Thanks for the recommendation!

Happy day!
Melissa

Shelley said...

I am so totally reading this book right now. And I love all history. Especially when it's true.