What do You think about Pillar Of Light (2004)?
I tried very hard to love this book. I really did. Unfortunately I just couldn't. I did, however, end up enjoying it. It has strong characters, a well-structured plot, and drips with historical details; however it fails at one very important thing: it bores. Not saying that the entire book is boring. You'll be completely engrossed for the first 2/3, but it's as if you run up against a wall at a certain point. The story slows, even though there are big events happening, and it becomes a struggle to simply get forward. Then, suddenly, you're at the last two chapters and power through them like a shredder with a shorted cable.As for a synopsis: this follows the Steed family, farmers in rural New York at the time of the founding of the Mormon Church. The Steeds sit on the sidelines of various important events in that history like one of those do-everything-together families that bring snuggies to baseball matches. While this situation does have the potential for awkwardness, it does very well at staying grounded and believable. Regardless of your belief in the Mormon religion, this book should be fun as it tries to show the Church's founding from almost every viewpoint, so there should be at least one character that you can relate to. Also, the book tries very hard not to preach, instead opting to just say "This is what happened, and this is how it affected the Steed family." This approach works very well, as it gives you a chance to judge the situation for yourself and understand why characters think the way they do.So yeah: enjoyable read, I just can't quite put my finger on what exactly went wrong to make that last portion such a struggle. If you're curious about the founding of the Mormon religion but don't want to wade through textbooks and biographies, this is the way to go.
—Scott
Overall, I think this was a great way to tell LDS Church history without making it a recitation of dates, names, and events. Some of the major plot points are predictable, but even then the idea seems to be that no one is ever beyond hope. While this is seen in terms of conversion in the book, I think it's a great lesson in general. people don't change because they are told to do so, they change because of their experiences and how they choose to react to those experiences. The book definitely gets you wondering what will eventually sway the more stubborn characters--all you know for certain is that it will happen.
—Joey Dye
It's been years since I've read The Work and the Glory series. If you asked me what I thought of Lund as a writer, I'd say mediocre--his repetitive phrases and some of his similes drive me crazy! Sometimes I have felt that some of his characters are too perfect, and yet, what brought me back to reading the series was how I felt. Some may scoff at that, but whenever I have picked up this series, I feel Lund's testimony and love for the heritage of the pioneers and all that they sacrificed and all the challenges they faced in defending what they believed. Is he biased in his opinions? Probably, but isn't that what authors do sometimes--write about what they value and treasure? I love the development of the characters, especially Benjamin and Joshua. I also love how carefully Lund took the time to document as much of the history as accurately as possible with some obvious liberties to develop his story. But in the later volumes, he adds notes to explain what was real and what he changed to fit the flow of his fictional telling. This is one historical LDS fiction series to which I keep coming back.
—Rachael Baggett
