I read that I could ask my public library for books they don't have. I requested four books by LDS authors, and they got them for me. I love Dean Hughes books, so I was so pleased to be able to read this book, and to start the next book in the three book series. The book tells of two couples in different time periods. Will and Liz are from England, where the social caste system was very strong. Will loved Liz, but he was the son of a tenant farmer. Liz was used to a nice home, a good education, and lovely clothes. This historical novel tells of their lives, and the love they had for each other, and how they finally came together. They both joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and emigrated to America and to the city of Nauvoo Illinois. The second couple are from modern times. Jeff is the fourth great grandson of Will Lewis and Liz. He is married to a convert to the church. Jeff loses his job in California. He is offered free rent if he will help remodel a house in Nauvoo. The couple travel to Nauvoo, and fall in love with the area. Jeff finds the land his grandparents owned. The author researched the English area and customs, and the same for Nauvoo. He gives us a picture of what life was like in England and in Nauvoo, as well as what it would have been like to travel by ship to New Orleans, and then up the Mississippi river to Nauvoo. I have ancestors who took those journey's, and that made the book even more appealing to me. This is the first LDS historical fiction I have read; I've always been afraid of it. I was not expecting to like this book as much as I did. In fact I could have given it 5 stars. I was sucked in immediately and that is rare. I can see what other people are saying about the modern day couple not having much trials to work through but I still enjoyed their story and it would have been a harder read if both couples were having extreme trials. I liked that I could see the connection between the two couples' trials and their personalities. I couldn't relate to the modern couple in some ways but I could relate to their desire to really know and understand the personalities of their ancestors. I also think they represent a lot of newly married LDS couples and I enjoyed reading about them because they seemed like real people. I liked the way the author wrote each chapter from each characters point of view and didn't just show the rosy side of everything, even our thoughts and wonderings. A fun read for sure.
Do You like book The Winds And The Waves (2012)?
I have liked some of Hughes other books but I just couldn't get into this one.
—Angelcsm5
Anxious for the next volumes to come out!
—ktregister
