The Ferry Woman: A Novel of the Mountain Meadows Massacre

Rating:
Summary: Interesting Account...
Review: I thought I liked this book well enough until I read "Red Water" by Judith Freeman. If you enjoyed this book and want to read more or just get another viewpoint of the horrible Mountain Meadows Massacre, read Freeman's book. It's written from the perspective of three of Lee's wives, who, I believe, really lived. Freeman does a much better job of getting inside of the women's minds who were married to Lee than Grimmett does.

Rating:
Summary: A well-told tale of troublesome times
Review: The Mountain Meadows massacre is a stain on the history of the West, Utah, and the Mormon church. It has never been satisfactorily dealt with from a historical standpoint, and it is unlikely, given the lack of verifiable information and a continuing reluctance on the part of authorities to pick at the scab, that it ever can or will be. So it becomes the duty of novelists to compel us to examine the killings, the cause, and the aftermath. Even if we cannot understand those troublesome times, through a well-told tale we can at least consider--rather than ignore--them.

THE FERRY WOMAN is such a tale; so far as I know, the only one. By seeing the incidents and events of those dark days through the eyes of a fictional storyteller, the conflicts and struggles and relationships become personal and emotional, hence more affective than a cold recounting of history. Throughout the book, Emeline (the ferry woman) wrestles with faith, loyalty, authority, loneliness, love, and hate in very human and understandable ways.

The story's end is, maybe, a mite tidy. And some Mormons will be offended by Grimmett's portrayal of Brigham Young, legendary builder of the West. It is well to remember, though, that in THE FERRY WOMAN we see this complex man solely through one set of eyes--Emeline's--and as her view is distorted by her experiences, it is both authentic and acceptable.

Rating:
Summary: Massacre in the Meadows
Review: Those who aren't members of the Church of Latter Day Saints, better known as Mormons, may not be familiar with the issues of the Mountain Meadows Massacre. I had never heard of this event, myself.

In Ferry Woman, Gerald Grimmett tries to shed light on the role of John Lee, the man who bore the brunt of the blame for the historical massacre.

The author creates a fictional character (the Ferry woman) --one of Lee's wives. It is through her questioning eyes that the reader sees the events unfold. John Lee is hardly a pleasant character, the Mormons don't come off at all well. Even though Lee's role is toned to "participated" rather than "instigated", Lee is not exonerated in the least. We also get a very gritty glimpse of the less-attractive side of life in Utah during the early days of the Morman settlements, and it seems pretty accurate. Life was, as is the familiar quotation, nasty, brutal and sometimes short.

I didn't know about this historical event (I guess my history of that part of the West begins and ends with the Mormons being run out of Nauvoo and the Donner Party.) So I didn't particularly have an opinion about this massacre. As a historical novel, it is well written and interesting. If you are a reader seeking a romantic-style historical novel, this isn't it. If you like realistic historical novels, you might really enjoy this book.