Saints

Rating:
Summary: A historical novel of the early Mormon Church
Review: "Saints" is a novelization of the life of one of the wives of Joseph Smith, founder of the Mormon Church. The book follows Dinah from her childhood of poverty and misery in England through her involvement in the early Mormon movement in the U.S. Card manages to make it seem plausible that a smart, tough, self-reliant woman like Dinah could accept Mormon "plural marriage." The one part of her life that I didn't fully understand was Dinah's conversion to Mormonism in the first place, which is, of course, crucial to the story.

I was fascinated by Card's characterization of Joseph Smith. You can't quite decide whether he's a raving egomaniac on a power trip or whether he has truly heard the voice of God and will be faithful no matter how difficult it may be or how crazy God's commands may seem. Or maybe it's some of each. It seems to me that a lot of strong religious leaders are like this, and maybe there's no sure way to tell what's really motivating them. Card also leaves open the interpretation of Dinah's treatment of her children: Is it a painful but necessary consequence of acting faithfully, or an inexcusable abdication of responsibility, or some of each?

"Saints" is an engaging story and a powerful study of the faithful life. Also recommended: "Stone Tables," Card's novelization of the life of Moses.

Rating:
Summary: A historical novel of the early Mormon Church
Review: "Saints" is a novelization of the life of one of the wives of Joseph Smith, founder of the Mormon Church. The book follows Dinah from her childhood of poverty and misery in England through her involvement in the early Mormon movement in the U.S. Card manages to make it seem plausible that a smart, tough, self-reliant woman like Dinah could accept Mormon "plural marriage." The one part of her life that I didn't fully understand was Dinah's conversion to Mormonism in the first place, which is, of course, crucial to the story.

I was fascinated by Card's characterization of Joseph Smith. You can't quite decide whether he's a raving egomaniac on a power trip or whether he has truly heard the voice of God and will be faithful no matter how difficult it may be or how crazy God's commands may seem. Or maybe it's some of each. It seems to me that a lot of strong religious leaders are like this, and maybe there's no sure way to tell what's really motivating them. Card also leaves open the interpretation of Dinah's treatment of her children: Is it a painful but necessary consequence of acting faithfully, or an inexcusable abdication of responsibility, or some of each?

"Saints" is an engaging story and a powerful study of the faithful life. Also recommended: "Stone Tables," Card's novelization of the life of Moses.

Rating:
Summary: one of Sci-Fi's best goes in a new direction . . .
Review: First of all, I don't like the cover of this book. It's reminiscent of either a low-budget romance novel or maybe a low-budget western. And the title isn't very helpful either.
So the only reason I even read the book was because I'm a big fan of the author's fantasy novels (Ender series, Alvin Maker series, etc.)
Another weakness of the book, at least in terms of popular appeal,is it's setting in 19th century Mormon pioneer history, both in England & in America. This setting for the story would hold interest for some, but could be boring or off-putting to others.
But as you get into the story, and Card's character Dinah grows & develops, the story just sparkles! His insights into human nature, and how his characters reveal their inner selves in response to life's challenges, are as sharp as a razor blade. The prose in this book is a true gem; the book begins: "The day John Kirkham abandoned his family, he came home early from work. ...." Card's characterization of the subtleties of the relationships between men & women in the 19th century are particularly strong.

The setting & subject of this story are a bit off the beaten path, but the quality of the writing is so high, and the insights into human nature so keen, that you almost don't care; the setting could be anywhere & this book would still hold your attention. When I hear the phrase "don't judge a book by it's cover", this is the book I think of.

Rating:
Summary: one of Sci-Fi's best goes in a new direction . . .
Review: First of all, I don't like the cover of this book. It's reminiscent of either a low-budget romance novel or maybe a low-budget western. And the title isn't very helpful either.
So the only reason I even read the book was because I'm a big fan of the author's fantasy novels (Ender series, Alvin Maker series, etc.)
Another weakness of the book, at least in terms of popular appeal,is it's setting in 19th century Mormon pioneer history, both in England & in America. This setting for the story would hold interest for some, but could be boring or off-putting to others.
But as you get into the story, and Card's character Dinah grows & develops, the story just sparkles! His insights into human nature, and how his characters reveal their inner selves in response to life's challenges, are as sharp as a razor blade. The prose in this book is a true gem; the book begins: "The day John Kirkham abandoned his family, he came home early from work. ...." Card's characterization of the subtleties of the relationships between men & women in the 19th century are particularly strong.

The setting & subject of this story are a bit off the beaten path, but the quality of the writing is so high, and the insights into human nature so keen, that you almost don't care; the setting could be anywhere & this book would still hold your attention. When I hear the phrase "don't judge a book by it's cover", this is the book I think of.

Rating:
Summary: Captivating...Saints pulled me out of my reading slump
Review: I had already read the first two "Alvin" books by Card when I found Saints. This book was an amazing read. I suspended the rest of my life to complete it. I am a strong Christian though not a Mormon. I don't think a reader's religious preference should take away from what a marvelous job Card does creating believable characters and a story based on historical facts. I think it is fascinating to learn where the roots of religious convictions come from. It helps us to better love each other no matter what we believe.

Rating:
Summary: Reading Saints
Review: I have been an Orson Scott Card fan for many years. After a while it came to my attention that the only work of his that I had not actually read was one of his earlier works, "Saints."

Unlike the science fiction that makes up most of Card's bibliography, Saints was his first stab at historical/religious fiction. A life long Mormon, it is not surprising that Card decided to pick his faith for his first non-SF novel.

The book is broken up into two parts. The first part takes place in 19th Century England following the misadventures of a down and out family. The book caries an almost Dickens's tone following the families downward spiral. Card is actually trying to create sympathy for his characters so that the reader will be more open to the second half of the book.

Slowly, presumably after the reader is hooked, the family becomes involved with Mormon missionaries in England. After being converted, the family migrates to the U.S where they meet up with Joseph Smith and his followers.

I must say, that as Card presents his Mormons in "Saints," they are not a very loveable bunch. It is very hard to have any sympathy for the main character or for Joseph Smith. After a while, it becomes even hard to finish the book considering such a lack of identification. It seems as if Card is writing "Saints" in order to justify or reconcile the actions of the church founders in his own mind. This whole novel seems an attempt to convince himself that plural marriage and the actions of Joseph Smith were godly.

"Saints," despite it's flaws is a very important book in Card's progression. This is his first novel that manages decent characterization. Before this novel most of his characters were flat and unbelievable. Here, the characters are believable, just un-sympathetic

It is possible that Card was only able to surmount his inability to create deep, meaningful characterization by writing about a subject that is obviously very dear to him. His later books reflect this depth and growth.

Be that as it may, he has never been so preachy and boorish! He attempts to build reader sentiment for his characters but the their actions prevent their identification as even decently misguided religious people. It is a grand drama filled with no heroes.

Rating:
Summary: Honest and uplifting
Review: I know some readers have been disturbed by certain scenes in this book. I can't imagine why, unless they would be disturbed by historical nonfiction about the same time period, since everything that happens is essentially historically accurate, albeit with fictionalized characters. Orson Scott Card has said (I'm paraphrasing from "A Storyteller in Zion") that he wanted to write a book that would be accessible to any reader, without the reader having to decide whether to personally believe in the same faith as the characters, as long as the reader understood that the characters themselves absolutely believed in the truthfulness of mormonism. I think he succeeded, and personally, as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I finished the book with my own faith strengthened, not diminished. Also, its nice to read an LDS Novel in which the early leaders of the church talk and act like real life human beings, as I'm sure they really did, instead of sounding like every word they ever spoke, even in casual conversation, was prepared beforehand for public oration and inclusion in the journal of discourses.

Rating:
Summary: I absolutely loved this book
Review: I normally read Card for his science fiction and fantasy, so I expected to be rather uninterested in Saints. Also, I am not religious at all, and books which focus on religion tend not to interest me. However, even though it took me a while to get into it, I completely loved this book. I was willing to completely accept and believe in the religious views of all of the characters, and become completely absorbed in the story. Orson Scott Card does in Saints what he does in all of his science fiction and fantasy-- he tells a story you believe, about characters you truly feel for, who become, in some way, a part of your life. If you are a fan of Card, this book is worth reading, even if you normally only read science fiction or fantasy.

Rating:
Summary: Not what I expected
Review: I was looking for a book by Orson Scott Card (having never read one before) and this was the only one available at the library that day.

I imagine most people looking for this book are either OSC fans or Mormons (or interested in Mormons.) Not only have I never read any other Orson Scott Card, but I also am not a Mormon and know very little aside from the bare basics about the rise of the Mormon religion. However, as one who enjoys historical fiction, in that regard I am qualified to give an opinion.

As a piece of historical fiction, the book is very well-written, with attention to details and his characters are complicated and true to themselves, seeming not to be re-hashings of characters created centuries ago, and not simply having the motivation of propelling the story. The book seems written to deceive - or at least blur the lines between fiction and reality, making you wonder how much if the story is indeed true, how many of these people did in fact exist.

The book is essentially in two parts. The first half tells the story of the Kirkham family and the odds they face - the father deserting them to fend for themselves in lives of poverty in 1820's Manchester, the three children each finding their own destiny, the eldest son rising to prominent engineer through his own sweat and determination, the youngest son having successes handed to him thanks to his family's endurances, and daughter Dinah struggling to be an independent woman in a society ruled by men.

At the midpoint of the book, the family is split over the arrival of Mormons, one of whom converts half the family in one night. Any true believer has to go to America to build the new city, so half the family wrenches itself from the other half, tearing mothers from children and brothers from sisters and husband from wife in a heartbreaking time all due to conversion.

In the second half of the book, the author examines the struggle of accepting and living with the Mormon principle of polygamy, called plural wives or celestial marriage. At no time did I truly understand the concept as they did, but it was engaging to me to try to understand how this crept up and sustained itself (and against what threats, inside and outside the Mormon city.) Dinah, the heroine of the story, falls in love with Joseph Smith, founder and leader of the Mormon faith, and he has already secretly taken a few other wives. Dinah is friends with Joseph's first wife, Emma, who does not approve of "celestial marriage" and so is in the dark about Joseph's other marriages. Once the cat starts to come out of the bag, Dinah becomes a vocal advocate of "celestial marriage", even convincing her brother Charlie's wife to give Charlie her own sister to marry as a second wife.

I did not feel that the author was trying to convert the reader or defend a principle, only to investigate how it is possible that a strong and independent woman could advocate polygamy, and how the advent of the new idea might have arisen and been accepted into a society of people we might recognize if we had been there to see them.

Rating:
Summary: "Saints" doesn't do what it sets out to do
Review: I'm a huge OSC fan but had never been able to get past the first few pages of "Saints." Finally, I recently had the opportunity to read the book and decided to give it another shot. I'm glad I did, but the book left me feeling a little put off, because it didn't seem to answer some of its own questions.

Most of the questions this book attempts to address have to do with the Mormon practice of plural marriage. Even though there are echoes of his other works (dysfunctional families a la the Ribeiro family; a nearly word-for-word recitation of his short story "The Best Day"), the chief question that Card asks is "What *was* the practice of plural marriage?" Card seems to be partially at war with himself as he attempts to answer that question. In Prentice Alvin he comes out firmly on the side of Ockham's Razor: plural marriage is a way for a man to have sex with a lot of women, as Cavil Planter does with his slaves. But in "Saints" Card grapples with the issue and ultimately concludes that the determination of whether the practice was a product of lust or divine will can only be decided by those who lived it, in other words, those who lived it received revelations telling them to do it. Well, that may be the case, but it's an unsatisfactory answer for third parties such as ourselves, I think you'd agree. We're smart enough to look around at charismatic religious figures who want to screw with our reproduction, from Heaven's Gate's John Doe, to David Koresh to Jim Jones. Was Joseph Smith one of them? Card would have you believe that No, he wasn't. But he doesn't succeed in explaining why not. I don't know, maybe it's an impossible task.