Pillar of Light: A Historical Novel (Work and the Glory)

Although a "used" product, arrived in pristine condition! Great, great story about a little known part of our American history.

I loved this book and the minute i got it, i read it again! This tells the story of Joseph Smith's translation of the gold plates. He recieved a message from God that the plates were buried in a hill and that he was to retrieve them and translate them into the book soon to be know as The Book of Mormon. Joseph Smith is attacked by mobs throughout the book. But that's just the side story. The main character is Nathan Steed who comes from a family of farmers on the frontier. It tells of his life and his struggles and how he meets Joseph. Nathan becomes a strong believer of the church unlike his older brother Joshua who is one of the ones who attacked Joseph. Nathan's mother is married to Benjamin Steed whose pride and stubborness is well known. Joshua and Benjamin already have a strained relationship and the whole family is in conflict. To add to that, Lydia, Joshua's love has given up her love for Joshua for Nathan.

I started reading these books after the movie, 'The work and the glory' came out. I highly recomend these books!! If you know nothing of LDS history (mormon history) These would be great books for you. The Work and the Glory follows the fictional Steed family. The series starts off when the family moves to Palmyra, New York. It is there they hire the Smith brothers, Joseph Smith and Hyrum Smith. They are swept up in the extrodinary events surounding the man, Joseph. It is there that each of the Steed's must come to terms with the amazing story. Not only is all of this going along, there is a story behind the history. Lydia McBride, the story keeper's daughter, is beautiful, and takes the Steed boys by surprise. These events will change the Steed's lives forever. If you love a good romance, this is the series to read. It also gives a better picture of what 'Mormons' believe. I loved the series, and I would recomend it to ANYONE!!!

I'm 14 and I read the series in about a month and a half some of the books I read in a day. I must admit that I was originally forced to read this series but it turned out to be a good thing. All in all a good series.

After reading the entire eight books in this series, I can unequivocally recommend that everyone read them. Even those who are not of the LDS faith will gain a deep, rich understanding of the plight and struggles of the pioneers who explored this great country. The author has a wonderful knack for captivating his audience, and has made the fictitional Steed family seem as real as if they were actually there. Bravo to Gerald Lund and his staff of researchers. - Erick