Some “Classic” LDS Novels (Anyway, I Think So)
by Richard H. Cracroft
Mark Twain said that “a classic is a book which everyone praises but no one reads”; my personal definition of a “classic” is one which I have read (usually several times) thoroughly enjoyed, and place on a mental shelf to which I return again and again, and which becomes part of my frame of reference, and which I will eventually read again–and again (emotionally, if not actually), and recommend to others–again and again.
With that definition in mind, I present, ‘umbly (and knowing that many readers will demur, mumble, grumble, and wonder), a list of Some Novels Which I Believe Will Delight, Uplift, Inspire, and Entertain Most LDS Readers. My criteria are simple: 1) I personally like these novels; they please me; 2).they are well-written; 3) they are reader-tested: between 1972-2001, I have taught most of these books in my Literature of the Latter-day Saint courses, some I have taught many times; these novels have risen to the top of the heap as the books that students like to read, discuss, and write about; 4) these are the books that, for the most part, are redolent with LDS-ness; 5) I have omitted some popular LDS novels and novelists from the list because a) there are so many of them; b) they have not (yet) stood the test of time–most of them, uplifting and entertaining and even well written, are ephemeral-they come and they pass, without sticking to the soul-at least to mine. In nearly every course I have taught at least one current, popular novel; I have seldom taught them more than once-and some of the books I’m recommending here are so new I haven’t had time to teach them yet!
And so the canon-the “Classics”–that generally accepted list of enduring and significant LDS novels gradually takes shape over time, and these become the “standard works” of Mormon literature-the books which one needs to know to be savvy about LDS literature. Many of the books on this list belong to the “canon” of Mormon novels (a wonderful list of LDS short stories is yet another column, down the road, perhaps). Some don’t belong-yet, and may never belong. Some of the canonical novels are not on the list because they treat their subjects in ways which would upset many :LDS readers-so I omit them, even if I like them personally. Remember, this is a list of fine books which I think will appeal to most LDS readers; it is my personal list and, unlike some of my recent lists, is not a comprehensive “Best Mormon Novels” list-in fact, I am painfully aware of the gaps in this necessarily limited list and apologize for its unevenness. But it’s a good list and will, I suspect, have a number of surprises for some of you who didn’t know there is such a saintly body of writing out there.
I invite readers to send in recommendations of LDS novels which I have not listed here, but which have made a difference in your lives and which, classic or not, you feel would appeal to Classics Corner readers. Send me your picks by May 25, with a one-line statement about the book’s significance. I reserve the right to judge as to whether the book will appeal to our readers. So, enough disclaimers and pussy-footing. Here’s the list:
Some Novels Which I Think Will Delight, Uplift, Inspire, and Entertain Most LDS Readers
(And If You Disagree, Woe, Woe Be Unto You . . . )
Anderson, Nephi, Added Upon (Bookcraft, 1898; 1997, 53rd Printing); this is the “first” Mormon novel, the granddaddy of Saturday’s Warriors and My Turn on Earth; it’s not great fiction, but you can’t beat the Subject Matter.
Arnold, Marilyn, Desert Song (Covenant Communications, 1998), Song of Hope (1999), and Sky Full of Ribbons (2000): a trilogy of novels about a (less-active) LDS English professor who re-discovers her Utah roots and her faith and has some exciting adventures en route.
Brown, Marilyn, The Earthkeepers Trilogy (Aspen Books,1992-1994)-Thorns of the Sun, Shadows of Angels, and Royal House-the saga of a Mormon family and the settling of Utah Valley through World War I.
Brown, Marilyn, Statehood (Aspen Books, 1995): an historical novel featuring George Q. Cannon and the exciting time of transition between the Manifesto of 1890, the dedication of the Salt Lake Temple in 1893, and the coming of statehood in 1896.
Brown, Marilyn, The Wine-Dark Sea of Grass (Cedar Ft. Inc., 2000); a well-written historical novel about the Mountain Meadows Massacre and the challenges of plural marriage. Some people just don’t like novels about massacres and polygamy; this is a wonderful handling of both sensitive topics.
Card, Orson Scott, Saints (TOR, 1984); a powerful and moving love story set in Nauvoo and featuring Joseph Smith, Emma, and the fictional heroine, Dinah Kirkham, who is Joseph’s plural wife (she reminds us of Eliza R. Snow); Card has written in my copy, “My love story to our people”-and it is. Of course, any fiction attempting to portray the Prophet Joseph and plural marriage is bound to unsettle some readers, but Card succeeds in making Joseph Smith live, both as a man and a prophet of God.
Card, Orson Scott, Sarah: Women of Genesis (Shadow Mountain, 2000). The first in a trilogy of new historical novels on women of Genesis, Sarah is Card’s imaginative take on the life of Sarah, nee Sarai, wife of Abraham (nee Abram), and mother (at ninety) of Isaac; Card takes his bearings from the Book of Abraham.
Card, Orson Scott. The Tales of Alvin Maker, 5 vols (1987-1998); Seventh Son, The Red Prophet, Prentice Alvin, Alvin Journeyman, Heartfire, a wonderfully imaginative fantasy re-telling in an alternate world of the life of Joseph Smith, Jr. /Alvin Miller, Jr. (a “Maker” with supernatural powers) and Emma/Peggy (a “Torch”-a Seer); I love these books-and so do my students.
Card, Orson Scott, The Homecoming series, in 5 vols.: The Memory of Earth, The Call of Earth, The Ships of Earth, Earthfall, Earthborn (Hatrack River Publications, 1989-1998); an imaginative sci-fi rendering of the Book of Mormon: the Over-Soul leads Nefi and his brothers out of the city of Basilica on a distant planet, in order to prepare his people to return to Earth, destroyed 40 million earlier in a terrible war. Nefi is willing, of course, “to go and do what the Over-Soul commands,” knowing that the Over-Soul gives no commandments to his children without preparing a way for them to accomplish the mission. Fascinating.
Daybell, Chad, The Emma Trilogy (Cedar Fort, 2000), three exciting time-travel novels-An Errand for Emma, Doug’s Dilemma, and Escape to Zion-which take place in the 1860s, 1944, and in the future, shortly before the coming of the Savior.
Fillerup, Michael, Beyond the River (Signature, c. 1991). A well-conceived and well-executed novel about Jon Reeves’ struggle to find himself and finally come to grips, as a young husband, father, and bishopric member, with the gospel and the complexities of the world as introduced to him years before by Nancy, his high school tutor and friend. He makes it!
Heimerdinger, Chris, Daniel and Nephi (Covenant Communications, 1993) s, 1993), is an engaging and imaginative story of Nephi and Daniel meeting in Jerusalem, antagonizing each other and then becoming fast friends until Nephi and his family flee the city, and Daniel faces captivity among the Babylonians.
Heimerdinger, Chris, Tennis Shoes Among the Nephites, series (1989-1998). The first of Heimerdinger’s fun stories of time-traveling adventures of a contemporary LDS family among the Nephites. The whole series is wonderfully entertaining, especially for teenagers.
Hughes, Dean, Children of the Promise series, 5 vols (Deseret Book, 1997-2000); a typical Mormon family from Sugar House, Utah, is seriously tried, tested and threatened by
WWII, in these wonderfully authentic historical novels which movingly evoke the uprooting of American and Mormon lives, 1938-1947;
Kemp, Kenny, I Hated Heaven (Alta Films Press, 1998)-about a man who, dying, protests so vehemently to the powers that be about work left unfinished that he get another chance.
Kidd, Kathryn H., Paradise Vue (Hatrack River Publications, 1989); a hilarious, serio-comic novel about a very funny Paradise Vue Ward and its slightly unorthodox Relief Society presidency; followed by its sequel, Return to Paradise (1997); and the tonally related The Alphabet Year (1991);
Lund, Gerald N., Fishers of Men, vol.1, The Kingdom and the Glory series (Shadow Mountain, 2000); the first in Lund’s series about the life of Christ (begun and nearly completed, Lund tells me, before he was sidetracked into writing The Work and the Glory series.
Lund, Gerald N. The Work and the Glory series, 9 vols. (Bookcraft, 1990-1998); has changed the way millions of Mormons think and feel about Mormon history, 1827-1847.
Marcum, Robert, Dominion of the Gadianton (Bookcraft 1991) is one of Marcum’s several exciting adventure/mystery/intrigue novels.
McCloud, Susan Evans, Where the Heart Leads (1979), is one among the 30-plus LDS-centered novels, biographies, and histories by this prolific and popular author.
Mitchell, Alan Rex, Angel of the Danube: Barry Monroe’s Missionary Journal (Springville: Cedar Fort Inc., 2000) is the retrospective missionary journal of Elder Barry Monroe, lately of the Vienna Austria Mission, as he attempts to come to grips with the gap between an ideal mission and a mission where one’s message is constantly rejected. This is a funny but basically serious novel about a young man’s salvation journey/mission.
Morris, Carroll Hofeling, The Broken Covenant (Deseret Book, 1985). The story of a woman’s fall into sexual transgression, and the long and hard way back.
Nelson, Lee, The Storm Testament (1982-1990)-a multi-volume tale of Western adventure among the Mountain Men and the Indians.
Nunes, Rachel Ann, Tomorrow and Always (Covenant Communications 2000) is another in the dozen popular romance novels by this prolific author.
Parkinson, Benson Y., The MTC: Set Apart (Aspen Books, 1995), features the stories of several elders’ coming-of-age experiences in the Missionary Training Center as they prepare to serve in France. One of the surprisingly few missionary novels in Mormon literature.
Perry, Anne, Bethlehem Road (St. Martin’s Press, 1990), not actually a “Mormon” novel, but one of her internationally popular best-selling Victorian mystery series, featuring Inspector Thomas Pitt and his astute and liberated wife, Charlotte. Perry is a convert to the Church and lives in Scotland. This novel is, in part, about a Mormon woman who is starved to death by an abusive, chauvinist husband who denies her the right to make decisions about religion.
Perry, Anne, Tathea (Shadow Mountain, 1999), a landmark in Mormon literature, Tathea is, at the turn of the 20th to the 21st century, what Added Upon was at the turn of the 19th to the 20th century–a wonderful fantasy re-telling of the Plan of Salvation as experienced on another planet, but one still covered by the blood of Jesus Christ. Tathea, a deposed queen, undertakes an allegorical Gospel Journey, receives and translates The Book, and preaches the gospel throughout the world It’s full of sound and profound doctrine and gives the reader a refreshing distance and re-take on old truths.
Smith, Robert Farrell Smith, The Trust Williams Trilogy (Deseret Book, 1999-2000), is comprised of, All Is Swell: Trust in Thelma’s Way, Falling From Grace: Trust Williams at the End of the World, and Love’s Labors Tossed: Trust and the Final Fling. These hilarious novels recount how Elder Trust Williams spends his mission in Thelma’s Way, a backwash of Mormonism, founded by Thelma, a headstrong Saint who, while leading her party of pioneers out of Nauvoo, got lost and ended up in the Tennessee hill country. Trust and companion are sent in to redeem the Thelma’s-Way-Saints, whose faith and organization has suffered wonderfully from 150 years of in-breeding and neglect. The adventures are wacky and, well, hilarious. You’ll love these novels.
Taylor, Curtis, The Dinner Club (Published by the author, 2000); the fast-paced tale of a luke-warm Mormon who becomes a Latter-day Saint by forgiving his straying wife. One of the first LDS novels to be set in contemporary California.
Taylor, Samuel W. Heaven Knows Why (1948; Aspen Books, 1994)-still vying for the title of Mormonism’s funniest book, this book, by the son of Mormon apostle John W. Taylor and grandson of President John Taylor, has fun with revelation, the Word of Wisdom, and a backsliding Jackson Skinner, as his late grandfather, now an angel assigned to the membership division in the heavenly bureaucracy, gets permission to appear to Jack and frighten him back on course to the Kingdom. It all works out just right, and only Heaven Knows Why. First published in the old Collier’s magazine.
Smurthwaite, Donald S., Fine Old High Priests (Bookcraft, 1999) is the story of Marcus and Sam, two Latter-day Saints, friends, and neighbors, and how they came to be a pair of “fine old High Priests”; a beautiful, tender, and moving tribute to Latter-day Sainthood; this is a book that everyone should read for a gentle yet powerful spiritual recharge; and his recent sequel, A Wise, Blue Autumn (Bookcraft, 2000) is more of the same; these are, I think, must reads for LDS; my Mormon lit. students think so, too. These books are LDS responses to Tuesdays at Morrie’s, only better.
Sorensen, Virginia, The Evening and the Morning (1949; Signature, 1999), follows Kate’s visit to her Mormon village home in Sanpete County, where she confronts the results of her adultery and flight from Mormonism some twenty years earlier. This is fine novel by a writer of national stature who left the Church to became an Episcopalian.
Weyland, Jack, Charly (1980), and Sam (1981) are two of Weyland’s many very readable short novels for LDS teenagers centered in meeting and overcoming contemporary challenges. It’s easy to get happily hooked on Weyland’s well-told and morally well-founded stories.
Whipple, Maurine, The Giant Joshua (1941; Western Epics Inc., 1976) one of the finest-and perhaps most controversial-of the novels on the list; the story of the founding of St. George and the life and pioneering hardships of Clory, the fourth wife of Abijah MacIntyre; it is a wonderful and intimate look at life on the Mormon frontier. Some readers don’t like its rawboned (and distorted?) picture of life on the Mormon frontier; others see it as inspiring tribute to the Mormon people; one reader wrote to me last month that she became interested in the Church because of this book; old-time St. Georgeans saw the book as a betrayal. It isn’t; it is a wonderful read, as Whipple portrays the Mormon settlers of that arid region as “human beings by birth and only saints by adoption.”
Woolley, David G., Pillar of Fire (Covenant Communications 2000); the first of a projected 7 novels centered in 1 Nephi and The Book of Mormon. Woolley brings the Holy Land alive with rich detail about life in Jerusalem in 601 B.C. This is a solid historical novel.
Yorgason, Blaine, Charlie’s Monument (1978) and The Windwalker (1979) are best-selling and enduring short novels for young adults, among a number of fine novels, as is The Bishop’s Horse Race (12979), by Blaine and Brenton Yorgason. You can’t go wrong with any work by the Yorgasons.
Young, Margaret, House without Walls (Deseret Book 1990). Recounts the story of a Jewish convert to Mormonism.
Young, Margaret Blair and Darius Aidan Gray, One More River to Cross, Book 1 in the Standing on the Promises series (Bookcraft, 2000); the first in a series of historical novels about Elijah Abel, Jane Manning, and several other black Mormon pioneers.
Young, Margaret Blair, Salvador (Aspen Books, 1992)-a fine novel about the darkening of idealism among an American family of Latter-day Saints touched by religion gone awry in the jungles of El Salvador.
You can find more information about these books on-line, at the websites for LDS publishers; for example, at Covenant Communications’ website, there is an interesting list: “Science Fiction and Fantasy Books Published in the LDS Market”; and there is a great deal of information to be found on the “AML List.com,” website for the Association for Mormon Letters. Good reading!
2001 Meridian Magazine. All Rights Reserved.
