Massacre at Mountain Meadows by Rondal W. Walker, Richard E. Turley Jr., Glen M. Leonard

     In September of 1857, as Utah Mormon's prepared to face the marching army of the United States, a group of emigrants travelled south through Utah on their way to the California gold fields and cattle ranches.  On the 11th of that month, they were drawn from the safety of their circled wagons by a waving flag of truce flown by a group of Mormon militia, only to be slaughtered: men, women and children.
     Examined repeatedly, this shocking event, has troubled both Mormons, non-Mormons and historians for more than a hundred years.  Walker, Turley, and Leonard have set aside previous biased "histories" of the event and with unprecedented access to documents not previously available have written a powerful narrative of not only the event itself, but also of the myriad of contributing factors including the characters involved, the atmosphere, the political realities, and the previous events that predicated the Mountain Meadows Massacre.
     As a student of history and having studied various histories and learned of the event from LDS church historians and college professors, I found Massacre and Mountain Meadows, to present a balanced engaging account.  This book is a must read for any student of history, as it is exemplary of professional historians' skill and purpose.

Willoughby's Return, a Tale of Almost Irresistible Temptation by Jane Odiwe

     Three years after he left Marianne for another, Willoughby returns and stirs up the heartbreak and memories created by the passion they shared, and his abrupt departure and marriage to Miss Jane Grey.  Marianne is busy raising her son, and husband hunting for her sister Margaret when Willoughby returns determined to win her back.  Unfortunately, Colonel Brandon is preoccupied with his ward and her ill daughter, leaving Marianne uncertain about his love and sorely tempted.
     Definitely a fan of Austen, I can't help but be tempted by fan-fiction that carries on her characters and her style.  Most of the time I'm just a little disappointed.  Then again, who can possibly capture Austen today?  Her writing is a product and a reflection of her times.
     Jane Odiwe captures well the feeling if not the essence of Austen's times and writing, but for me the characters don't ring quite true.  Colonel Brandon, so attentive in Sense and Sensibility, is off mark with his obsession over his sense of duty to his ward. (Did he really believe that he was the only one who could support and care for a sick child?) and Marianne, who is not one of my favorite Austen characters, was outspoken with everyone but the man she claims to love so deeply, her husband. I found it doubtful that she wouldn't just tell him her concerns.  Finally, Willoughby wanders about like a lost teen unsure of who and what he is, self-absorbed one minute, taunting the next, and then suddenly caring about results of his insensitive actions.  Totally off.
     That said, I think most young readers of Austen will enjoy the storyline and the ending, as I did when I decided to not compare it to the real thing.

P.S.  If you haven't read Sense and Sensibility, and your moving on to this novel from the movie version of Austen's classic, please, please, please be sure to read the classic.  It is more than worth your time.