A friend of mine loaned me this book when I had my last baby. I was highly skeptical for 2 reasons: the plot seemed hokey and it was a "mormon" novel. But I picked it up and couldn't put it down, which was good because I was constantly feeding my newborn. Kirby is a Mormon satirist who has a column that pokes fun of Mormon culture in the Salt Lake tribune. This book is not satire, however. I would put it in the same genre as These Is My Words. It is the story of a young girl growing up in Salt Lake Valley during the Brigham Young era. She is the daughter of the first wife of a polygamist bishop. (See, ick, right?) Robert Kirby handles the polygamy issue with humor and sympathy. Anyway, she is a tomboy and when a mysterious man saves her and her sister from a pretty bad situation the family takes this mysterious Dark Angel in. He sleeps in the barn and helps out around the farm. Rumors about this cold blooded stranger take the community by storm and the plot thickens. Anyway, it was a great read. I loved imagining the Salt Lake Valley back in the pre-overdeveloped era. I loved the portrayal of the family. I really loved this book. It was a very fun read. My mom read it and loved it too, and was also surprised she liked it so much. And it is hokey and silly at times. But still it is a fun read.
