Reviewed By: Deborah Lloyd
Review Rating: 5 Stars
The earliest believers in Joseph Smith’s prophecies led difficult lives. As a young man, Joseph Smith experienced several visions, and he wrote the Book of Mormon. Soon, thousands followed his teachings. Naamah Carter, from Peterborough, New Hampshire, was moved when Elder Eli Maginn preached in her town. Her favorite aunt, Susanna Law Taggart, her uncle and cousin George also believed Elder Maginn’s words. In the fictional work, The Believers In the Crucible Nauvoo, author Alfred Woollacott III relates the story of Naamah’s spiritual and physical journey with this new church.
A few years after she heard Elder Maginn, she too joined the community in Nauvoo, Illinois, reuniting with her relatives and friends from her hometown. Her relationship with Brother John Twiss blossomed. Not all went well, though, as the neighboring communities were suspicious of these new settlers. Disease and death brought despair, but their faith endured. Brigham Young became the new leader, and eventually he had no choice but to move the community further west.
This book, while written as a novel, is an excellent historical rendition of the establishment of the Mormon church. In the epilogue, the author shares his family connections to Naamah Carter and other characters in the book, adding a dramatic meaning to the story. Alfred Woollacott III has written an engaging and factual tale, depicting the early Mormon church in The Believers In the Crucible Nauvoo. Readers will learn about Joseph Smith and Brigham Young, and the beliefs of this faith – as well as the hardships and strengths of its first members. A very interesting read!
Review Rating: 5 Stars
The earliest believers in Joseph Smith’s prophecies led difficult lives. As a young man, Joseph Smith experienced several visions, and he wrote the Book of Mormon. Soon, thousands followed his teachings. Naamah Carter, from Peterborough, New Hampshire, was moved when Elder Eli Maginn preached in her town. Her favorite aunt, Susanna Law Taggart, her uncle and cousin George also believed Elder Maginn’s words. In the fictional work, The Believers In the Crucible Nauvoo, author Alfred Woollacott III relates the story of Naamah’s spiritual and physical journey with this new church.
A few years after she heard Elder Maginn, she too joined the community in Nauvoo, Illinois, reuniting with her relatives and friends from her hometown. Her relationship with Brother John Twiss blossomed. Not all went well, though, as the neighboring communities were suspicious of these new settlers. Disease and death brought despair, but their faith endured. Brigham Young became the new leader, and eventually he had no choice but to move the community further west.
This book, while written as a novel, is an excellent historical rendition of the establishment of the Mormon church. In the epilogue, the author shares his family connections to Naamah Carter and other characters in the book, adding a dramatic meaning to the story. Alfred Woollacott III has written an engaging and factual tale, depicting the early Mormon church in The Believers In the Crucible Nauvoo. Readers will learn about Joseph Smith and Brigham Young, and the beliefs of this faith – as well as the hardships and strengths of its first members. A very interesting read!
Customer Review5.0 out of 5 stars “I remember the night you died - on my birthday. You and young Reuben were so sick.”
ByGrady Harp HALL OF FAMETOP 500 REVIEWER on October 17, 2017
Format: Kindle Edition
Alfred Woollacott, III is a fascinating man obsessed with history - in the right kind of way. As he states on his website, `My genealogical journey began while chauffeuring [wife] Jill, her mother and two of their octogenarian cousins around England in 1999. As I lay awake, I said to Jill, "Once I retire, I'm going to work on my family tree." In 2002, I retired from KPMG, a firm where I had spent my entire career spanning some 34 years. When a fellow partner asked, "Al, you're too young to retire, what are you going to do now?" I responded, "What I have always done, except I won't be going to work." Filling in the '50 to 60 hour per week void' that retirement created was easy. Believe me, retirement is highly underrated. I honored the vow I made while in England and dabbled with my family history until a post on a genealogy website from a Charles HB Cole looking for information on the Fitchburg Woollacotts captured me. Charles's work was extensive; I was even in it. In no time, the Woollacott leg of my stool was far extended. I was hooked on family history and needed more. When my brother and I traveled to Devon in 2007, we had a lovely lunch with Charles and his family. After lunch, Charles calculated that we were 6th cousins. Like a dutiful auditor, I checked his calculations - he was correct. I told him about the love/hate relationship with genealogy that he had created within me. He laughed, and I sensed he knew what I was experiencing. When his wife added that while on their honeymoon Charles was in the library doing genealogy, I was certain that Charles knew. My adult life was spent crunching numbers and verifying assertions. So researching dates and concluding on supporting evidence comes easy to me. I received a B. S. in Business Administration ('68) and later an MBA ('71), both from Boston University. English literature, composition and creative writing were not in my college education. And at KPMG, creative writing was strictly forbidden - just the facts and then a conclusion. So transporting my wonder about an ancestor out of my head and onto paper does not come easy. So now my family history dabbling has become an obsession with dates and places stuck to my head like tossed Velcro balls hanging from a fuzzy dartboard. And the wonder, why it just permeates continuously.'
Given all that, what unveils in his THE BELIEVERS IN THE CRUCIBLE NAUVOO is a story written with such verve and grace that every page captures past time and makes it now. Perhaps that is because it comes form Woollacott's genes, but fine reading it is for a long winter's night. Very briefly, ` Reuben Law's daughter Susanna, her husband, two of their children, and Reuben's granddaughter Naamah, like so many from the Peterborough, New Hampshire in the 1840s, were inspired by Joseph Smith teachings and traveled to Nauvoo, Illinois. This Part 2 of a trilogy is a meticulously researched novel, that weaves the momentous events of Joseph Smith’s martyrdom and Brigham Young’s succession with Naamah’s story and offers differing perspectives to create a mosaic of Nauvoo, the crucible out of which arose today’s Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-day Saints. After enduring early parental deaths, Naamah Carter discovers renewed meaning to her strong Christian beliefs through Joseph Smith’s testaments. His following in Peterborough, New Hampshire flourishes, yet Naamah, her beloved Aunt Susan, and other believers suffer family strife and growing community resentment. She leaves her unfriendly situation and journeys to Nauvoo to be among thousands building their Prophet‘s revelation of an earthly Zion on a Mississippi River promontory. There, her faith is tested, enduring loss of loved ones and violence from those longing to destroy Nauvoo. With the western exodus imminent, she faces a decision that runs counter to her soul and all she holds sacred - whether to become Brigham Young’s plural wife.’
Writing of this quality is immensely rewarding for the reader. Not only does the author treat us to history - he also entertains us with a multifaceted tale that has a new level of pertinence as the chapters unfold. Highly Recommended. Grady Harp, October 17
ByGrady Harp HALL OF FAMETOP 500 REVIEWER on October 17, 2017
Format: Kindle Edition
Alfred Woollacott, III is a fascinating man obsessed with history - in the right kind of way. As he states on his website, `My genealogical journey began while chauffeuring [wife] Jill, her mother and two of their octogenarian cousins around England in 1999. As I lay awake, I said to Jill, "Once I retire, I'm going to work on my family tree." In 2002, I retired from KPMG, a firm where I had spent my entire career spanning some 34 years. When a fellow partner asked, "Al, you're too young to retire, what are you going to do now?" I responded, "What I have always done, except I won't be going to work." Filling in the '50 to 60 hour per week void' that retirement created was easy. Believe me, retirement is highly underrated. I honored the vow I made while in England and dabbled with my family history until a post on a genealogy website from a Charles HB Cole looking for information on the Fitchburg Woollacotts captured me. Charles's work was extensive; I was even in it. In no time, the Woollacott leg of my stool was far extended. I was hooked on family history and needed more. When my brother and I traveled to Devon in 2007, we had a lovely lunch with Charles and his family. After lunch, Charles calculated that we were 6th cousins. Like a dutiful auditor, I checked his calculations - he was correct. I told him about the love/hate relationship with genealogy that he had created within me. He laughed, and I sensed he knew what I was experiencing. When his wife added that while on their honeymoon Charles was in the library doing genealogy, I was certain that Charles knew. My adult life was spent crunching numbers and verifying assertions. So researching dates and concluding on supporting evidence comes easy to me. I received a B. S. in Business Administration ('68) and later an MBA ('71), both from Boston University. English literature, composition and creative writing were not in my college education. And at KPMG, creative writing was strictly forbidden - just the facts and then a conclusion. So transporting my wonder about an ancestor out of my head and onto paper does not come easy. So now my family history dabbling has become an obsession with dates and places stuck to my head like tossed Velcro balls hanging from a fuzzy dartboard. And the wonder, why it just permeates continuously.'
Given all that, what unveils in his THE BELIEVERS IN THE CRUCIBLE NAUVOO is a story written with such verve and grace that every page captures past time and makes it now. Perhaps that is because it comes form Woollacott's genes, but fine reading it is for a long winter's night. Very briefly, ` Reuben Law's daughter Susanna, her husband, two of their children, and Reuben's granddaughter Naamah, like so many from the Peterborough, New Hampshire in the 1840s, were inspired by Joseph Smith teachings and traveled to Nauvoo, Illinois. This Part 2 of a trilogy is a meticulously researched novel, that weaves the momentous events of Joseph Smith’s martyrdom and Brigham Young’s succession with Naamah’s story and offers differing perspectives to create a mosaic of Nauvoo, the crucible out of which arose today’s Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-day Saints. After enduring early parental deaths, Naamah Carter discovers renewed meaning to her strong Christian beliefs through Joseph Smith’s testaments. His following in Peterborough, New Hampshire flourishes, yet Naamah, her beloved Aunt Susan, and other believers suffer family strife and growing community resentment. She leaves her unfriendly situation and journeys to Nauvoo to be among thousands building their Prophet‘s revelation of an earthly Zion on a Mississippi River promontory. There, her faith is tested, enduring loss of loved ones and violence from those longing to destroy Nauvoo. With the western exodus imminent, she faces a decision that runs counter to her soul and all she holds sacred - whether to become Brigham Young’s plural wife.’
Writing of this quality is immensely rewarding for the reader. Not only does the author treat us to history - he also entertains us with a multifaceted tale that has a new level of pertinence as the chapters unfold. Highly Recommended. Grady Harp, October 17
Traveling With the Mormons, Guided by Distant Relatives
- Rick Herrick
- Thursday, November 9, 2017 - 12:13 p. m.
Al Woollacott’s first novel, The Immigrant, is the story of John Law, the author’s direct descendant, who arrived in Boston in 1651 in chains as a Scottish prisoner of war. The novel chronicles Law’s many challenges in the new world which include the dangers posed by a Puritan theocracy, English bigotry, and restless Native Americans.
In a new book entitled The Believers in the Crucible Nauvoo, a second novel of a planned trilogy, Mr. Woollacott tells the story of another distant relative named Naamah Carter. The novel is set in Peterborough, N.H. and Nauvoo, Ill. This meticulously researched novel weaves together several historical events pertaining to the Mormon church — their struggle to survive in a hostile environment, the martyrdom of Joseph Smith, and the succession of Brigham Young.
Needing a strong support group following the death of her parents, Naamah joins a growing group of Mormons in Peterborough. Though the Mormon church flourishes in Peterborough, growing community resentment leads Naamah to join thousands in Nauvoo, the place selected by Joseph Smith to create an earthly Zion on the Mississippi River. There, her previous acquaintance with John Twiss blossoms into marriage. Sadly, however, her faith is tested when her husband tragically dies from a malaria-like disease, and the community is threatened with violence from people longing to destroy Nauvoo and the emerging Mormon church. With the western exodus of the faith imminent, she faces a decision that runs counter to her soul and all she holds sacred—whether to become Brigham Young’s plural wife.
Naamah’s interaction with “the Lion of the Lord,” Brigham Young, unfolds as a unique love story. She first beholds him on a Peterborough stage where she is awestruck. In Nauvoo their paths cross several times, and they work together at the Temple for countless hours as the community prepares to exit Nauvoo. Brigham’s marriage proposal and Naamah’s deliberations are skillfully written. In the end, the various events in Naamah’s life come together in a way which enables her to say 'yes'.
Though not a Mormon, Mr. Woollacott’s handling of Joseph Smith’s teachings and the events surrounding the early history of the Mormon church is impressive. The major characters are well drawn and believable. The book poses moral questions, and documents a strange and rather disturbing love story.
Mr. Woollacott’s easy-to-read style moves the reader along in an entertaining fashion which makes The Believers in the Crucible Nauvoo a novel you won’t want to miss.
Reviewed By: Jane Finch
Review Rating: 5 Stars - Congratulations on your 5-star review!
The Believers In the Crucible Nauvoo by Alfred Woollacott, III follows Naamah Carter as she seeks fulfilment in her physical and spiritual life. Set in the mid-1800s in New Hampshire, Naamah strives to seek God’s will through the teachings of Joseph Smith, but this causes conflict and division within her family and friends. Many from their small community join the thousands travelling to Nauvoo in the hope of setting up their own promised land with the teachings of Joseph Smith as their foundation. The Believers In the Crucible Nauvoo tells the story of the journey and the hardships endured by the followers as the early Mormon Church is established.
The author, Alfred Woollacott III, has clearly researched his subject matter well and cleverly interwoven this knowledge with the life of fictitious characters to convey the struggles and hardships endured by the followers of Joseph Smith. The pace is sedate, with a voice that is entirely appropriate for the era. The language used gives authenticity to the whole story, and will enable this book to appeal to not only readers of historical fiction, but also those interested in historical facts relating to the Mormon faith. There are quite a lot of characters, which can become confusing, but the story is a compelling read and Naamah is an enduring personality with whom the reader will empathise. This book has the ability to pique the interest of the reader in the events surrounding the exodus to Nauvoo, which is confirmation that the author has done a good job in this fictional yet informative piece of work.
Review Rating: 5 Stars - Congratulations on your 5-star review!
The Believers In the Crucible Nauvoo by Alfred Woollacott, III follows Naamah Carter as she seeks fulfilment in her physical and spiritual life. Set in the mid-1800s in New Hampshire, Naamah strives to seek God’s will through the teachings of Joseph Smith, but this causes conflict and division within her family and friends. Many from their small community join the thousands travelling to Nauvoo in the hope of setting up their own promised land with the teachings of Joseph Smith as their foundation. The Believers In the Crucible Nauvoo tells the story of the journey and the hardships endured by the followers as the early Mormon Church is established.
The author, Alfred Woollacott III, has clearly researched his subject matter well and cleverly interwoven this knowledge with the life of fictitious characters to convey the struggles and hardships endured by the followers of Joseph Smith. The pace is sedate, with a voice that is entirely appropriate for the era. The language used gives authenticity to the whole story, and will enable this book to appeal to not only readers of historical fiction, but also those interested in historical facts relating to the Mormon faith. There are quite a lot of characters, which can become confusing, but the story is a compelling read and Naamah is an enduring personality with whom the reader will empathise. This book has the ability to pique the interest of the reader in the events surrounding the exodus to Nauvoo, which is confirmation that the author has done a good job in this fictional yet informative piece of work.
Reviewed By: Romuald Dzemo
Review Rating:5 Stars - Congratulations on your 5-star review!
The Believers in the Crucible Nauvoo by Alfred Woollacott, III is an inspiring, historical novel that explores the life of a woman of faith. Naamah Carter has had her share of suffering and devastating loss as a child. However, her life takes on a new direction when she listens to Joseph Smith’s testaments. But her family still continues to be despised by those in her community. This book tells the story of her spiritual odyssey to Nauvoo, inspired by the message of the prophet. In this new adventure of faith, she faces the greatest challenge of her life — should she choose Brigham Young and live in a marital situation contrary to her beliefs or follow her heart.
The reader is introduced to the dynamics and the historical context in which the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-day Saints was born. The author explores the martyrdom of Joseph Smith and his succession by Brigham Young, creating a powerful spiritual climate that underlines the elements of a nascent church. I was captivated by the portrait of Naamah Carter, and how her humanity comes across in the narrative. The themes of faith, family, and suffering are beautifully developed and it is interesting to notice the part that faith plays in the story. Alfred Woollacott’s work is brilliantly plotted and the reader is left in no doubt that the work is well-researched. The characters are compelling and readers will love how these characters fit into the setting. The Believers in the Crucible Nauvoo is fast-paced and the conflict is strong, deftly developed at multiple levels. It is, indeed, an engaging and fascinating read.
Review Rating:5 Stars - Congratulations on your 5-star review!
The Believers in the Crucible Nauvoo by Alfred Woollacott, III is an inspiring, historical novel that explores the life of a woman of faith. Naamah Carter has had her share of suffering and devastating loss as a child. However, her life takes on a new direction when she listens to Joseph Smith’s testaments. But her family still continues to be despised by those in her community. This book tells the story of her spiritual odyssey to Nauvoo, inspired by the message of the prophet. In this new adventure of faith, she faces the greatest challenge of her life — should she choose Brigham Young and live in a marital situation contrary to her beliefs or follow her heart.
The reader is introduced to the dynamics and the historical context in which the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-day Saints was born. The author explores the martyrdom of Joseph Smith and his succession by Brigham Young, creating a powerful spiritual climate that underlines the elements of a nascent church. I was captivated by the portrait of Naamah Carter, and how her humanity comes across in the narrative. The themes of faith, family, and suffering are beautifully developed and it is interesting to notice the part that faith plays in the story. Alfred Woollacott’s work is brilliantly plotted and the reader is left in no doubt that the work is well-researched. The characters are compelling and readers will love how these characters fit into the setting. The Believers in the Crucible Nauvoo is fast-paced and the conflict is strong, deftly developed at multiple levels. It is, indeed, an engaging and fascinating read.
"The Believers", Woollacott’s saga of hope and belief
Alfred Woollacott III has a huge family tree bristling with pioneer personalities and risk takers. The longtime Island resident has been busy for the past several years, climbing out on some nether branches to research several family members’ lives in historically relevant times. Mr. Woollacott combines painstaking, fact-rich research and literary skillfulness to put us in a fictionalized version of their lives.
In 2014, Mr. Woollacott gave us “The Immigrant,” based on the life of his progenitor, John Law, a 14-year-old Scots lad set down as an indentured servant in Concord, in 1650.
In “The Believers in the Crucible Nauvoo,” Mr. Woollacott tells the story of a distant-generation aunt, Naamah Kendall Jenkins Carter, of Peterborough, N.H., whose journey would take her far from New England, ultimately to Salt Lake City, where she would live her days as one of 19 wives of Brigham Young, leader of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS), familiarly known as the Mormon Church.
I’ll tell you the truth. I loved “The Immigrant” from page one; a brilliant first effort. But I didn’t love “The Believers” from the outset, not even close. Naamah was a precocious 6-year-old in 1827 in the bosom of a large New England family teeming with Laws and Taggarts et al., but we sense that will change. Because at that time, several hundred miles away, Joseph Smith, a young man from Sharon, Vt., was busy creating — or translating, depending on your view of events — the Book of Mormon, an alternative approach to religious sociology unlike the hard-bitten predestined view of salvation under which New Englanders had been raised for nearly two centuries.
Unlike the Cotton Mather fire and brimstone your-fate-is-predetermined approach, the Book of Mormon message promised a personal relationship with God through his “prophet” and elders.
As modern-day LDS literature has it, “The book was written to inspire readers to make decisions that would ultimately improve their lives and bring them closer to God. It was the authors’ hope that their words would lead people to Jesus Christ and change behaviors; would lift sadness, uncertainty, and fear; would offer purpose and direction to people’s outlook on life; and would give people evidence that God is still ‘a God of miracles.’” In other words, give the folks some hope.
It worked. By the mid-1840s, local records unearthed by Mr. Woollacott show that 116 Peterborough residents (total population: about 2,000) had signed up for the program.
Now the story begins to grab the reader. Promised the prospect for a personal, loving relationship with God, the numbers of “Saints” grew as they began a diaspora West, building temples and communities in Ohio, Missouri, and in Nauvoo, Ill., always harried by locals with rumors of financial fraud and polygamy swirling, generally getting out of town one step ahead of the sheriff or local militia.
Naamah joins the Saints in Nauvoo after Joseph Smith is killed in a gun battle and as Brigham Young, a fellow Vermonter, takes charge and moves 10,000 believers to the wilds of Utah, where the LDS has prospered.
Now, what happens is that you become a fan as you read Naamah’s words and thoughts, her ongoing searching dialogue with her Lord, drawn from correspondence and reports by Mr. Woollacott. You want this young woman to be safe and happy. I was telling her to stay in Peterborough, that Brigham’s desire to “seal” with her as a multiple wife was a hustle, that one-way conversations rarely produce good outcomes.
But as her story rolls out, the thought occurs that the decisions were Naamah’s to make; ultimately she was free to make them. She had become an independent woman, a free soul. And wasn’t that the point in the first place?
In 2014, Mr. Woollacott gave us “The Immigrant,” based on the life of his progenitor, John Law, a 14-year-old Scots lad set down as an indentured servant in Concord, in 1650.
In “The Believers in the Crucible Nauvoo,” Mr. Woollacott tells the story of a distant-generation aunt, Naamah Kendall Jenkins Carter, of Peterborough, N.H., whose journey would take her far from New England, ultimately to Salt Lake City, where she would live her days as one of 19 wives of Brigham Young, leader of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS), familiarly known as the Mormon Church.
I’ll tell you the truth. I loved “The Immigrant” from page one; a brilliant first effort. But I didn’t love “The Believers” from the outset, not even close. Naamah was a precocious 6-year-old in 1827 in the bosom of a large New England family teeming with Laws and Taggarts et al., but we sense that will change. Because at that time, several hundred miles away, Joseph Smith, a young man from Sharon, Vt., was busy creating — or translating, depending on your view of events — the Book of Mormon, an alternative approach to religious sociology unlike the hard-bitten predestined view of salvation under which New Englanders had been raised for nearly two centuries.
Unlike the Cotton Mather fire and brimstone your-fate-is-predetermined approach, the Book of Mormon message promised a personal relationship with God through his “prophet” and elders.
As modern-day LDS literature has it, “The book was written to inspire readers to make decisions that would ultimately improve their lives and bring them closer to God. It was the authors’ hope that their words would lead people to Jesus Christ and change behaviors; would lift sadness, uncertainty, and fear; would offer purpose and direction to people’s outlook on life; and would give people evidence that God is still ‘a God of miracles.’” In other words, give the folks some hope.
It worked. By the mid-1840s, local records unearthed by Mr. Woollacott show that 116 Peterborough residents (total population: about 2,000) had signed up for the program.
Now the story begins to grab the reader. Promised the prospect for a personal, loving relationship with God, the numbers of “Saints” grew as they began a diaspora West, building temples and communities in Ohio, Missouri, and in Nauvoo, Ill., always harried by locals with rumors of financial fraud and polygamy swirling, generally getting out of town one step ahead of the sheriff or local militia.
Naamah joins the Saints in Nauvoo after Joseph Smith is killed in a gun battle and as Brigham Young, a fellow Vermonter, takes charge and moves 10,000 believers to the wilds of Utah, where the LDS has prospered.
Now, what happens is that you become a fan as you read Naamah’s words and thoughts, her ongoing searching dialogue with her Lord, drawn from correspondence and reports by Mr. Woollacott. You want this young woman to be safe and happy. I was telling her to stay in Peterborough, that Brigham’s desire to “seal” with her as a multiple wife was a hustle, that one-way conversations rarely produce good outcomes.
But as her story rolls out, the thought occurs that the decisions were Naamah’s to make; ultimately she was free to make them. She had become an independent woman, a free soul. And wasn’t that the point in the first place?
Blending family, history, and an imaginative gift, Woollacott depicts a young woman's travails in joining the Mormon Faith -- Barbara Scott five-stars
Blending family documents, historical records and a strong imaginative gift, author Alfred Woollacott III depicts the travails of a young woman joining in the founding of the Mormon faith in The Believers in the Crucible Nauvoo.
Woollacott’s book opens in Peterborough, New Hampshire, where one of Mormon founder Joseph Smith’s disciples has converted many townspeople. These believers are caught up in Smith’s challenging and inspiring message. According to teachings from the Book of Mormon, converts must be baptized, and then have the certainty of sharing the life of Jesus while here on Earth. Some feel strongly called to Nauvoo, Illinois, where Smith is establishing a shining city on the banks of the Mississippi River.
The novel’s central character is Naamah, a young woman still mourning the traumatic loss of both parents, and the great-great-grand aunt of the author. She seems to have little luck finding a husband, so takes solace in caring for her younger sister, Betsey. Drawn by a courtly letter from a male acquaintance, John Twiss, a follower of Smith who has moved to Nauvoo, she makes the journey. This journey tells the tale of the founding of the Mormon faith, and the struggles it endured. It also acts as a fascinating work of historical fiction, bringing Mormon history to life with real-life figures.
Unknown to Naamah, Smith has been killed—martyred, his followers will declare—after a dispute with local authorities. The Mormons are in disarray. Some, like Naamah, blessed with visions and voices, will cling to the faith. But who will replace Joseph Smith? Fortuitously, a new leader announces himself in time to reunite the sect: Brigham Young will carry on Smith’s work. After Naamah’s husband dies, she grows closer to the religion’s inner circle and is asked by Young to be his wife, while being assured she will still be married to John in the hereafter. Naamah has to make a difficult choice: being in a polygamous relationship with Young means facing the vilification of those outside the faith, and will require another long trek to build a new Zion.
Woollacott, a retired businessman with an abiding interest in his personal ancestry, has undertaken to write this engaging story, not solely as an historical novel but also as a rich, conversational and believable human saga about his bygone kin. He depicts the sufferings and joys of belonging to a new and at times despised religion with verve and an eye to small details, skillfully conveying Naamah’s personal emotional struggle, and how she fits into the overall historical narrative. He includes an appendix to underpin the facts presented, which gives the book a sense of historical import.
The book also acts as an earnest defense of his faith, presenting the position of the hecklers who want revile the Mormons as un-Christian, while never veering towards proselytizing, and instead towards the religion’s history. He also tackles the controversial issue of polygamy rationally, stating the Mormon position and that of those outside the faith with equal care. All told, the book had to deftly balance Mormon history, Woollacott’s family history, while never seeming too much like a work of non-fiction masquerading as a novel, and Woollacott handles all of these elements admirably.
Throughout The Believers in the Crucible Nauvoo, Woollacott’s intuitively drawn, personal portrait of this distinctive woman brings Mormon history to life in a way that will be of great interest to readers interested in religious historical fiction, and especially for those interested in the Mormon faith.
Blending family documents, historical records and a strong imaginative gift, author Alfred Woollacott III depicts the travails of a young woman joining in the founding of the Mormon faith in The Believers in the Crucible Nauvoo.
Woollacott’s book opens in Peterborough, New Hampshire, where one of Mormon founder Joseph Smith’s disciples has converted many townspeople. These believers are caught up in Smith’s challenging and inspiring message. According to teachings from the Book of Mormon, converts must be baptized, and then have the certainty of sharing the life of Jesus while here on Earth. Some feel strongly called to Nauvoo, Illinois, where Smith is establishing a shining city on the banks of the Mississippi River.
The novel’s central character is Naamah, a young woman still mourning the traumatic loss of both parents, and the great-great-grand aunt of the author. She seems to have little luck finding a husband, so takes solace in caring for her younger sister, Betsey. Drawn by a courtly letter from a male acquaintance, John Twiss, a follower of Smith who has moved to Nauvoo, she makes the journey. This journey tells the tale of the founding of the Mormon faith, and the struggles it endured. It also acts as a fascinating work of historical fiction, bringing Mormon history to life with real-life figures.
Unknown to Naamah, Smith has been killed—martyred, his followers will declare—after a dispute with local authorities. The Mormons are in disarray. Some, like Naamah, blessed with visions and voices, will cling to the faith. But who will replace Joseph Smith? Fortuitously, a new leader announces himself in time to reunite the sect: Brigham Young will carry on Smith’s work. After Naamah’s husband dies, she grows closer to the religion’s inner circle and is asked by Young to be his wife, while being assured she will still be married to John in the hereafter. Naamah has to make a difficult choice: being in a polygamous relationship with Young means facing the vilification of those outside the faith, and will require another long trek to build a new Zion.
Woollacott, a retired businessman with an abiding interest in his personal ancestry, has undertaken to write this engaging story, not solely as an historical novel but also as a rich, conversational and believable human saga about his bygone kin. He depicts the sufferings and joys of belonging to a new and at times despised religion with verve and an eye to small details, skillfully conveying Naamah’s personal emotional struggle, and how she fits into the overall historical narrative. He includes an appendix to underpin the facts presented, which gives the book a sense of historical import.
The book also acts as an earnest defense of his faith, presenting the position of the hecklers who want revile the Mormons as un-Christian, while never veering towards proselytizing, and instead towards the religion’s history. He also tackles the controversial issue of polygamy rationally, stating the Mormon position and that of those outside the faith with equal care. All told, the book had to deftly balance Mormon history, Woollacott’s family history, while never seeming too much like a work of non-fiction masquerading as a novel, and Woollacott handles all of these elements admirably.
Throughout The Believers in the Crucible Nauvoo, Woollacott’s intuitively drawn, personal portrait of this distinctive woman brings Mormon history to life in a way that will be of great interest to readers interested in religious historical fiction, and especially for those interested in the Mormon faith.
