Deseret Book Blog Tour- Through Cloud and Sunshine by Dean Hughes

12 Aug, 2013 by Heather in Through Cloud and Sunshine Leave a comment

Through Cloud and Sunshine
Come to Zion Volume #2
by Dean Hughes
Hardcover, 328 Pages
Published June 13, 2013
by Deseret Book
Book Source: publisher
Adult
Religious Fiction
4 stars

Book summary from Goodreads: Nauvoo was supposed to be the kingdom of God on earth, but Will and Liz Lewis are learning that it takes more than dreaming of Zion to make it a reality. Sickness, poverty, and just plain human nature add to the struggles for the Lord’s people, but every now and then a glimpse of heaven shines through. Just when things are starting to get settled, though, the old problems start rearing their heads, leaving Will and others wondering if they will be there to reap the harvest they have so carefully sown.

Meanwhile, Jeff and Abby—in modern-day Nauvoo—are dealing with challenges of their own. As their newborn baby fights for his life, they must come to grips with their personal faith. Can they, like their ancestors, continue to trust in God when there seems to be no trace of Him in their trials?

Beloved novelist Dean Hughes skillfully interweaves the stories of two couples separated by five generations and 150 years, providing a unique perspective on Church history and showing how much we can learn from those who went before us.

Review: Liz and Will Lewis dream and hope for Zion, the gathering place of their followers and a warm nice, place to call home. Expecting their first child, father, Will feels he must make his promise to Liz’s family to build her up a good home must be realized. But life in Nauvoo is hard, with land to be tilled and crops to be planted. And Liz, well with child feels she is seeing less and less of her husband and he works day and night. The moist land makes a breeding ground for disease and resentment.

Volume two of Come to Zion, picks up right where book one left off, with a great synopsis in the first chapter for readers who haven’t had a chance to read the first in the series. It is again written in dual perspective between two families, one living in the present day as descendants to another living in the historical time period of Joseph Smith.

Dean Hughes does a wonderful job of reminding us that Zion may not be a place, but rather a feeling and a hope as he outlines life in Nauvoo. There are ill feeling amongst neighbors, political unrest and rumor, as well as increasing religious intolerance. Each family struggles with their own trials of infant mortality and trying to make ends meet. Some arrive to Zion with only the belongings they could bring from their own countries and no money or house to call their own.

I love the research Mr. Hughes puts in to all his book as well as the detail. He lived in Nauvoo, so is familiar with the streets, the shops and feel of the land. If you like historical fiction you will love this series and I recommend Come to Zion volumes 1-2 to any who want to feel they are right there in the time and place of our early American Saints.

About the Author: Dean Hughes is the author of more than eighty books for young readers, including the popular sports series Angel Park All-Stars, the Scrappers series, the Nutty series, the widely acclaimed companion novels Family Pose and Team Picture, and Search and Destroy. Soldier Boys was selected for the 2001 New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age list. Dean Hughes and his wife, Kathleen, have three children and six grandchildren. They live in Midway, Utah.