Book Review - Forsaking All Others by Allison Pittman

Forsaking All Others by Allison Pittman

As a young woman, Camilla was more than ready to leave her parents to marry the handsome Nathan Fox and follow the leaders of the Mormon Church to Utah with him.  But when Nathan takes a second wife after he has two children (and one who doesn’t survive) with Camilla, it is hard for Camilla to reconcile this with the Christian beliefs with which she was raised.  She begins to question the teachings of the church and eventually feels so strongly that she leaves her daughters to make her way back to the parents she once deserted, thinking that she will eventually come back for her children once she has established a new home for them in her hometown.  Luckily, during her escape, she is rescued from a winter storm by Colonel Brandon and some of his soldiers from a nearby fort.  As she suffers from exposure and frostbite, they take her in and nurse her to wellness, help in her rescue, and escort her back home. 

When she returns to Salt Lake City to reclaim her daughters, she must face the wrath of the church and her husband, as well as the hurt feelings of her daughters.  Will Camilla’s faith stand strong as she faces the trials of beginning a new life?

This book reads quickly as we enjoy the romances between Nathan and Camilla and Camilla and Colonel Brandon, the adventures of traveling across America on horseback in the accompaniment of soldiers of the time, and the suspense of escaping the punishments that might be enacted by the “enforcers” of the Mormon church toward a deserter. 

I didn’t give this book the highest rating just because some parts seemed unbelieveable and too coincidental.  I will not reveal those incidents here, just because it would give away too much of the plot.  However, it was a very enjoyable book that took me away for awhile to an earlier time in America and gave me a glimpse of the early days among the Mormons in Salt Lake City.

Tyndale Publishing provided me a copy of this book for my review.  That in no way influenced my review.