6-30-2011 Review from Deseret News/Mormon Times
Set in
In a well-spun tale, Vickie Hall takes us into the lives of Richard Kenyon, a Methodist minister, and his family. When Kenyon joins the LDS faith, converted by American missionary Ben Lochlan, his wife, along with most of his congregation, thinks he has taken leave of his senses, and the rocky relationship with his only brother, Robert, becomes even more strained.
Personal challenges in the Kenyon family, partly the result of Richard's conversion, stretch family members to the limit.
Persecution against the members of the fledgling branch in
Through it all, faith in the Lord and miracles large and small, keep the fledgling branch in
The author has done enough research to incorporate Welsh phrases, folklore, customs and descriptions of the Welsh countryside that sketch a picture of
Although there is an historical base for the book, it is definately a romance novel, and one that would appeal mostly to women - older teens and adults.
Rosemarie Howard - Mormon Times
All That Was Promised by Vickie Hall
I was asked to read and review this book by Tristi Pinkston
First of all, I loved the premise of this book in that, I came from in part, Welch, Latter Day Saint converts. Not only did several of my ancestors come from Wales but one of them returned and died there as a missionary, so this story immediately grabbed my attention because of my personal family history.
Like most early church missionary tales, this story is full of plenty of sadness. The early days of the LDS church was fraught with persecution, and this tale has plenty of examples of it. Almost immediately, the “persecution” part of the story begins and I will admit, it gave me pause to continue reading. It is often very difficult to learn of such acts and I was fearful to see where this story was heading. As I continued reading, I was drawn in by the story and found it compelling and a good read. I was touched by the humble examples of faith and perseverance shown in this book by the characters. It was realistic without being too maudlin or forced.
The author does an excellent job establishing relationships in this book and I found as a whole, I was drawn in by her character changes in their lives. I am curious if the author plans on writing a follow-up to this book, so we can learn what happens to everyone later on. It ends like there will be at least a second book.
One wish: Many historical novels give an Author’s Note at the end, where the author explains what is fact and what is fiction and some background information as to why the book was written. I missed that in this book and I wish it were there.
All in all, a good read.
Janice
All That Was Promised, by Vickie Hall
"If there was one thing that made Leah Kenyon proud, it was her husband. She stood dutifully beside him, her arm linked through his. A polite smile crossed her oval face as members of his congregation departed the old Methodist church." page 1
Richard and Leah Kenyon are happy in Cardiff. Their beautiful homeland with its lush green valleys, and craggy mountains. Richard is a Methodist minister. His brother Robert also lives in town with his petty wife Abigail and daughter Amelia. The family business is Kenyon & Sons, the local tea shop. Robert is already bitter with Richard because he chose to leave the business to be a minister. He doesn’t understand how anyone could devote their time that way. One day, while Richard was walking to the store he sees a man on top of a shipping crate with a book in his hand. Richard is intrigued. He hears the man speaking about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and how two personages visited a young boy named Joseph Smith. Richard feels a power coming from that man, and his message of the Prophet Joseph. When the man is struck by a rock, Richard takes him home to help bandage the wound. His name is Ben, and he is a missionary from the Church of Jesus Christ, and Richard is very interested in what he has to say. Ben stays for hours, Richard asks him back the next day, and by then is ready to be baptized. Leah is skeptical.
There are many in the town who want nothing more than to get rid of the Mormons in town. Many will stop at nothing, even killing. Possibly Richard's own family. Many wonderful things happen to Richard on his journey of learning int he Mormon church. One of my favorites was Richard's wife, Leah. She had doubts and truly took her time in deciding what she wanted to do with this new religion. This book isn't just about Richard and Leah. Many townspeople are affected by the Mormons, and have very different reactions.
I was very impressed with this book, especially the writing. This is Vickie Hall's debut novel. I would give this book 4 stars out of 5. The book was well written and characters well developed. I did think it was a bit violent at times, but that did not change my opinion of the book.
-Mindy Holt