Faith Rewarded

Goodreads:

President Monson recounts his feelings, experiences, conversations, and meetings, presenting his journal entries that highlight Germany and its people in entries dating from July 12, 1968, to August 27, 1995. President Monson describes everything from early obstacles that were overcome through faith to blessings such as the dedication of the Freiberg Temple in East Germany in June 1985.

I absolutely loved this! I read it because I've been planning to read President Monson's biography, but when I mentioned my plan to Jon (my husband) he insisted that I read this first. This book is a short collection (a scant 175 pages that fly by) of President Monson's journal entries from the period of time he spent overseeing the church in communistic East Germany. And the stories are incredible.

President Monson promises the saints that if they are faithful, eventually they will be able to receive all the blessings other members of the church enjoy. He makes so many promises that all seem impossible, but they are all fulfilled because of the people's faith. It was so uplifting to read this book.

East Germany was not a nice place to be a member. Sometimes they had to hold church meetings in cars to avoid listening devices. Church materials had to be smuggled in, and no one could leave the country to attend the temple. Sometimes people were allowed out, but often their families were held hostage as an incentive to make people return. So horrible. My favorite story, though, is when President Monson memorizes an entire handbook because he can't bring a physical copy past checkpoint Charlie - a story with a surprise ending that proves, in my opinion, that God has a sense of humor.

I loved watching the progression of miracles in this book. First a patriarch, then a branch here, a stake there. And miraculously, a temple is allowed to be built behind the Iron Curtain (and though there were only 3,700 members of the church, 90,000 people in East Germany went to the open house - some saying that they did it because it was a privilege to stand in line because they wanted to, not because they had to). And finally, the wall comes crumbling down. Another thing I loved is that several people are followed throughout the entire time period and we get to see young kids (who've been promised the impossible) grow up and become the first missionaries to leave Germany, the first people to get married in the Frieberg temple. I felt like I really got to know the saints there and came to love them and love their determination and faith. These are people very close to my husband's heart because these are areas where he served his mission.

Anyway, this is a motivating and inspirational collection of journal entries that I found incredibly moving. I'd recommend this to anyone who needs an uplift (and a reminder that life's really not so bad - especially here in America where we are blessed with a multitude of freedoms).

Incidentally, it was fun to read Dieter F. Uchtdorf's name mentioned in passing a couple times. Wonder if President Monson had any idea that someday he's be the prophet and Elder Uchtdorf would be one of his counselors?

Katherine

Summary: This classic romance novel tells the true story of the love affair that changed history-that of Katherine Swynford and John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, the ancestors of most of the British royal family. Set in the vibrant 14th century of Chaucer and the Black Death, the story features knights fighting in battle, serfs struggling in poverty, and the magnificent Plantagenets-Edward III, the Black Prince, and Richard II-who ruled despotically over a court rotten with intrigue. Within this era of danger and romance, John of Gaunt, the king's son, falls passionately in love with the already married Katherine. Their well-documented affair and love persist through decades of war, adultery, murder, loneliness, and redemption. This epic novel of conflict, cruelty, and untamable love has become a classic since its first publication in 1954.

I enjoyed this so much! It came recommended by a friend (thanks Cretia!) and was worth every word. This book took me a little longer to read, but it's fascinating. Aside from the brilliant and compelling love story, what really sucked me into this book is the history. This is technically historical fiction, but the setting and most of the characters are as accurately portrayed as research allows. I loved the politics and the social struggles going on. Characters like Chaucer and John Wyclif make big cameos and I thought all the info in the changing religious scene was incredibly well done. Also, I loved the details on pilgrimages and the effects of the plague. Wow! This book is just sooo interesting! Plus, it's emotional. The characters are so real and their suffering is so compelling. I totally teared up at the end (I won't tell you what happens, even though it's widely-known history - just in case you don't know). Boy, am I ever glad that I wasn't born in medieval times.


The only disclaimer I have to make about this book is that, being medieval, there were some rather bawdy and lewd bits of humor. Aside from that, the whole fact that Katherine was John deGaunt's mistress is actually treated very tastefully - if you can believe it. Anyway, I recommend Katherine to all fans of historical fiction.

Cleopatra's Daughter and Lily of the Nile

I'm reviewing these books together because, in essence, they tell the exact same story. I didn't exactly realize that when I got them both from the library, or I think I wouldn't have read them back-to-back. All the same, it was kind of interesting to read two different historical fiction accounts about the same person: Cleopatra's daughter Selene.

Here's a summary of Lily of the Nile:

"Heiress of one empire and prisoner of another, it is up to the daughter of Cleopatra to save her brothers and reclaim what is rightfully hers...

To Isis worshippers, Princess Selene and her twin brother Helios embody the divine celestial pair who will bring about a Golden Age. But when Selene's parents are vanquished by Rome, her auspicious birth becomes a curse. Trapped in an empire that reviles her heritage and suspects her faith, the young messianic princess struggles for survival in a Roman court of intrigue. She can't hide the hieroglyphics that carve themselves into her hands, nor can she stop the emperor from using her powers for his own ends. But faced with a new and ruthless Caesar who is obsessed with having a Cleopatra of his very own, Selene is determined to resurrect her mother's dreams. Can she succeed where her mother failed? And what will it cost her in a political game where the only rule is win-or die?"

And for Cleopatra's Daughter:

"The death of Cleopatra was only the beginning...


Follows the incredible life of Cleopatra's surviving children with Marc Antony -- twins, named Alexander Helios and Cleopatra Selene, and a younger son named Ptolemy. All three were taken to Rome and paraded through the streets, then sent off to be raised by Octavia (the wife whom Marc Antony left for Cleopatra). Raised in one of the most fascinating courts of all time, Cleopatra's children would have met Ovid, Seneca, Vitruvius (who inspired the Vitruvian man), Agrippa (who built the Pantheon), Herod, his sister Salome, and the poets Virgil, Horace, and Maecenas."


I thought both books were very interesting historically. I loved reading about ancient Rome (horrifying though it may be). Selene starts both stories at age 10 and we see her grow from that point into a young adult, so there's some great character development. One of my biggest complaints about both of these books is that they seemed to have a modern agenda when it came to homosexuality. Yes, there were people who lived that way in ancient Rome, but (and I did a bit of outside research after reading these books) there's no evidence that any of the main characters were. Both books make main characters homosexual (which characters constantly complain about prejudices against and rights for homosexuals) and that pretty much ruined the reading experience for me. Lily of the Nile detours away from history by adding a fair dose of magic to the story, which I was never convinced by. It just didn't seem to fit or work for me. I liked it quite a bit less as a story. Cleopatra's Daughter flowed better as a novel and was more strictly historical. It was my favorite story of the two, but that problem that I mentioned earlier.... yeah. It was much worse in Cleopatra's Daughter. Without that element I'm sure I would have liked these books much better. Even so, I felt like I learned a ton from them and I enjoyed the history. It's just too bad.

Oroonoko

More lit for my British lit class. Oroonoko is, to be frank, gruesome and horrible. There's no getting around that fact. All the same, it is an interesting piece of history. It's a good reminder that not all slaves were poor workers; some slaves were princes. This story has love, suspense, mystery, slavery, and a violent (really way too detailed in my opinion) ending.

Island of the Blue Dolphins

I will admit to being frustrated with this book. I couldn't remember how it ended from my childhood, so I kept expecting something that didn't happen (which I won't explain here in case you haven't read it). It seems to be a much different book now that I'm an adult. Still, I think survival books are fascinating, and this book has vivid and detailed descriptions. I think it's a "you have to read once in your life" kind of book.