Review
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Title: Season of Sacrifice
Author: Tristi Pinkston
Publisher: Golden Wings
Genre: Historical Fiction
Year Published: 2008
Number of Pages: 320
Binding: Paperback
ISBN: 978-0-9794340-1-3
Price: $16.95

Reviewed by Jaymie Reynolds


Ben Perkins loves his wife Mary Ann, deeply, wholeheartedly, eternally. The only things that mean more to him are the Lord and Ben's love for and faith in Him. In "Seasons of Sacrifice" by Tristi Pinkston, the reader becomes a bystander watching Ben seeking to fulfill all that the Lord has asked of Him. Ben's desire to live the Lord's gospel takes himself and his wife on a perilous quest that will test their strength and commitment, both to the Lord and each other.

After being baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Ben feels a strong pull to leave Wales and join the other Saints in Utah. Through hard work and determination, he is able to immigrate to the United States. Eventually, Mary Ann Williams, is able to join him and they marry. Over the next several years, they work hard to build a home and a life together. Mary Ann finds true satisfaction as their family begins to grow.

As so often happens in life, when the waters are calm, a hand reaches in to stir them. Ben and Mary Ann are called to help settle the San Juan valley. They sell the home that they have worked so hard to build, place their belongings and their children in their wagons, and, along with Mary Ann's sister, Sarah, they set out for the great unknown. The weeks pass as a six week trek becomes a six month long journey. Their courage and Ben's ingenuity are tested as they realize that they must build road after road over cliffs and through mountains.

Upon reaching the San Juan valley, Ben and Mary Ann seek to settle in and continue building their lives together, with one exception. Ben feels that it is time for him to fulfill the commandment that he has received to enter into plural marriage. The woman that he has chosen is none other than Mary Ann's younger sister, Sarah. The remainder of this book is filled with the agonizing struggle that these three individuals face as they strive to seek the Lord's will for them and as they seek to reconcile themselves both to it and to each other.

"Seasons of Sacrifice" is not a novel that will reach out, grab its readers by the throat and hold them captive throughout its pages. That being said, this book is all the more compelling because it is based on real people in very real situations. Tristi Pinkston does a very good job documenting exactly which portions of the book are historical fact and which portions she has supplemented with fiction. As we see so often in our daily lives, the true events are almost more unbelievable than the fictional moments.

Throughout this story, the reader is able to gain a greater appreciation for the people who sacrificed so much to settle these new areas. This book is one that will give its readers a new perspective of the practice of polygamy. The author has taken these struggles and challenges from a large issue that encompasses many people and brings them down to an individual level. There is a human component to this story that confronts and compels the reader to think of the actual people who were faced with these choices.

This book flows smoothly but is not necessarily an easy read because of the depth of its content. "Seasons of Sacrifice" is a wonderful resource for Latter-day Saints who are seeking to better understand their ancestors and the challenges that they faced. It is also an excellent reference for those individuals who are not members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints but would like to better understand the issues of this particular period in the Church's existence.