"DAUGHTER OF ISHMAEL: Promised Land, Broken Hearts," by Diane Stringam Tolley, Cedar Fort, $17.99, 321 pages (f)
To read the novel "Daughter of Ishmael: Promised Land, Broken Hearts" is rather like going back in scriptural history to join Lehi's time and family as they fled into the wilderness.
In the opening chapters of the Book of Mormon, Lehi and his family leave Jerusalem and go to the wilderness under the direction of the Lord. Lehi sends his sons back to Jerusalem, including once to bring back the family of Ishmael (see 1 Nephi 7, 16).
In author Diane Stringham Tolley's novel, she shares the daughters' story from the perspective of one of Ishmael's daughters she calls Hannah, who is the middle daughter, wife of Lemuel and the mother of a son named Samuel.
From before her marriage, she is told to do what she can to save Lemuel from sin and error. It's never about true love, but more about obedience to her father and to the Lord.
As she and her four sisters marry the sons of Lehi and bear them children, she is left barren for years. When she does bear a son, Laman, the oldest of Lehi's sons, takes him for his heir and pulls him into his sinful world, which includes trying to kill Nephi.
This fictionalized story follows the scriptural plotline from when the families leave Jerusalem to when the groups split off in the promised land and tells it from Hannah's perspective. It's a worthy attempt, but it's just a little wooden in some parts.
For instance, one of the sisters loses her intended husband twice, once because of a cultural faux pas and again when the man who wants to marry her is killed. It seems there would be more anguish and heartache associated with these life-changing marital decisions than is evident in the book.
The "Daughter of Ishmael" is a start on what could be a wholly captivating story. The author has obviously done a fair amount of research into the time and people.
The novel includes some generally described violence, such as a stoning, beatings and a beheading, and implied marital sex but does not contain any foul language.