Linda Crew

I'm rather fascinated with religion and faith and how people fall into belief. I suppose it's one facet of my interest in folklore and mythology and my own growth from Catholicism to atheism. But whatever the reason, I read about cults and religious conversions like others might read horror or suspense stories.

I love Brides of Eden because it is about how the members of a community fell into a cult and how they believed they were doing the right thing. I love that it takes place in the very show more early part of the 20th century, but is very tangibly similar to the experiences of modern cult members. I love that the specific religion in the book is a version of Christian Pentecostalism, which I experienced and was terrified by as a child.

I love that this book shows how easy it is to get swept up by a cult without realising how dangerous the new group is. When I think about Brides of Eden, I'm reminded of things I've read about Scientology and Mormonism and the Assemblies of God (especially as presented in the documentary Jesus Camp and in the writings of dogemperor on talk2action).

I don't know that there's anything about this book that I particularly don't like, except maybe that I wish it were more heavily nonfiction (though it IS based primarily on historical records and Crew's research on religious cults and the like), and that there were stronger links to modern dangerous religions. But I accept that this is a bias on my part, and that not everyone feels so strongly about the dangerous aspects of the groups I named above.

I first read this book when it was newly published, having acquired it from my neighborhood library, and it stuck in the back of my head for years until I purchased a paperback copy recently. Rereading it a few months ago, I was surprised by how much more strongly the subtleties spoke to me, now that I was more aware of the methods of modern groups. show less

I loved this book with all my heart. Lovisa's voice rings so true, and the story is so well-written, that one is simply carried along in the wagon train. The hardships and the little beauties were lovingly delineated throughout. There was no way the King family's wagon train was going to get to Oregon intact, of course. None of them did, and this book brought the sadness home in an especially poignant way without overpowering the whole book with woe. The portrait of the native peoples was show more historically accurate and nothing at all like the usual scary tall tales from the trail.

Crew based all the interactions of the pioneers and the natives on actual journal entries. In her afterword, she noted wryly that one of the pioneer journals that most stuck with her was one woman's chronicle of innumerable times she was helped with food or river crossings by First Nation peoples, but her entries dwelt upon her fear of the frightful, murderous Indians she was certain were right around the next bend.

Crew has done her homework here, and nearly all the characters in this book were actual people. There is supplemental material that was also interesting- a forward by Jennifer Armstrong, an afterword by one of the King family, and an afterword by Crew, all of which add something positive to the book.

Highly recommended! show less

Reviewed by Cat for TeensReadToo.com

Lovisa King was just seventeen in the spring of 1845 when three generations of her family loaded up the green, canvas-covered wagons to make the two-thousand-mile journey from Missouri to Oregon.

Born right in the middle of ten brothers and sisters, Lovisa begins their expedition with dauntless optimism and absolute certainty that her family's superior preparation will protect them from any hardships the Overland Trail may present. Even a last-minute show more reassignment to her sister Sarah and "bossy" brother-in-law Rowland Chambers' wagon can't diminish Lovisa's enthusiasm for the future that lies ahead.

But the road west is cruel and indiscriminate, leaving a trail of fallen party members in its wake. The entire wagon train faces days of unanswered thirst, weeks of trekking across the barren plains in blistering heat, and storms of prairie sand so acidic that the only remedy is axle grease rubbed into raw skin.

As death and disease ravage those she loves, with bone-deep weariness chipping away at Lovisa's soul, she begins to wonder if this expedition really has a terminus and when it does, how many Kings will be left standing when it ends.

I'm a huge history buff, especially anything pertaining to the Old West. The problem with a lot of us enamored of these tales, though, is a tendency to romanticize a time and place full of brutal and harsh realities. Linda Crew effortlessly sidesteps this trap to capture Lovisa's story as it might have been. Opening A HEART FOR ANY FATE is a general introduction to the U.S.'s great expansion, circumstances leading up to the citizen's migration, and life along the trail itself.

Lovisa and her family are the heart of this story; searching, like so many Americans at the time, for a more prosperous fate in a new land. Ms. Crew did such a wonderful job creating this young woman's voice, I had to continuously remind myself that I wasn't reading an actual account of her experience; although if the truth be told, I was moved to tears more than once during my reading.

A HEART FOR ANY FATE is a fascinating and moving depiction that immerses the reader into a defining period of American history and definitely shouldn't be missed. show less

In 1903 Oregon, Joshua Creffield is a charismatic preacher, and all the young women attend his fiery revivals. At Joshua's insistence, these women burn their worldly possessions and follow him to a remote island to devote themselves to his teachings. But when Joshua announces which of his "brides of Eden" will be the Second Mother of Christ, events take a frightening turn. Based on a true story. Joy Stuart.