sixstringsteve
Well-Known Member
- Location
- UT
In preparation for my Hole in the Rock trip, I decided to read "The Undaunted" by Gerald Lund. First off, let me start by saying I am not a reader. I haven't read a book start to finish in the past ten years, let alone an 800-page book. But, at the urging of Mesha, Kurt, and others, I decided this would be a good way to prepare for this trip. I enjoy trips a lot more when I know something about the history of the people who lived there before me.
It was a good read. The first 3 chapters were really tough to get through, especially where the author chose to phonetically capture the accents of the people. After the third chapter, the book started to pick up, and once they got to America, the book really picked up momentum and didn't stop. It was a real page-turner and I didn't want to put it down.
I wish the author had spent more time explaining events along the trail rather than the background of the characters, but it is what it is. I felt like the first 60% of the story was character development, and the last 40% are what I wanted to get out of the book. It has a lot of religious themes (obviously), but I feel they're essential to the story, and being a religious person myself, I actually enjoyed the religious themes in the book. I am definitely more excited about the trip now that I know more about the area and the people who passed through. I want to go to Bluff to see the graves of so many of the people talked about in the book. Perhaps I'm being too critical in this review, I really enjoyed the read and found it hard to put down after the first 200 pages.
Reading this book has helped me realize that I actually do enjoy reading, I just need to be reading the a style of book that I enjoy. So I'm pleased to say I'm starting to read more now. I'm not a big TV watcher (I don't even own a TV), but I have netflix and I typically watch 30 min or so of something every night before I go to bed. While reading this book, I didn't watch any shows at all, and I felt a lot more productive. And it was nice to have a book handy when I was waiting for my alignment, or waiting for a meeting.
All in all, a great read, very compelling story. My wife couldn't get past chapter 1 and refuses to push through it, it's not her style. I highly recommend it for anyone contemplating traveling on the Hole in the Rock trail, or those looking for a good read about Utah's settlements in the south-east. The book is available in hardcopy, audio book, and ebook formats.
It was a good read. The first 3 chapters were really tough to get through, especially where the author chose to phonetically capture the accents of the people. After the third chapter, the book started to pick up, and once they got to America, the book really picked up momentum and didn't stop. It was a real page-turner and I didn't want to put it down.
I wish the author had spent more time explaining events along the trail rather than the background of the characters, but it is what it is. I felt like the first 60% of the story was character development, and the last 40% are what I wanted to get out of the book. It has a lot of religious themes (obviously), but I feel they're essential to the story, and being a religious person myself, I actually enjoyed the religious themes in the book. I am definitely more excited about the trip now that I know more about the area and the people who passed through. I want to go to Bluff to see the graves of so many of the people talked about in the book. Perhaps I'm being too critical in this review, I really enjoyed the read and found it hard to put down after the first 200 pages.
Reading this book has helped me realize that I actually do enjoy reading, I just need to be reading the a style of book that I enjoy. So I'm pleased to say I'm starting to read more now. I'm not a big TV watcher (I don't even own a TV), but I have netflix and I typically watch 30 min or so of something every night before I go to bed. While reading this book, I didn't watch any shows at all, and I felt a lot more productive. And it was nice to have a book handy when I was waiting for my alignment, or waiting for a meeting.
All in all, a great read, very compelling story. My wife couldn't get past chapter 1 and refuses to push through it, it's not her style. I highly recommend it for anyone contemplating traveling on the Hole in the Rock trail, or those looking for a good read about Utah's settlements in the south-east. The book is available in hardcopy, audio book, and ebook formats.
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