Alma by H.B. Moore

Well, H.B. Moore has done it again. Personally, I’m very glad the wait is over. I loved the direction she took with Abinadi: it really made me think. But I’m relieved the wait is over to find out what happens next.

Okay, yeah, I know what happens next. But see, the scriptures don’t have Raquel and Maia in them. I missed the connection with the women Ms. Moore created to expand and personalize history. In my opinion Alma is another hit.

Just as a matter of coincidence I was reading the same chapters from the Book of Mormon while I read the fictional account of Alma. It made it kind of fun and added a new dimension. In the morning I’d read the scripture version. In the evening I’d read Ms. Moore’s version. As always, she did a great job of staying true to the scriptures while bringing them alive for my imagination.

I loved the way the events became more personal, more intimate to me through Alma. Nothing can compare to the word of the Lord for building a relationship with Him. But I do feel there is a place of gratitude and respect for those that can take the scriptures and help others [me] understand the emotion and difficulty behind the messages that Heavenly Father would have us learn from.

I have a greater understanding now of the suffering the believers faced, and a greater appreciation of the fact that no lines of black and white, good and evil, can be drawn by mere race alone.

Still, I have to admit I still don’t get the kidnapped Lamanite women. Ms. Moore did her best to help me understand and while I get it, I just don’t “get” it. That’s just me. I would have been right there with Maia thinking nothing in the world could be worse than having to marry a man who had so violently tried to capture my heart.

Whines and complaints? Um, I really don’t know. I seem to recall hitting a scene somewhere in the middle of the book that appeared to be abruptly cut short. But, when I went back to find it, I couldn’t. So I have no idea if it really was a little choppy or if I was just completely brain dead when I read it. I suspect the latter. Either way I doubt it’s enough to take away from the message the book and the scripture story carry.

Alma by H.B. Moore goes right next to Abinadi in a place of “hip-hip-horray!” honor on my bookshelf. She is a master of scripture based fiction and one to count on for an uplifting experience in imagination and faith. It’s a good thing she’s all ready working on Alma the Younger. I need to know how everything turns out. Well, I know, but. . . . you know what I mean.