Tower of Strength by Annette Lyon

Tower of Strength by Annette Lyon is a sweet love story about a strong woman who is making her mark on the world in an age when women were looked down upon for such things. Tabitha made a wonderful heroine who has to learn that there are times to be strong and there are times when being strong means letting someone else share in your burden. Sometimes that’s a tough lesson to learn and I enjoyed exploring it through Tabitha’s eyes.

True to the nature of her last three books, Annette has given us another “temple” book. I think she’s really found her historical niche. This account takes place during the construction of the Manti temple, mostly in the year 1884. While the temple is not necessarily what the book is about, it is central to her character’s lives. I’ve enjoyed the way Annette is able to weave a good story with the history of our temples, she really puts you not only into the people’s lives but the temple construction site, as well. She gives the readers a sense of personally vested interest in the progress.

Love interest? Of course. I love that he has his own flaws and talents that make him stand out.

A sense history, time and place? Yes. I also appreciated the subplot involving the horse; though a little bird told me Annette has vowed never to write about horses again. I can’t say I’d blame her for making such a promise.

Worth the read? Absolutely. I truly cared about Tabitha and what she could make out of her life.

Do I have any whines or complaints? Sort of.

I had a great time reading the Tower of Strength for the story’s sake. There is no fault to be found with Annette’s ability to tell a great story. But, though I loved the characters and the account, for some reason I did feel the personal attachment in the temple construction as I have in some of the others. Does that make sense? I’m not really sure why I didn’t gain that connection this time. At least for me, the information about the Manti temple seemed very toned down and didn’t really play into the story until the end.

Tower of Strength will go on my re-read shelf. I have a feeling I’m not done learning from it yet.

If you haven’t yet tried this series, I’d highly recommend it. It’s reading time well spent.

Spires of Stone by Annette Lyon

Are you a fan of Shakespeare? It seems he’s a guy you either love or gag at the thought of. Personally, I like the guy. He’s old school and can be cumbersome to read, but his writing is full of interesting tidbits.

If you’re like me and have a soft spot for Shakespeare, you’ll love Annette Lyon’s latest book, Spires of Stone. This is the third book in Annette’s historical temple series. The first two, House on the Hill and At Journey’s End are good reads as well, but Spires of Stone is my personal favorite. Why? Yep, you guessed it: Shakespeare.

Set against a backdrop of the construction of the Salt Lake Temple, Annette Lyon tells a story of love, pride, and the blessings of forever that result from living the gospel. In Spires of Stone, Annette puts an entertaining modern-historical twist on the play Much Ado About Nothing, which is just plain fun stuff in any form. You’ll meet Beth, who loves Ben but doesn’t want to forgive him for past wrongs. Ben has just returned from mission and finds Beth is still very much on his mind but he refuses to see a different side of the “truth” he knows about her. True to their predecessors Beatrice and Benedick, their only recourse of action is not to actually talk to each other about it but rather exchange witty and hurtful barbs at every turn. Enter Hannah and Phillip who are determined to set things right between their estranged siblings, while falling into their own set of contorted problems of the heart.

You can get a sneak peak at the book by going to Annette’s web site. You can even take a quiz to see how much you know about the Salt Lake Temple. You’ll find yourself laughing, crying, and cheering these character’s on far into the night. There, you have been forewarned. Schedule your reading time accordingly. This one definitely deserves to be coupled with candles and a bubble bath if you ask me. (By the way – when are they going to make waterproof books for us bubble bath and pool side readers?)

Spires of Stone has been recognized with the Utah Best of State 2007 Medal for Fiction and as a finalist in the category of Best Historical Fiction for the 2007 Whitney Awards.

As mentioned, this is Annette’s third novel based around a temple construction theme. Don’t let the fact that Spires of Stone is number three bother you. These books are not parts of a traditional series. You don’t have to start with House on the Hill, the books can stand independently. You will, however, get to say “hi” to other characters you’ve grown to love if you read more than one book. So, have a good time reading Spires of Stone, then be sure to pick up the other two. You’ll like them just as well. I do recommend reading House on the Hill and At Journey’s End in order however, as that follows the natural progression of the over-lapping character, Abe. But hey, if you’re one of those people who reads the end of the book first then swap them.

For me, I’m anxiously awaiting a peek at the next temple book.

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