These Latter Days
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Book Overview
First released in 1985, These Latter Days tells the story of Ruth Mason, the oldest daughter of a distinguished Mormon family in Salt Lake City. Faced with the bleak future of Mormon spinsters at the turn of the century, Ruth accepts the proposal of Samuel Douglass, a farmer from Idaho. She soon learns that she has made a mistake that will literally send her to hell. After bearing him five children, and with another on the way, Ruth leaves Samuel when he begins to have religious delusions and talk of taking a second wife and selling all they have worked for.Living in a time when a woman is either a wife, a widow, or a virgin, Ruth flees with her children to St. Elmo, California, where she tells the townspeople she is a widow. In despair after the birth of her sixth child, she gives up until the local physician, himself an outsider in a Mormon community because of his outspoken atheism, comes to her aid. The story of Ruth's strength and trials, enlivened by what the New Yorker described as fine, grim details of turn-of-the-century American frontier life, is what Publishers Weekly called a book that lingers in the heart.
Format:Paperback
Language:English
ISBN:0895872242
ISBN13:9780895872241
Release Date:January 1998
Publisher:John F. Blair, Publisher
Length:371 Pages
Weight:1.40 lbs.
Dimensions:1.0" x 6.0" x 9.1"
Customer Reviews
4 ratings
One of 5 All-time Favorites
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 16 years ago
I love all Kalpakian's books, so was not surprised to love this one. This one introduces Ruth Douglas, a strong and independent matriarch, and her turn-of-the century Western family and includes great humor, wit, masterful story-telling, and yes, some history, too. Full of rich characters you will remember for a long time, I hated for this book to end...but thankfully she has written "American Cookery" which continues the Douglas saga into the late 20th century. If you love the great modern-day storytellers like Pat Conroy, Barbara Kingsolver, Alice Munro, John Irving, etc., you will love Kalpakian's work, the novels as well as the short stories.
Well written, like all of her books
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 21 years ago
Just as I said in the title - like all of Ms. Kalpakian's books, These Latter Days is a fascinating read. And I ended up naming my daughter after one of her characters - Eden - so this one is special to me :).
A very good read...
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 25 years ago
This is a very good, readable book. I found it well worth my time and money and intend to keep it as part of my library. J. A. Wiggins
Well-written, engrossing story
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 26 years ago
The tale of Ruth Mason Douglass and her children, and children's children, is an engrossing, well-written story. Ruth is a Mormon woman who is forced to defy her religious upbringing because of her need to flee the man she married. The book tells of her flight, her life afterwards, and the way her children grow up. The characters in this book are three-dimensional. I was caught up in their lives from the very beginning. I shared their joy and sorrow. I was very sad to find I had reached the last page. I will read it again - this is the ultimate compliment from me.
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