Daughter of Ishmael: Promised Land, Broken Heart by Diane Stringham Tolley

 

Hannah, faithful third daughter of Ishmael has been raised happily in the home of an honourable man. A woman wholly committed to her Saviour. A woman who understands Nephi’s love of the scriptures and commitment to the gospel and secretly longs for such a husband, but finds herself given in marriage to his older brother, Lemuel.

Through the women’s eyes, Daughter of Ishmael follows the family of Ishmael as they commit themselves to Lehi and find their faith tested in the wilderness. Recounts their struggles there with deaths, births and apostasy. Tells of their time in Bountiful and the building of a ship. And their suffering below decks on the Great Irriantum when Laman and Hannah’s husband, Lemuel battle the Lord Himself in their drive to defeat Nephi and take control of the family.

Even their arrival in the Promised Land isn’t without its challenges as they settle. Pride, envy and greed are planted along with the crops and Hannah finds herself more and more in the breach, wanting with all her heart to follow the righteous principles that are so much a part of her, but thwarted constantly by the actions of her husband and brother by marriage.

When the final split becomes necessary, Hannah is torn between the faithful branch of the family she yearns to follow and the husband and son she is wholly committed to.

Will she stay and endure the weight of a hundred, hundred generations of sin? Or do the unthinkable and leave her family to follow her prophet?


"A very enjoyable read! Made me excited to return to the Book of Mormon and read the story of Lehi and his family over again with a new perspective of realness."

AMAZON LINK

About the Author

Trained in journalism and raised by a family of storytellers, Diane Stringam Tolley has spent her life writing. From her first published work, The Scary House, penned in Mrs. Hainsworth's grade six class, to her tenth novel due to be released by Cedar Fort early in 2017, Tolley has dipped into every genre from sci-fi/fantasy to spiritual. Her Christmas book, Carving Angels, has been featured on the "best of" holiday lists for Edmonton Public Libraries since its first release in 2011. And her follow-up novel, Kris Kringle's Magic (2012) is currently a standard for discussions on prejudice and bullying throughout the Black-Gold region. Drawing on her upbringing on one of the last of the great old ranches of Southern Alberta, Tolley's stories are filled with unforgettable characters, warm, family connections, and the strength of faith and love.