Elaine Stienon

In Clouds of Fire: a Story of Community Elaine Stienon

Love, violence, and death on the American frontier play a part in this story of the early Mormons and their search for peace and freedom from persecution. Nathaniel, a young man from a Shaker background, has promised to help Hannah and her brother get safely from Ohio to Missouri, where her fiancé Dan is building a cabin for them. Despite his determination to assist, Nathaniel finds himself falling in love with Hannah. How can he hand her over to Dan and never see her again? His dilemma is made worse by the journey's trials and the threat of persecution. In Clouds of Fire also explores the diversity of people who were attracted to this new, unique religion, and the groups from which they came, religious and otherwise. Some came from a Huguenot background, one from the French settlement at Gallipolis, Ohio, some from the group known as "Seekers." One is an ex-slave. All these people combine to form a family group within the greater community, where they face the realities of persecution and sacrifice in order to stay together. Based on accounts and journals of the time, the book brings to life an exciting portion of American history.