At the age of 13, Lillian eagerly awaits her new life. Living on her father's secluded Bright Desert Light compound, she is excited she will soon marry the man the Elders selected for her. Dreams of a wonderful life soon evaporate when she marries a Canadian Bishop and is renamed Martha. Not only is he abusive, he works Martha's sister-wives near to death and they are always hungry. Escape from her guarded prison is the only option, but it's very dangerous.
Richard Bergman is a land developer who wishes to purchase the land next to the Bishop's compound. Even though his partner Daisy has told him what she has learned about this polygamous sect, Richard continues to pursue his dealings with the Bishop. Once he discovers what is truly going on at the compound, Richard faces decisions which could impact everyone involved.
Based upon a true story, Section 132 dives into life at a Mormon polygamous compound. Told alternately from Lillian/Martha's and Richard's points of view, the story forces the reader to consider if there are ethical boundaries when it comes to matters of faith. Zeiner has created a gripping novel that draws the reader in quickly. While the events unraveled a bit slow for my taste, there was never a dull moment. By the end, every scene combined to form a masterfully told story of a young woman's desire to escape the torturous life she was sold into.
Section 132 is filled with several memorable characters: Anna, Emma, Marion, and more. While Richard's character didn't do much for me, I like how the author brought him to where he was. In the end, this is not a book you will soon forget.
If you enjoy fact-based fiction, stories with strong female characters, or books where life-altering choices are made, you'll want to pick up Section 132 by Helga Zeiner.
File Size: 714 KB
Print Length: 460 pages
Publisher: POW WOW Books, Canada (August 7, 2011)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Language: English
ASIN: B005GAWWGY
Helga Zeiner is a Canadian and German citizen. At the age of 18, Helga completed her arts degree at the Art School of Bavaria, and then left Germany. She lived and worked for two years in Australia, and twelve years in Hong Kong.
Since 2004 she has lived with her husband Manfred in the wilderness of British Columbia, about 5 hours north of Vancouver. There they own over 500 acres which they have developed into a gated cabin community, the Rainbow Country Estate.
I received a free electronic version of this book from Partners in Crime Tours. This review contains my honest opinions, for which I have not received monetary compensation of any kind.
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3 comments:
Phenomenal review and post. Thank you!! I found this book to be compelling, thought provoking and like you stated, scary. One I'm sure I will not soon forget. Great post!!
Thank you so much for introducing my novel to your readers. I am very grateful to all who take the time to read and make the effort to review my work. We authors are indeed lucky to have such dedicated people who are true friends of literature and entertainment.
It is very much appreciated!
Helga Zeiner
Another great review and I'm really looking forward to reading this soon.
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