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katel1970's review against another edition
4.0
What a fascinating story! And much of it took place on Beaver Island. I'm surprised I'd never heard of Strang before reading this book. If an author had turned this in to an editor as a novel, they would have been told to dial it back because it was too over the top.
cvb7's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
medium-paced
4.5
I was unfamiliar with this story that was at once well researched and well told. Liked the connections to other parts of 19th-century American history and literature, including Twain, Melville, Joseph Smith, utopian societies, and antebellum conflicts. Although told in a straight forward way, Harvey’s sense of the ironic adds a touch of humor. Makes vague connections to Trump, as another American conman.
bkdrgn303's review against another edition
3.0
Very interesting bit of history I knew nothing about.
caleb_perkins's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
4.5
batwoman411's review against another edition
3.0
Like most religious origin stories, the story of James Strang’s Beaver Island Mormon sect is absurdly comedic. You can’t even make this shit up. Set against antebellum Michigan, this painstakingly researched history also takes us on a tour through the rough and chaotic 1850s where any charlatan can have his day.