The Wine-Dark Sea of Grass [Hardcover]

Marilyn Brown (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 30, 2000

They believed they had left their fears behind. They traveled over fifteen hundred miles to escape persecution, only to find their hard-won peace threatened by the U.S. Army, as well as their old enemies from Missouri.

What happened in the Mountain Meadows on that day in September of 1857 may never be fully understood, but author Marilyn Brown skillfully and sensitively evokes the layers of tragedy surrounding a people and place forever scarred by a brief moment in history.

After the horror of Haun’s Mill and Carthage, they thought they had found peace in their small community in southern Utah. But the nightmare of the Mountain Meadows Massacre still lay ahead. And its shadow would haunt them for the rest of their lives.

-For Elizabeth, who lost her family during the westward trek and loved a man beyond her reach- and perhaps beyond heaven’s as well.

-For Jacob, who knew he would love one particular woman forever.

-For John Lee, whose reluctant obedience would shadow his name, his life, and the lives of his descendants for generations to come.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Marilyn McMeen Brown has always imagined bringing the history of Utah’s unique culture to a place where it might be examined fairly by a curious national bystander.

With half a dozen published novels to her credit (The Earthkeepers, Shadows of Angels, Royal House, Statehood, etc.) a history, (Provo, a Story of People in Motion) and four poetry books (Rainflowers, The Grandmother Tree, etc.) she has won prestigious local awards for her work: the Utah State Fine Arts Novel Award, the Brigham Young University Mayhew prize, the Randall Book Award, and the first novel award given by the Association for Mormon Letters.

As a co-founder with her husband Bill of the VIP Arts Villa Theatre in Springville, she is also the author and producer of two musical stage plays. The couple lives in Hobble Creek Canyon and are parents of six children, grandparents of thirteen.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 385 pages
• Publisher: Cedar Fort (November 30, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1555175295
• ISBN-13: 978-1555175290
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,405,780 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Focused on writing and promoting excellent literature--mostly about the Utah region--Marilyn McMeen Brown has not only won many awards herself, but has founded the Marilyn Brown Novel Award while serving as President of the Association for Mormon Letters in 2000. The prize of one thousand dollars given to the best unpubished novel entered by each October 1 is now administered through Utah Valley University. Everyone is eligible to enter. (See UVU.edu/english/marilyn brown or marilynbrownauthor.com for details.)

Marilyn holds a BA and MA from BYU and an MFA from the University of Utah. She was a winner of first prizes in both poetry and short story from the League of Utah Writers, the first winner of the Mayhew Award at BYU (1964), the first to win the novel award of the Association for Mormon Letters (1981), as well as a two-time winner for novels submitted to the Utah Arts Council Awards, including the first prize of a thousand dollars (1988, 1991). She has published four poetry books, fourteen novels, two nonfiction books, and has written both book and music for two musical plays during the time she and her thespian husband Bill owned the Villa Playhouse and Little Brown Theatre.

Spending summers in Springville, Utah--and winters in St. George--the Browns enjoy their six children, eighteen grandchildren, and four great grandchildren.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Fiction is another word for "I made this up - it is not true", June 11, 2010

By 

catherine baker - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Wine-Dark Sea of Grass (Hardcover)

I'm disturbed that a reviewer of this book would state that this book explains what might have happened. This book is a regurgitation of the propoganda put out by the Mormon Church in an effort to exonerate them of their guilt for the slaughter of more than 120 innocent men, women and children at Mountain Meadow. John D. Lee was EXECUTED for participating in this crime; yet, the author states that she "admires him." If this book was a modern day work of fiction, it would be written about another murderer like Ted Bundy and then attempt to explain away his guilt and conclude that he was someone to be admired. Don't forget this book is labeled fiction, so nothing in it is factual. If you want to know what happened at Mountain Meadow read Bagley's book. This is a book written for Mormons to help them feel good about themselves and to help them disavow their murderous history. I personally, believe the massacre was a result of a robbery. The Baker-Fancher train had over 900 head of cattle and more than $100,000 in gold/goods. The Mormons, dressed as Indians, murdered these people as an act of theivery and used the proceeds to built their temple in Salt Lake. There is more historical facts supporting my hypothesis than the lies written in this book and hidden behind the label of "fiction." Shame on the author - an admirerer of a murderer. Lastly, the book was a dreadful bore.

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Booorrring!!!, July 26, 2004

By 

Book Junkie "clubhouse9" (Salt Lake City, UT United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Wine-Dark Sea of Grass (Hardcover)

I found this book quite boring and it took me a couple of months to finish it, because I didn't find it compelling enough to pick up consistently.

It seemed to rush through much of the story and the characters weren't developed as much as they could have been. I don't recommend this book. I found Red Water by Judith Freeman to be a much better read, with more fully developed characters.

4 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Granddaughter of John D. Lee, March 3, 2002

By 

Carin J. Reddig "Library Goddess" (Tehachapi, CA, USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Wine-Dark Sea of Grass (Hardcover)

John D. Lee is my Great-great-great Grandfather. I have read just about every piece of fiction and non-fiction on him and on the subject of the Mountain Meadows Massacre. I would have to say this is one of the few that makes any attempt to explain just what it was that made the Mormons attack that day. While it was surely a horrible tragedy, it was not simply a random act of violence. We must always keep in mind what a different place the US was then, violent and cruel and even good men did terrible things. My Grandfather was a good man and he was part of a terrible thing. This book goes a little way to explaining how and why and how he was also ultimately a victim of the Meadows himself.