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liann24's review against another edition
3.0
Compelling, informative and --no offensive meant to my LDS friends-- but I think the best quote is at the end..."This was not the way it was supposed to go."
I'm fascinated and squirmingly uncomfortable with the tenets of the missionary experience, evne in this novelized form, since I know the author is lapsed LDS.
I'm fascinated and squirmingly uncomfortable with the tenets of the missionary experience, evne in this novelized form, since I know the author is lapsed LDS.
pollycharlie's review against another edition
4.0
The book has a somewhat slow beginning introducing the daily lives of Mormon missionaries to readers. In retrospect I think it is a very clever way. Mormon missionary life is dry and repetitive, and it is reflected in the writing. Yet beneath this dry and repetitive life are humans with all their humanly emotions. The writer did a great job in showing that religion is no more than imperfect people who happen to believe the same thing came together under a set of rules.
jetia13's review against another edition
2.0
reasons i'm reading this book:
1. the author went to Rutgers
2. Mormons are fascinating
1. the author went to Rutgers
2. Mormons are fascinating
baypot's review against another edition
2.0
It was... ok. I had total buy-in to this book. Coming-of-age, self-discovery, foundation-shifting, etc... Ultimately, at the end, I was left cold. Perhaps the overall bleakness was the point, but it didn't connect.
lauren4929's review against another edition
2.0
Quick read about mormon missions. Thought it would be a bit different than what it turned out to be.
eldiente's review against another edition
2.0
This seemed very autobiographical but accurately captured some of the challenges and adventure associated with serving as an LDS missionary in a foreign land with a foreign companion. My experiences on a similar journey however were much different than those portrayed in this novel. I recognize that fiction isn't real, but I found this novel to be lacking in inspiration or even deep reflection. Using stereotypes and broad generalizations, the author represented missionary work as difficult, deceitful, and ultimately unproductive. The opposite is true for most who serve and the author probably knows this. I appreciated the premise with which this book started, but as others have observed, the final third of the novel seemed rushed and formulaic.
cook_memorial_public_library's review against another edition
4.0
In Elders, McIlvain provides a thought-provoking window into the Mormon faith and missionary experience. (I recently saw the musical The Book of Mormon, which is sort of the perfect counterpoint!!) The two main characters, companion elders assigned to a mission in southeastern Brazil, are polar opposites who battle through countless rejections, temptations to sin, and vastly differing points of view on faith. This book tackles some of the most important questions we all face: faith, friendship, and loyalty, and does it with sensitivity and intelligence. A great read.
Recommended by Andrea
Check our catalog: http://encore.cooklib.org/iii/encore/search/C__Selders%20McIlvain__Orightresult__U1?lang=eng&suite=pearl
Recommended by Andrea
Check our catalog: http://encore.cooklib.org/iii/encore/search/C__Selders%20McIlvain__Orightresult__U1?lang=eng&suite=pearl
annaelisereads's review against another edition
3.0
Confession: I've read a number of LDS (aka Mormon) and fundamentalist LDS novels and this one is the most normal of them all -- and that's why I liked it. Slowly paced and with vivid descriptions, this novel made everyday Mormon missionary culture more accessible. I deducted two stars for lack of plot, however; even stories set in languid humid South American climates need a brisk pace! A new novelist, Ryan McIlvain could be the Philip Roth of literary fiction for Mormons in the way that he'll bring authentic Mormon experiences into the mainstream.
stenaros's review against another edition
3.0
Come along with two Mormon elders on their mission in Brazil. McIlvain provides great descriptions of the day to day of a mission and the mental state of the two missionaries. I found the crisis point at the end to be rather cliched.
jeanetterenee's review against another edition
3.0
The plot isn't particularly compelling. It's a lot of mission-speak and knocking on doors and arguing over church doctrine. But McIlvain writes well, and the book is interesting if you look at it from a non-fiction perspective. Elder McLeod, the doubter, is probably a pretty close match for the author, who has left the Mormon church. So it's worth reading if you want to see one ex-Mormon's take on missionary life in Brazil.
If you're a practicing Mormon and you can't resist taking a peek to see what McIlvain has to say about your sacred traditions, just be aware there is some foul language and some sex talk. If you can tolerate that, it doesn't seem like there would be much you'd find objectionable, unless you're specifically looking for ways to be offended. It's not as if he set out to slam the church. It seems more like a fictionalized memoir of his own missionary experiences.
If you're a practicing Mormon and you can't resist taking a peek to see what McIlvain has to say about your sacred traditions, just be aware there is some foul language and some sex talk. If you can tolerate that, it doesn't seem like there would be much you'd find objectionable, unless you're specifically looking for ways to be offended. It's not as if he set out to slam the church. It seems more like a fictionalized memoir of his own missionary experiences.
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