Part of Mark Twain’s semi-autobiographical book Roughing It talks about his visit to Salt Lake City in the 1860s. His review of the Book of Mormon is absolutely worth reading, because it’s hilarious. He talks about the overall style is was written in and pulls out many specific sections which he entirely pulls apart.
The beginning of the review gives you a pretty good idea how it’s going to go.
ALL men have heard of the Mormon Bible, but few except the “elect” have seen it, or, at least, taken the trouble to read it. I brought away a copy from Salt Lake. The book is a curiosity to me, it is such a pretentious affair, and yet so “slow,” so sleepy; such an insipid mess of inspiration. It is chloroform in print. If Joseph Smith composed this book, the act was a miracle–keeping awake while he did it was, at any rate.
Collin Donnell 