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The 19th Wife

by David Ebershoff (Goodreads Author)

3.6 of 5 stars 3.60 · rating details · 28,832 ratings · 4,471 reviews

Faith, I tell them, is a mystery, elusive to many, and never easy to explain.

...more

Faith, I tell them, is a mystery, elusive to many, and never easy to explain.

Sweeping and lyrical, spellbinding and unforgettable, David Ebershoff’s The 19th Wife combines epic historical fiction with a modern murder mystery to create a brilliant novel of literary suspense. It is 1875, and Ann Eliza Young has recently separated from her powerful husband, Brigham Young, prophet and leader of the Mormon Church. Expelled and an outcast, Ann Eliza embarks on a crusade to end polygamy in the United States. A rich account of a family’s polygamous history is revealed, including how a young woman became a plural wife.

Soon after Ann Eliza’s story begins, a second exquisite narrative unfolds–a tale of murder involving a polygamist family in present-day Utah. Jordan Scott, a young man who was thrown out of his fundamentalist sect years earlier, must reenter the world that cast him aside in order to discover the truth behind his father’s death.

And as Ann Eliza’s narrative intertwines with that of Jordan’s search, readers are pulled deeper into the mysteries of love and faith.

From Publishers Weekly: This sweeping epic is a compelling and original work set in 1875, when one woman attempts to rid America of polygamy. Ebershoff intertwines his tale with that of a 20th-century murder mystery in Utah, allowing the two stories to twist and turn into a marvelous literary experience. With such a sprawling tale to relate, a few narrators (Kimberly Farr, Rebecca Lowman, Arthur Morey and Daniel Passer) divide up the roles and deliver a solid, professional reading, true to Ebershoffs prose. A Random House hardcover (Reviews, June 23). (Sept.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

From The New Yorker: This ambitious third novel tells two parallel stories of polygamy. The first recounts Brigham Young's expulsion of one of his wives, Ann Eliza, from the Mormon Church; the second is a modern-day murder mystery set in a polygamous compound in Utah. Unfolding through an impressive variety of narrative forms—Wikipedia entries, academic research papers, newspaper opinion pieces—the stories include fascinating historical details. We are told, for instance, of Brigham Young's ban on dramas that romanticized monogamous love at his community theatre; as one of Young's followers says, "I ain't sitting through no play where a man makes such a cussed fuss over one woman." Ebershoff demonstrates abundant virtuosity, as he convincingly inhabits the voices of both a nineteenth-century Mormon wife and a contemporary gay youth excommunicated from the church, while also managing to say something about the mysterious power of faith.
Copyright ©2008

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Hardcover, 514 pages

Published August 5th 2008 by Random House

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The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

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Sep 20, 2012 Dave rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Mormon history buffs, mystery fans

Recommended to Dave by: NPR

Shelves: fiction-read

This is a provocative work. It deals with difficult issues in areas of community, doubt, faith, family and marriage. The author loosely interweaves two fictional stories; one of the effects of Mormon polygamy on a few people in the 19th century and another focusing on a fictional contemporary polygamous group in southern Utah that strongly resembles the FLDS group led by Warren Jeffs and his predecessors. Blending a contemporary murder mystery set in a fundamentalist/polygynous enclave, with a f...more This is a provocative work. It deals with difficult issues in areas of community, doubt, faith, family and marriage. The author loosely interweaves two fictional stories; one of the effects of Mormon polygamy on a few people in the 19th century and another focusing on a fictional contemporary polygamous group in southern Utah that strongly resembles the FLDS group led by Warren Jeffs and his predecessors. Blending a contemporary murder mystery set in a fundamentalist/polygynous enclave, with a fictionalized account of the life of Brigham Young's infamous 19th wife, Ann Eliza (Webb) Young was an interesting, and for me successful, device. I found both story lines engaging. The book makes me want to read more of Mormon history and the psychology of mass movements, though I had those interests before reading Ebershoff's story.

I found the main characters were sufficiently well developed to be credible and complex. Apologists for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (The Mormons) could feel the book's approach polemical though I feel the author was more interested in illuminating some historical problems with the system officially abandoned and proscribed by the LDS church, and the continuing lack of candor about the practice along with questions of individual faith and the tension between coercion and support in human communities, especially authoritarian religious communities that stifle dissent and questioning.

In some ways, the book was hard to finish because of the painful situations of characters in both the 19th century practice and the contemporary polygamous community. Though it was difficult reading at times I feel the story was sufficiently thought provoking to be worth the effort. I found resonance with my own personal concerns about the relationship between faith and doubt, the importance of belonging/community and the perils of unquestioning obedience and fanaticism.

Caveat: This book may be unsettling to devout Latter-day Saints who have not read much about 19th century or contemporary polygamy. I recommend reading Mormon Enigma or Mormon Polygamy before reading this book for those with no previous background outside of official LDS lesson manuals.(less)

19 likes · like · see review

May 23, 2008 Nancy Oakes rated it 4 of 5 stars

Talk about timing -- with the big raid a month ago at the Yearning For Zion ranch and all of the news from that event, this book is going to sell, big time. Personally, I'm fascinated with the whole issue of polygamy -- not that I'd want to do it, but I do wonder why others subject themselves and furthermore, I wonder why the government hasn't just come right out and reminded law enforcement that polygamy is illegal and that leads to my wondering why this is still going on. The whole brainwashin...more Talk about timing -- with the big raid a month ago at the Yearning For Zion ranch and all of the news from that event, this book is going to sell, big time. Personally, I'm fascinated with the whole issue of polygamy -- not that I'd want to do it, but I do wonder why others subject themselves and furthermore, I wonder why the government hasn't just come right out and reminded law enforcement that polygamy is illegal and that leads to my wondering why this is still going on. The whole brainwashing thing eludes me as well, but then again, the issues brought up in this book are part of the reason I shy away from any sort of organized religion. Ebershoff may have written fiction, but the issue of brainwashing is very real. Take the Yearning For Zion thing in Texas -- the women there were scared to death of having to live on the outside because of all the things they are taught about the real world while they are under the sway of the FLDS leadership at the ranch. Or in the novel -- it's rife with examples of how the church leadership managed to convince some seemingly intelligent women that they needed to share their husbands with other women, sometimes under the same roof. It's all about salvation, you know? Fantasy camp for men; for women and especially for their children, well, what can I say? Sorry about the diatribe, but you know, the whole polygamy thing has a tendency to rankle me, and I appreciate Ebershoff's book -- it pointed out the many issues about this practice justified in the name of salvation.

So now that I've ranted, the book is structured so that there is a present-day mystery that focuses on a woman who has been arrested and imprisoned for killing her husband. It turns out that she is the 19th wife, and her estranged son reads about her arrest on the internet. Seems that when he was younger, he was tossed out of the local polygamist community, "The Firsts," where they believed they were carrying on the mission of the first and true LDS church, when polygamy was the norm. So off he trots to Utah to see his mother and then gets involved in trying to prove her innocence. At the same time, there is another thread running in this book, the story of another 19th wife, Ann Eliza Young, who married Brigham Young and then squared off against him and the whole polygamy issue publicly. The present-day story is minor compared to Ann Eliza's story, beginning with her mother's conversion to Mormonism and then her descent into the hell that was polygamy after the prophet had a revelation from God that men should take more than one wife. The two stories are interspersed, but Ann Eliza's story is (imho) the better of the two. More than the present-day story, her story had me glued to the book.

The characters were well drawn and Ebershoff did a fine job with the whole polygamy thing, especially describing the plight of the children from polygamous marriages. This is not something I probably would have picked up at a bookstore, but the topic intrigued me and the story got my dander up. I would say that Ebershoff's done his job as a writer -- getting the reader very involved. Personally, if he'd have left it with the story of Ann Eliza, I probably would have liked it better.

I'd recommend it to anyone who's interested in the topic of polygamy, and if you liked this one, try Krakauer's Under the Banner of Heaven.

Thanks to Librarything for allowing me to read this before it's released. (less)

36 likes · like · see review

Jul 24, 2008 Jackie rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: those who liked Under the Banner of Heaven and Escape

Recommended to Jackie by: Roxie Holcomb

Shelves: work-review-related-reading

This book is rather unusual because it's actually two books in one. One of the books is a well researched historical fiction novel about Ann Eliza Young, Mormon leader Brigham Young's "19th wife" who fled polygamy in the late 1800s and made it her life's mission to abolish it (succeeding, at least legally). The second book is a murder mystery involving a present day polygamist group, with a gay "lost boy" (polygamy sects often abandon young boys to the world so that they are not competition for...more

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Jan 04, 2010 Vanessa Druckman rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to Vanessa by: People Magazine

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

10 likes · like · see review

Jan 08, 2009 Marci rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book is a novel (based on historical people and events) that intersects the stories of two people in different times growing up in a polygamous home. The first is the story of Ann Eliza Webb Young (a real historical figure), who was Brigham Young's 19th wife (technically his 19th, depending on how you count them). The second is the story of Jordan Scott, a young man in present times who is kicked out of his family's polygamous compound (think Colorado City and Warren Jeffs), then is drawn b...more

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Nov 22, 2008 David rated it 2 of 5 stars

This is a book about polygamy, in Brigham's time and today. It uses the divided time frame technique, trying to link two stories; and liberally mixes history with fiction (to the point that it's very hard to discern what is history - and there's not much history by the time he's done).

There are two 19th wives. One is the real historical figure Ann Eliza Webb Young, married to Brigham. She was his 19th wife (on some lists - depending on the criteria). When she became disaffected and left the marr...more This is a book about polygamy, in Brigham's time and today. It uses the divided time frame technique, trying to link two stories; and liberally mixes history with fiction (to the point that it's very hard to discern what is history - and there's not much history by the time he's done).

There are two 19th wives. One is the real historical figure Ann Eliza Webb Young, married to Brigham. She was his 19th wife (on some lists - depending on the criteria). When she became disaffected and left the marriage (and the Church), she wrote a best-selling expose called "Wife No. 19, or the story of a life in bondage." She became a public crusader against polygamy's "abuses." That part is true; however, excerpts which are supposedly from her book, and extensive conversations and descriptions and explanations of motivations, are all from the author's vivid imagination.

The other 19th wife is a fictional woman named BeckyLyn Scott, living in a modern fictional southern Utah town with the rest of the fundamentalist "Firsts." Early in the book, her polygamous husband, one of the community/church leaders, is murdered; because of circumstantial evidence, BeckyLyn is accused of the crime and imprisoned.

Meanwhile, we meet Jordan Scott, son of BeckyLyn and the polygamist patriarch. He was cast out from the church as a 14-year-old and became one of the "lost boys." Six years later, he is living a gay lifestyle in California. Reading about his mother's situation, he is drawn back to Utah to try to unravel the mystery. He meets a new "boyfriend" once he gets to Utah, and is unfaithful to his supposed partner. (Was it really necessary to introduce homosexuality into this novel? Wasn't the analysis of the complexities of plural marriage enough for one book?)

The author gives some insight into the practice and challenge of polygamy in both eras; but I felt he presented a mostly limited, one-sided interpretation. Fortunately, he does attempt to distinguish between modern fundamentalist churches and the main LDS body.

Whatever value the book might have provided for me was dramatically lowered by frequent obscene language and too much sexual description. There are much better sources for learning about the challenges of polygamy in a "safer" way.(less)

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Oct 10, 2008 Rtb rated it 3 of 5 stars

Intertwining stories of Brigham Young's actual wife, Ann Eliza Young, who was instrumental in getting the Mormon church to renounce polygamy, and Jordan Scott, a fictional contemporary teen boy who returns to the polygamist sect he was thrown out of years ago when his mother is accused of killing her husband.

This is not young adult fiction but to me, since I've recently read a few young adult books and they seem to be getting more ambitious and since Jordan's first person narrative is sooooo t...more

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Mar 13, 2009 Candi rated it 2 of 5 stars

I was asked to answer questions at a Library Book Club about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that sparked because of this book. On doing research to know how to respond to some of the questions many have on why our faith practiced polygamy over 100 years ago, I came across an article that I felt answered a lot of questions that I agree with.
http://www.fairlds.org/Misc/Polygamy_...

The book club was very excited to ask difficult questions in a setting that was not offensive. I foun...more

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Nov 01, 2008 Heidi Babcock added it

One of the best books I've read in a long time. I also enjoyed "Pasadena" which was written some time ago but Ebershoff's talents have expanded since then.
This is a combination history of/multiple story line about the Mormon church and the split between the regular church and the minority within the church which became the "Saints" who wholly believe in the right/commandment of polygamy, otherwise known as "celestial marriage". It is a fascinating read that could have kept going as far as I'm co...more

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Aug 21, 2008 Kim rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to Kim by: NPR

Shelves: 2008

This book made it into the realm of the I-can't-put-this-down! I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Mormon history or religion in general (both topics which interest me). The major theme of this book is truth - who decides what is truth, does everyone have their own truth based on their desires?

I first heard about this book on NPR. Serendipitously the author was visiting Pasadena (where he is from) when I was on an extended trip there. I was fortunate to be able to attend his rea...more

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Mar 09, 2009 Djrmel rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, contemporary, mystery, fiction, glbt

I wanted to like the mystery/contemporary half of this story as much as I enjoyed the historical fiction, but as the pages turned, I found myself more and more annoyed that they were interrupting a really good read. It's not that the mystery and details of who killed the modern day polygamist wasn't a good story, it was that it lacked the depth of the original 19th wife's tale. I found it easier to suspend disbelief of the fake memoir than to believe that a former "First" would jump so quickly b...more

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Nov 16, 2008 Susan rated it 5 of 5 stars

I never would have thought I'd be interested in a book on the Mormons and plural marriage, even though I do enjoy Big Love. But this book was highly recommended to me by a librarian whose opinion I respect; she's the one who convinced me to give Diana Gabaldon a try.
It's a great story, really two, one historical, about a gutsy and smart woman who was Brigham Young's 19th wife and the other story contemporary, about a young man who has returned to the compound of the Firsts where he was raised wh...more

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Oct 22, 2008 Shannon rated it 1 of 5 stars

I was really looking forward to reading this book; it has great reviews and mixes historical fiction with a modern mystery. About polygamy, history, and mystery - I expected to love this novel. I was deeply disappointed. First, the reader can't tell when the author is writing a fiction part of the historical fiction and what is indeed part of history. There are no chapter notes of any kind to give the reader an idea of what is true and what he made up. An uneducated reader may be left believing...more

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Feb 24, 2009 Chase rated it 3 of 5 stars

A fascinating book at times and at other times I had to force myself to read it. One story is set in the mid-late 19th century as historical fiction while another, a murder mystery, is a contemporary tale. The two stories have parallel themes of course and even slightly overlap.

My main grief was in the long-winded style of the 19th century characters, but I had other problems with this part of the book. Several "authors" were used to tell this antiquated story, a device I found distracting. I kn...more

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Apr 24, 2009 Ian Mapp rated it 2 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

1 like · like · see review

May 23, 2011 Angie rated it 2 of 5 stars

Whew. That was quite a read. I really don't know how to even discuss this book but this will probably be my longest review yet. I'll be discussing it with my Book Club in June and I honestly don't even know where to start with it when we delve into discussions. Here are a few of my scattered thoughts about this book:

1- Despite the fact that it's historical FICTION many parts of the book are written as "documents" which gives it's authenticity a very convincing feel. It made me want to verify and...more Whew. That was quite a read. I really don't know how to even discuss this book but this will probably be my longest review yet. I'll be discussing it with my Book Club in June and I honestly don't even know where to start with it when we delve into discussions. Here are a few of my scattered thoughts about this book:

1- Despite the fact that it's historical FICTION many parts of the book are written as "documents" which gives it's authenticity a very convincing feel. It made me want to verify and research things because they were presented in such a legitimate way (that's not necessarily a bad thing, to want to do further research I mean). I almost wish the author's notes at the end of the book reiterating the FICTION aspect of the story had been printed at the FRONT of the book. I had to constantly remind myself: fiction Fiction FICTION!!!! Of course many of the events, circumstances and people described in the book were real, but the bulk of the story was created by the author and it was a little hard while reading the book to remind myself that the story (and "documents") were author creations.

2- I'll probably read historical fiction novels with a lot more caution in the future. When reading others before this I've let myself get swallowed up in the story and trust that details are accurate. This one helped me realize that historical fictions are still just made up stories within the parameters of a real historical time or event. (And as the author pointed out in his notes at the end of the book, even history is tainted by perspective and the same event or circumstance can be described by two different people in completely different ways. So ultimately, it seems to me that with historical fictions, the author gets to pick and choose which perspective to take so you can't read a historical fiction novel as if it's a more entertaining substitute for a historical document.)

3- I appreciated the author's distinction between early Latter-Day Saints, the modern day "Firsts", and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints as it is today.

4- I thought the book was really REALLY long with really small margins and really small font LOL. It was a long book. Some of it felt like work because it was so long.

5- I was extremely frustrated with the language used in the telling of the modern day story. It was the worst in the first few chapters of the modern day story, but it was peppered throughout the entire book whenever the modern story was being told. I thought it was unnecessary.

6- I didn't think the modern day story was very well told and the characters weren't very well developed. The relationship between Tom and Jordan was awkward and rushed and unrealistic. Johnny was almost just a caricature of a runaway boy. The resolution in the modern-day story was somewhat satisfying with a bit of a twist, but overall I didn't care for the modern-day story and didn't feel like it was nearly as well developed as the rest. And a few modern-day LDS references were off and that pulled me out of the story a bit.

7- There were some unique perspectives in the Ann Eliza time period story that I really liked. I appreciated reading various peoples' perspectives of polygamy, including (and particularly!) several men's personal stories. I thought that was an interesting touch. I would have liked to have read a story or two from women who actually loved and valued the practice of polygamy as an alternate view point to Ann Eliza's story. I thought there were some really touching parts of the Ann Eliza time period story and I liked the inclusion of some important historical events in the early LDS church (although they were somewhat glossed over because they weren't really the focus of the overall story). Since the bulk of the story was from Ann Eliza's perspective it's no shock that it's very critical of Brigham Young and the early church practices. Again, I would have really liked to read a few more positive perspectives, but it's pretty clear that the author had no intention of singing any praises of polygamy in his book.

8- This is totally a random remark, but something of note in my opinion. The author tried to depict how closed the early records and journals and such were kept by the LDS church, how difficult they were to obtain when trying to do research, etc. I thought it was interesting that even fictitiously, Gordon B Hinckley was the prophet used in the book to show a swing in a different direction as far as releasing information. He was known as a leader in our time who was very much an open book, very willing to talk to the media and very well-loved and respected for that. I liked that the author portrayed that :)

My final thought? I'm really REALLY glad to be done with this book. I just didn't enjoy it at all. I didn't feel like the modern day story and the Ann Eliza story paralleled well enough to go back and forth as companion stories, and in the end it just felt like two really long stories shoved together in one book cover. I could have done without the modern-day story altogether, as I didn't feel like the author spent nearly as much time researching and digging into that culture and that story as he did the Ann Eliza one and it came across that way in the writing and story-telling.

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Kristi We read The 19th Wife and Moloka'i in the same month for book club. We mostly focused our discussion on the women involved in both stories. There are...more
May 23, 2011 10:49am

Angie It's so funny you mention Moloka'i Kristi because that was the first historical fiction I've read and just devoured. After reading the 19th Wife I fee...more
May 23, 2011 11:10am

Karen I agree heartily with all that you said. I just like to keep my reviews short because there is always someone else who
feels as I do and says it bette...more
Sep 15, 2011 03:39pm

Apr 03, 2009 Sharlene rated it 1 of 5 stars

I was thoroughly put off by the gay characterizations/sex/language in the contemporary story. I felt it was crude and disrespectful to weave that plot along with descriptions of religious rites and rituals that are sacred to some. I also felt it was misleading to weave in seemingly real letters and references to "sealed" "archived" documents that might lead the reader to believe they are in fact the real deal when they are not. It is fiction--based on fact, I will give you that--but, still ficti...more

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Mar 26, 2009 bookczuk rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to bookczuk by: Elizabeth

Shelves: read-on-recommendation, borrowed, made-me-look-something-up

This was highly recommended by my friend Liz and she was definitely right. The novel is structured in a way that weaves history with a good story, and a murder mystery to boot. The historical aspect recounts the life of Ann Eliza Young, the 19th (more or less) wife of Brigham Young. It was Ann Eliza who spoke out about polygamy, against Brigham Young. Her testimony to Congress probably helped get polygamy outlawed. While the telling of her story is fascinating, the author has added another voice...more

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Mar 15, 2009 Melissa rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I have to admit that Big Love has made me a bit of a sucker for books about out of the ordinary morman sects. That said, I found this book strange. There were two plots interwoven in the book One was a fast-paced modern-day plot that involved the murder of a polygamous man allegedly by his 19th wife. The second plot is takes place over a century before and involves Brigham Young's 19th wife. The two intermixed plots are written in two completely different ways--the modern one reads quickly while...more

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Jul 05, 2010 Meg rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book was fascinating. It tells two different stories at the same time. The story of Ana Eliza Dee Young, the 19th wife of Brigham Young and a modern day mystery regarding the death of a husband by his 19th wife. The story is interesting and told in two different perspectives.

Some have complained that it was confusing, I thought it was EASY to follow along and figure out who's voice was speaking---either from chapter title or topic of concern.

Others complained because one of the characters...more

3 likes · like · see review

May 08, 2012 Jonathan Peto rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: novels

Good book.

I've noticed a few reviews that have panned the novel for religious reasons or because of differences over the intersection between fiction and nonfiction, but neither issue affected me. The foul language and the gay relationships in one of the plot lines didn't distract me either. I was surprised to read complaints. The language suits the characters. The focal character's sexual orientation was just an aspect of his character and was not something the author emphasized. I thought it w...more

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Feb 16, 2010 Becky rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

In The 19th Wife, the author interweaves two stories: one memoir-style story about Ann Eliza Young, the "19th wife" of Brigham Young, and one murder mystery of a modern day FLDS "19th wife" accused of shooting her polygamist husband. The latter is told by her excommunicated gay son, Jordan Scott.

At the beginning, I was more interested in the murder story, expecting it to be the more engaging of the two. But I quickly found Ann Eliza's story fascinating, and the contemporary story a distraction....more

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Aug 13, 2009 Trena rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was an engrossing read. It interweaves the stories of two 19th wives--the first in the early years of the Mormon church, married to leader Brigham Young, and the second a member of one of the modern day splinter sects that practice polygamy.

I was raised Mormon and the orthodox history included comports with my memory; although it is common for people who leave to do so, I didn't research the non-orthodox versions of Mormon history after leaving the religion but based on random things I've r...more This was an engrossing read. It interweaves the stories of two 19th wives--the first in the early years of the Mormon church, married to leader Brigham Young, and the second a member of one of the modern day splinter sects that practice polygamy.

I was raised Mormon and the orthodox history included comports with my memory; although it is common for people who leave to do so, I didn't research the non-orthodox versions of Mormon history after leaving the religion but based on random things I've read that seems accurate as well. I can't believe I'd never heard of Ann Eliza Young, though! When I'm reading a novel I don't want to know if it's true or not so I didn't look her up until I was done. I'm glad she was a real historical figure.

I was frustrated with the inaccuracy of portraying a current Mormon service (although the Las Vegas church the author describes is itself a breakoff, but is alleged to basically be a place for Mormon practice in the gay community), things such as indicating communion (called "sacrament" by the Mormons although he says "communion" in the book) is celebrated with grape juice (they use water) and calling the person who gives the sermon a "deacon" (this actually refers to 12-13 year old boys, and laypeople give the sermons), plus the reference to female missionaries as "Sister Firstname" when in fact missionaries NEVER use a first name, only a last. These little niggling inaccuracies made me question how accurate the totality of the facts were, and frustrated me because you'd only have to go to one service (granted, they are interminable) to get the facts right as they are the same everywhere, but detracted little from my enjoyment of what is, after all, a novel.

I liked the author's use of different voices and media. Though the 19th century bits did go on and on, that was the literary style of the age so I suppose I can't fault it. Both stories were fascinating and I appreciated the way he shifted between them. I also appreciated that although the author had a point of view regarding the merits of polygamy (none)--a point of which with which I wholeheartedly agree--the book was not a polemic or a screed.

As an ex-Mormon in whom the culture, if not the religion, is deeply engrained, two things about polygamy and modern Mormonism frustrate me. First, the persistent belief among non-Mormons that its practice continues in the mainline church. This is not true. The book does much to clear this up, and for that I appreciate it.

Second, however, is that the church has so thoroughly whitewashed the issue that few outside the church know that it still very much believes in polygamy, it's just that imperfect humans are not capable of its practice. But in heaven, it will be every man for himself in the scramble for as many wives as he can handle. Polygamy is not dead, only deferred. This point of doctrine was always a sore spot with me, and it annoys me that the church doesn't come totally clean about its stance on polygamy, which is: Still doctrine, still going to happen in the hereafter.(less)

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Nov 06, 2008 Carey rated it 4 of 5 stars

In his new novel, David Ebershoff paints the history of the Mormon religion through the eyes of Ann Eliza Young, the so-called nineteenth wife of Brigham Young. Ann Eliza's parents were there when Joseph Smith was forming what would become the Mormon church and she grew up within it. When she was grown she was pursued by Brigham Young and eventually married him against her better judgement.

Several years later she was basically abandoned by her husband. Though she was called wife number nineteen...more

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Dec 08, 2008 Anne rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

At over 500 pages, this is a heavy tome, but once I started reading, I was immersed and could hardly put this one down.

Jordan has been estranged from his parents for many years, but he still knows deep inside that despite her arrest, his mother didnt kill his father. He returns to his home town to try and uncover the truth about the murder - returning to a community that deserted him and left him on the side of the road whilst still a young boy.

Alongside the modern murder mystery story is the st...more

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Sep 08, 2008 Nancy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, historical-fiction, september-2008

Ebershoff intersperses two parallel tales in this book about polygamy among the Mormon community. The first is that of Ann Eliza Brigham, supposed 19th wife, but probably number 50+ of Brigham Young. After much resistance, Ann reluctantly became his wife in order to protect her parents and brother from hardship. Ann went on to escape, and to take her anti-polygamy story on the road. Ann is a true historical figure.

The second story is a murder mystery set in the present among a fundamentalist spl...more

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Aug 20, 2008 Kathleen rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was the type of book that you hate to put down and just can't wait to get back to. I carried it with me all everywhere I went so that if I found myself with 5 minutes to spare, I had my nose buried in the book.

There are two stories within the cover of The 19th Wife. We have Ann Eliza's story of what it was like growing up in the early Mormon Church. Ann Eliza grows up to be the 19th wife of Brigham Young and eventually divorces him.

You also have the modern day story of Jordan, a young man...more

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Sep 20, 2008 Jennifer rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2008, mystery

There is a lot going on in this ambitious book. There is the story of Ann Eliza Young - Brigham Young's 19th wife who broke with the LDS church and went on the lecture circuit to denounce polygamy. There is also the present day mystery of another 19th wife imprisoned for murdering her husband and the banished son who returns to help prove her innocence. And as if that wasn't enough there are several other characters (Kelly, the LDS researcher... Johnny, another "lost boy") who get quite a bit of...more

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Feb 07, 2009 Rhiannon rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, historical

This book tells two stories - one is the story of Ann Eliza Young, who was one of Brigham Young's wives but who left him and went on the lecture circuit denouncing polygamy. Her story is done well, in an epistolary fashion (though most of it is a rewrite of a book she actually wrote, which is a little weird to me, but whatever). The other story is that of a (fictional) 20-something guy who grew up in a polygamy-practicing compound and whose mother has been accused of killing his father, and he h...more

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Apr 01, 2009 Angie rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book. It's well writen and a quick read. The characters are very likable. It was one of those I just couldn't put down, and when I had to put it down I thought about it a lot. It's two stories in one book. One is of a modern day polygamist group in southern Utah, told from the point of view of a boy who was kicked out in his early teens. The other is the story of Ann Eliza Webb Young, Brigham Young's "19th" wife. (Historians say she was more likely his 52nd wife.) While bot...more

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About David Ebershoff

David Ebershoff is the author of three bestselling novels and a short story collection. His debut, THE DANISH GIRL, won the Rosenthal Foundation Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the Lambda Literary Award, and an American Library Association Book Award. It is being adapted into a feature film with Nicole Kidman. His second novel, PASADENA, was named a Wall Street Journal Editor’...more David Ebershoff is the author of three bestselling novels and a short story collection. His debut, THE DANISH GIRL, won the Rosenthal Foundation Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the Lambda Literary Award, and an American Library Association Book Award. It is being adapted into a feature film with Nicole Kidman. His second novel, PASADENA, was named a Wall Street Journal Editor’s Pick, a Chicago Tribune Best Book of the Year, and became a New York Times bestseller. His short story collection, THE ROSE CITY, won the Ferro-Grumley Award and was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award.

His third novel, THE 19TH WIFE, was an immediate international bestseller, landing on the New York Times bestseller list and reaching #1 in Britain. The book was a finalist for the Ferro-Grumley Award, the Utah Book Award, and the Galaxy British Book Award. It has half a million copies in print in English alone.

The novel has been described as "Wonderfully lyrical. . . . it does that thing all good novels do: It entertains us." – The Los Angeles Times.

"Coming on the heels of the news-making raid on the FLDS polygamist sect in Texas, this lyrical yet fact-packed epic about the Mormon practice of plural marriage is both timely and transporting. Ebershoff intertwines a modern-day murder mystery with a sweeping historical saga; his title refers to the real-life wife of Mormon leader Brigham Young, who fled her husband and ditched her faith in 1873. Based on Ann Eliza's groundbreaking 1875 memoir, Wife No. 19, and her subsequent campaign to make polygamy illegal, Ebershoff re-creates her struggles as a "sister wife," bringing to life the jealousies, insecurities and financial hardships of being one of a string of spouses -- all of whom Brigham claimed to marry in honor of God. Equally compelling is the book's gritty contemporary story of another 19th wife -- from a renegade cult in the remote desert -- accused of killing her husband after he tells her he will no longer sleep with her. This wife is ultimately redeemed by her gay son, whom she abandoned (under orders from the sect's 'Prophet') when he was 14. Ebershoff's exhaustive research and deft prose combine to make his third novel a literary tour de force."

"A compelling portrait of the beginnings and ends of Mormon polygamy, and a marvelous examination of its effects on women (the obvious sufferers) and men (also brutalized, the author shows). The 19th Wife is an exploration of how and whether community is possible after a loss of belief." —Newsday

Since 1996, Ebershoff has been on staff at Random House. For many years he was the publishing director of Random House's classics imprint, the Modern Library - www.modernlibrary.com. He is currently an editor-at-large for Random House, editing a wide range of fiction and non-fiction writers including David Mitchell, Charles Bock, Billy Collins, Gary Shteyngart, Diane Keaton, Shirin Ebadi, Azadeh Moaveni, Ronald C. White, Jr., and Katha Pollitt.

Ebershoff has taught creative writing at New York University and Princeton and currently teaches in the MFA program at Columbia University.

Originally from Pasadena, California, Ebershoff is a graduate of the Polytechnic School, Brown University, and the University of Chicago. He lives in New York City.(less)

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Quotes from The 19th Wife

“Last year when my grandma fell and broke her hip she couldn't paint her toenails anymore. So my grandpa started doing it for her, even after he fell and broke his hip, too. For me, that's love.” — 14 people liked it

“I trust you have seen the ocean. If you have, then you have witnessed the divine. How barren the ground is in comparison! If I could count the hours I have spent staring out at it! And yet those hours never feel lost. I cannot imagine how else I could refill them were I given a second chance.” — 5 people liked it

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