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May 23, 2008

Nancy rated it:

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 brainwash More...

11 comments like (28 people liked it)

Sep 30, 2009

Dave rated it:

This is a provocative work. It deals with difficult issues in areas of community, doubt, faith, family and marriage. The authors 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 More...

5 comments like (13 people liked it)

Jul 24, 2008

Jackie rated it:

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 a More...

1 comment like (16 people liked it)

Jan 04, 2010

Vanessa rated it:

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

2 comments like (9 people liked it)

Jan 08, 2009

Marci rated it:

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 More...

1 comment like (5 people liked it)

Nov 22, 2008

David rated it:

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 l More...

10 comments like (18 people liked it)

Oct 10, 2008

Rtb rated it:

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 i More...

0 comments like (7 people liked it)

Mar 13, 2009

Candi rated it:

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_Pro...

The book club was very excited to ask difficult questions in a setting that was More...

5 comments like (16 people liked it)

Nov 01, 2008

Heidi 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 co More...

1 comment like (5 people liked it)

Aug 21, 2008

Kim rated it:

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 at More...

1 comment like (13 people liked it)

Nov 16, 2008

Susan rated it:

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 r More...

1 comment like (4 people liked it)

Oct 22, 2008

Shannon rated it:

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 belie More...

6 comments like (16 people liked it)

Feb 24, 2009

Chase rated it:

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 More...

2 comments like (6 people liked it)

Apr 24, 2009

Ian rated it:

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

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

May 23, 2011

Angie rated it:

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 More...

3 comments like (3 people liked it)

Apr 03, 2009

Sharlene rated it:

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 More...

0 comments like (9 people liked it)

Mar 26, 2009

bookczuk rated it:

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 More...

16 comments like (2 people liked it)

Mar 09, 2009

Djrmel rated it:

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 poligamist 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 memoire than to beleive that a former "First" would jump More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Mar 15, 2009

Melissa rated it:

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 More...

0 comments like (5 people liked it)

Jul 05, 2010

Meg rated it:

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 beca More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 06, 2011

Becky rated it:

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 co More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Apr 28, 2010

Trena rated it:

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 More...

2 comments like (2 people liked it)

Nov 06, 2008

Carey rated it:

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 num More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Dec 08, 2008

Anne rated it:

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 murde More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 08, 2008

Nancy rated it:

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 fundam More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Aug 20, 2008

Kathleen rated it:

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 s More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Sep 20, 2008

Jennifer rated it:

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 q More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 07, 2009

Rhiannon rated it:

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 More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Apr 01, 2009

Angie rated it:

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 More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Dec 26, 2011

Sara rated it:

This book traces two story lines: a modern-day mystery involving a polygamist cult, an estranged mother and son and murder and a historical retelling of one family's experience of Mormonism from conversion under Joseph Smith to polygamist disillusion to apostasy.

I preferred the historical storyline, but thought it was skillfully combined with the contemporary plot line. I was more impressed still when I learned that the character of Ann Eliza Young, was a real wife of Brigham Youn More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)