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The Wives of Henry Oades: A Novel
When Henry Oades accepts an accountancy post in New Zealand, his wife, Margaret, and their children follow him to exotic Wellington. But while Henry is an adventurer, Margaret is not. Their new home is rougher and more rustic than they expected—and a single night of tragedy shatters the family when the native Maori stage an uprising, kidnapping Margaret and her children. For months, Henry scours the surrounding wilderness, until all hope is lost and his wife and children are presumed dead. Grief-stricken, he books passage to California. There he marries Nancy Foreland, a young widow with a new baby, and it seems they’ve both found happiness in the midst of their mourning—until Henry’s first wife and children show up, alive and having finally escaped captivity. Narrated primarily by the two wives, and based on a real-life legal case, The Wives of Henry Oades is the riveting story of what happens when Henry, Margaret, and Nancy face persecution for bigamy. Exploring the intricacies of marriage, the construction of family, the changing world of the late 1800s, and the strength of two remarkable women, Johanna Moran turns this unusual family’s story into an unforgettable page-turning drama.
387 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 567 reviews
December 13, 2017
The Wives of Henry Oades was a debut historical fiction by Johanna Moran. I found it well done and for the most part I couldn't wait to find out what happened next. Certainly for the first half I simply tore through the pages at a great pace but towards the end I began to feel frustrated with how things were progressing and I really didn't know how I wanted it to end. I guess in a warped kind of way these feelings of frustration and confusion were a positive sign. I mean I was invested enough in the plight of the characters, Margaret in particular, to be annoyed and frustrated on her behalf.
This fictional story come into being after the author's law professor father found an abstract on the Oades case. It caught their attention and grew from there. Starting in London in 1890 we meet Henry and Margaret Oades. Henry has been promoted to a senior position in New Zealand. Reluctantly in Margaret's case, excitedly in Henry's, they and their two children embark on this journey. Over the next couple of years readers are familiarised with them as a lovely, affectionate couple, good parents now with twin baby girls, and supportive of each other. One day while Henry is away Maori's kidnap the family and burn the house to the ground leaving the charred remains of one adult female. On his return Henry is distraught and does everything in
his power to find his family. People think he has lost his mind but he simply wont give up until eventually he is forced to accept their demise and a funeral is held for his beloved Meg (Margaret). Unable to go on in his normal life Henry takes a ship to California where he begins a new, largely solitary, life as a dairy farmer. Eventually, some six years down the track, he remarries. Nancy is a young widow with a new born, her husband lost in a house fire. Her pain resonates with Henry and his protective side shines through. After the shortest time he proposes and they are married a week later. Around this time in New Zealand, Margaret and children escape their captors and make their way to America fuelled by thoughts of their long anticipated family reunion. Imagine the shock and disappointment upon meeting Nancy Oades and her new baby. Hence, the plural "wives" in the title. Both wives very much alive and feeling entitled to their role as Henry's wife. What does he do? What should he do? Which of the two wives is most deserving of the title Mrs Henry Oades? The book forced me to consider these and many other questions and proved great fodder for thought . In todays age it may be different but the 1890's and early 1900's there were plenty of societal norms and attitudes at play and what is already a moral dilemma became even murkier. Several courts of law later, imprisonment, threats and actual acts of violence against them, the matter was eventually resolved. How? That would be telling. As I said earlier I'm not convinced I was satisfied with the ending but couldn't rightly say what a more suitable outcome would have been.
I enjoyed this book and in hindsight perhaps a fraction more now I've had time to reflect upon it. I'm looking forward to my irl book club discussion tonight. 3.5 stars.
This fictional story come into being after the author's law professor father found an abstract on the Oades case. It caught their attention and grew from there. Starting in London in 1890 we meet Henry and Margaret Oades. Henry has been promoted to a senior position in New Zealand. Reluctantly in Margaret's case, excitedly in Henry's, they and their two children embark on this journey. Over the next couple of years readers are familiarised with them as a lovely, affectionate couple, good parents now with twin baby girls, and supportive of each other. One day while Henry is away Maori's kidnap the family and burn the house to the ground leaving the charred remains of one adult female. On his return Henry is distraught and does everything in
his power to find his family. People think he has lost his mind but he simply wont give up until eventually he is forced to accept their demise and a funeral is held for his beloved Meg (Margaret). Unable to go on in his normal life Henry takes a ship to California where he begins a new, largely solitary, life as a dairy farmer. Eventually, some six years down the track, he remarries. Nancy is a young widow with a new born, her husband lost in a house fire. Her pain resonates with Henry and his protective side shines through. After the shortest time he proposes and they are married a week later. Around this time in New Zealand, Margaret and children escape their captors and make their way to America fuelled by thoughts of their long anticipated family reunion. Imagine the shock and disappointment upon meeting Nancy Oades and her new baby. Hence, the plural "wives" in the title. Both wives very much alive and feeling entitled to their role as Henry's wife. What does he do? What should he do? Which of the two wives is most deserving of the title Mrs Henry Oades? The book forced me to consider these and many other questions and proved great fodder for thought . In todays age it may be different but the 1890's and early 1900's there were plenty of societal norms and attitudes at play and what is already a moral dilemma became even murkier. Several courts of law later, imprisonment, threats and actual acts of violence against them, the matter was eventually resolved. How? That would be telling. As I said earlier I'm not convinced I was satisfied with the ending but couldn't rightly say what a more suitable outcome would have been.
I enjoyed this book and in hindsight perhaps a fraction more now I've had time to reflect upon it. I'm looking forward to my irl book club discussion tonight. 3.5 stars.
February 17, 2018
It's a good selection for a woman's book club--with discussions about what the two wives should have done, did they make the best possible choices, the social mores they were constrained by, the husband's love for each woman, in turn, and his children.
This book has a gripping premise, fascinating characters, --and it's all based on a true story!
This book has a gripping premise, fascinating characters, --and it's all based on a true story!
July 20, 2023
This is a fictionalized account of true events about real people. In 1890, Henry Oades, his wife Margaret, and their two children, John and Josephine, left England for New Zealand. Henry was to work as an accountant for a distillery in Wellington. It turned out conditions in the city were not as Margaret hoped. The story skips forward nearly 2 years and the family has moved to a cottage away from town - but close enough for Henry to come home every night - and twin girls have been born.
One day several of one of the Maori tribes invaded the cottage. A neighbor woman who was visiting was knocked unconscious. The Oades were abducted and the cottage set on fire. When Henry arrived home he was shocked and distraught, as can be well imagined. He got some help in searching and was himself injured in the process. Nearly 2 years later, believing his family had been murdered, he could take the loneliness no longer and left New Zealand for the United States to take up a new life.
That is more back story than I usually write in my reviews. I found the story fascinating. I thought the characters well-imagined. The writing isn't spectacular, but there is nothing to complain about it. We all know I would complain about the writing style if it wasn't worth spending time with it.
This was just the book I needed right now - no graphic violence, no sex, almost no cussing. Because I was so open to it, I'm not sure how to rate it, but I think 4-stars is probably just right.
One day several of one of the Maori tribes invaded the cottage. A neighbor woman who was visiting was knocked unconscious. The Oades were abducted and the cottage set on fire. When Henry arrived home he was shocked and distraught, as can be well imagined. He got some help in searching and was himself injured in the process. Nearly 2 years later, believing his family had been murdered, he could take the loneliness no longer and left New Zealand for the United States to take up a new life.
That is more back story than I usually write in my reviews. I found the story fascinating. I thought the characters well-imagined. The writing isn't spectacular, but there is nothing to complain about it. We all know I would complain about the writing style if it wasn't worth spending time with it.
This was just the book I needed right now - no graphic violence, no sex, almost no cussing. Because I was so open to it, I'm not sure how to rate it, but I think 4-stars is probably just right.
January 16, 2010
I feel as though it's quite easy to take some tribe most Americans, myself included, have never heard of and turn them into savage captors. I mean, isn't it ingrained in us to just accept what authors write as fact, especially when writing a book "based on a true story." The treatment of the Maori, the native people who abducted one of Henry Oades' wives in the novel definitely bothered me. These are people painted to be savage compared to their counterparts, the civilized English settler. The Maori retaliate against some offense by kidnapping Margaret Oades and her children. They do not show compassion and are clearly evil. I understand that maybe this was for the purpose of the story, we needed Margaret Oades and kin to disappear somehow, so why not borrow some native peoples for this purpose. Personally, I think we need to get past the dark-skinned other stereotype. I get that The Wives Of Henry Oades is historical-fiction. However, in just doing a quick search on the Maori, I've discovered more instances of Maori people being kidnapped/massacred by whites than the reverse. I understand authors don't need to be politically correct and it's not the job of the author to bring about social justice, however, I just wish there was more fairness or at least more depth pertaining to the Maori within The Wives of Henry Oades.
Aside from the treatment of the Maori, this book caused me to ponder family structures. Must all families be nuclear? No, not at all and in today's society you don't really see much of that anymore. I mean there's all different types of families, single-parent families, families with two dads, extended family groups, kinship groups, etc. I think the relationship between Henry Oades, his two wives, and his children was quite interesting, if not exactly ringing true. I liked that The Wives of Henry Oades did not condemn this different way of living. However, the reaction of the wives to each other felt unreal to me. I mean, if I was abducted by a group of people and didn't see my husband for years, come home and find he's married some other woman, you'd better expect hell to pay. I expected a larger reaction from wife number one, not oh well, let's just live as one giant family.
Is this a terrible book? Not by a long shot, but to me, it's average. I think it is a great book to read if you want to generate a discussion within your book group about family units, should the government be able to tell you how to live your private life, etc. Also, I really enjoyed the character of Nancy, it's quite refreshing to see such a strong, capable woman. Also good to see a woman who doesn't automatically love children. Way to step past gender constructs. Yes, I've read better historical fiction, but I did keep turning the pages and never had to set this book aside, so I suppose that lends some credence to it's readability.
Aside from the treatment of the Maori, this book caused me to ponder family structures. Must all families be nuclear? No, not at all and in today's society you don't really see much of that anymore. I mean there's all different types of families, single-parent families, families with two dads, extended family groups, kinship groups, etc. I think the relationship between Henry Oades, his two wives, and his children was quite interesting, if not exactly ringing true. I liked that The Wives of Henry Oades did not condemn this different way of living. However, the reaction of the wives to each other felt unreal to me. I mean, if I was abducted by a group of people and didn't see my husband for years, come home and find he's married some other woman, you'd better expect hell to pay. I expected a larger reaction from wife number one, not oh well, let's just live as one giant family.
Is this a terrible book? Not by a long shot, but to me, it's average. I think it is a great book to read if you want to generate a discussion within your book group about family units, should the government be able to tell you how to live your private life, etc. Also, I really enjoyed the character of Nancy, it's quite refreshing to see such a strong, capable woman. Also good to see a woman who doesn't automatically love children. Way to step past gender constructs. Yes, I've read better historical fiction, but I did keep turning the pages and never had to set this book aside, so I suppose that lends some credence to it's readability.
March 8, 2010
Wow. A good read. I couldn't put it down. It's a story based on a real situation and trial that occured in the very early 1900s. Henry Oades and his wife, Margaret go from England to New Zealand with their children in tow for an accounting promotion. Well, the white folks in New Zealand anger the natives and in retaliation, the natives decide to wreak their own havoc on the white folks and as luck would have it, they choose Henry Oades's house. The natives capture Margaret and all the children and burn the house down. Henry never finds them and after a few years, decides to move on and goes to America.
Boy is he and wife number two, Nancy, surprised when Margarent and children show up on their door step five years later! Well... to make a long story short, Americans don't take too kindly to polygamy and a major court case ensues. Which wife will come out on top? Whose children will be declared "bastards?"
Very unputdownable. I had ONE issue tho. Henry has TWO wives and upon discovering each other, neither wife nags or questions Henry. There are no private conversations, no decisions, no discussions about the situation at all. Margaret suddenly becomes a spineless woman and just steps aside, offers to stay in a boarding house, and even agrees to be a maid while watching Henry go to bed every night with wife number two. Um, I don't know about other women out there but if I was faced with this situation, there would be some major face slapping, hair pulling, and some four letter words and two gonads flying thru the air. I certainly wouldn't be offering to pass myself off as a long lost aunt. I found her saintliness unbelievable. Otherwise, great read.
Boy is he and wife number two, Nancy, surprised when Margarent and children show up on their door step five years later! Well... to make a long story short, Americans don't take too kindly to polygamy and a major court case ensues. Which wife will come out on top? Whose children will be declared "bastards?"
Very unputdownable. I had ONE issue tho. Henry has TWO wives and upon discovering each other, neither wife nags or questions Henry. There are no private conversations, no decisions, no discussions about the situation at all. Margaret suddenly becomes a spineless woman and just steps aside, offers to stay in a boarding house, and even agrees to be a maid while watching Henry go to bed every night with wife number two. Um, I don't know about other women out there but if I was faced with this situation, there would be some major face slapping, hair pulling, and some four letter words and two gonads flying thru the air. I certainly wouldn't be offering to pass myself off as a long lost aunt. I found her saintliness unbelievable. Otherwise, great read.
February 12, 2010
What a love triangle this is. Kidnapping, death, birth, disease, despair, disgrace - and none of it due to anything but sheer bad luck. Based on a true legal case, this is the story of Henry Oades, an adventurous Englishman who drags his wife and children to New Zealand for a two-year business stint, only to lose them all to a Maori raid. Grieving for the wife he presumes dead, he relocates to California, acquires a dairy farm and eventually, a new wife. Disaster strikes when his first wife turns up, children in tow, triumphant at having escaped the Maori - and horrified to find her husband remarried. Social ostracism follows the trio through a vitriolic court case as they try to find some solution to the dilemma. What struck me the most was the kindness and good sense of the central trio - Henry Oades struggles to do right by both his wives, and the women have considerable sympathy for each other rather than descending into a catfight to claim their man. Their humanity, contrasted against the narrow-mindedness of the neighbors who condemn them, wins the trio an unexpected but triumphant ending.
April 5, 2010
Margaret Oades didn’t want to leave England for New Zealand in 1890, but she dutifully packed up her belongings and her children and accompanied her husband Henry on the promise that it would only be for one year. And what an adventure it would be!
Well, it was an adventure all right, but being kidnapped and enslaved for six years by native Maori wasn’t what Margaret had bargained for. Raw courage and faith that her husband would rescue them keeps her from total despair until, one day, she and her three surviving children manage to escape. Making their way for weeks through the wilderness (accompanied by smallpox and starvation), they are sustained by images of Henry and their home. They finally arrive, only to discover strangers living in their house. Henry had long ago given his family up for dead and sailed to a new life in California.
By the time Margaret and the children track Henry to a farm outside San Francisco, he is married to Nancy, a young widow with a new baby who is pregnant again. At this point, what has been an exciting story gets really interesting. Both women consider themselves Henry’s lawfully wedded wife—and both are. But California law says bigamy is punishable by hanging. A series of arrests, violent attacks on the farm, and several trials occur as judges, juries, and self-righteous locals attempt to decide who is at fault, who has broken the law, and who will pay the price.
The book is fiction, but it is based on a true story that was widely reported in newspapers of the day. Or maybe it was all a hoax . . .
An excellent book by an excellent writer. I highly recommend it.
Well, it was an adventure all right, but being kidnapped and enslaved for six years by native Maori wasn’t what Margaret had bargained for. Raw courage and faith that her husband would rescue them keeps her from total despair until, one day, she and her three surviving children manage to escape. Making their way for weeks through the wilderness (accompanied by smallpox and starvation), they are sustained by images of Henry and their home. They finally arrive, only to discover strangers living in their house. Henry had long ago given his family up for dead and sailed to a new life in California.
By the time Margaret and the children track Henry to a farm outside San Francisco, he is married to Nancy, a young widow with a new baby who is pregnant again. At this point, what has been an exciting story gets really interesting. Both women consider themselves Henry’s lawfully wedded wife—and both are. But California law says bigamy is punishable by hanging. A series of arrests, violent attacks on the farm, and several trials occur as judges, juries, and self-righteous locals attempt to decide who is at fault, who has broken the law, and who will pay the price.
The book is fiction, but it is based on a true story that was widely reported in newspapers of the day. Or maybe it was all a hoax . . .
An excellent book by an excellent writer. I highly recommend it.
September 30, 2011
So now that I have had a day to think about this book there are still parts of it that are truly frusturating. I was very enthralled throughout the first half, and incredibly disappointed with the second half. I thought that writing in general was great, but the second half of the book when I was expecting to get taken away I was just a bit disappointed. Moran spends the first half of the book describing the anguish that Maragaret and her children are going through after being taken and then once they land in America it is no longer discussed. She spent the first half of the book talking about the heartache of Henry and then in the second half when he is reunited with his wife they don't talk about it. I was not ready for the second wife just to allow the first wife to stay without true emotions, because I know if I was in their place as either the first or second wife there would be some well defined feelings to get past. I found myself getting angry with Henry for not really discussing the situation with either wife, and for the children to just pretend on what was going on as normal. I guess overall I enjoyed the book but just felt that there was too much unfinished business.
September 7, 2014
This was actually a very interesting book: husband's ambitions bring a young British couple to New Zealand; wife and kids get kidnapped by Maori and forced to be slaves; man discovers his family has been violently carted off, crashes the cart and buggy and is hospitalized for several weeks; wife now scrubbing toilets for the Maori, expects her husband to rescue her and the kids any minute now; husband makes attempt to follow the path of his family and their kidnappers, decides that they are dead, pack ups the truck and moves to San Francisco, falls in love with a much younger pregnant woman and buys a farm; original wife contracts smallpox and is fired from her job as a slave to the Maori; kids and wife find their way back to the house they were kidnapped from to discover that Daddy has gone halfway around the world to do some farming; smallpox scarred, toothless and scrawny original wife (and original kids) have many adventures hitchhiking their way across the oceans to reclaim their man; old family shows up at the home of new family, old husband can't get over the fact that his newer, younger wife has a full set of teeth and, in the looks department, is a total upgrade from old wife; old wife is destitute, old husband still loves his original kids, but can't find a speck of love for the old Maori enslaved small pox surviving poor dental hygiene suffering first wife ... and yet fails to ever feel guilty that he upped and moved his original family to Maori-torn New Zealand a lifetime ago. The first wife is a rock star, she is tragically amazing, old husband simply doesn't deserve her; young wife and old wife fall in love. The end.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 5, 2010
I loved the first three quarters of this book. The story starts in 1890 in London. Henry Oades has just received a big accounting promotion and is moving his family to New Zealand for 2-3 years. In 1890 that means 6 weeks on a crowded ship. Once there they settle in, make friends, and enjoy their life there, with the intention of going back home at the end of the three years. Meg Oades (Henry's wife) and her children are kidnapped by the local Indians and finally after much searching thought dead. After about two years of mental breakdown and heartbreak, Henry takes the first ship out of there. This takes him to Berkley, California. He wants a completely different life, so takes a job as a laborer, working on a dairy farm, which he ends up inheriting. After many years of keeping to himself, not wanting to remarry, circumstances change and he meets a widow with a newborn that he wants to take care of. At the same time, in New Zealand, Meg and her children escape and come back to their house expecting to see Henry. Once they are able they get themselves to California they find Henry and show up on his doorstep. His new wife Nancy opens the door.
I know it seems like I have just told you the entire story....but trust me, the details are worth reading. I loved the first part. It was rich and full. For me, the story took a downturn in Berkley, as they were figuring out what to do and how to make this extended family work. The two women were forging a strong friendship, helping each other out. The problem was the people in town. A religious group in town decided that they "knew" what was going on....and it was Bigamy! Meg and Henry were arrested and made to prove that they were married because How Dare They live in the same house if they weren't. (Even though by this point it was completely platonic and where else would they go?) Then Henry and Nancy had to prove they were married.
It just keeps getting worse. This is where I was having such a hard time. Would this really have happened? Wouldn't the town listen to reason....that Meg and the kids had been thought dead for years? Do I live in such a different time that I can't comprehend that people back there would have treated them that way. Was there no room for common sense? Then on top of my frustrations with those close minded, horrible people, I find out this story is based on a TRUE story!
Worth reading.
I know it seems like I have just told you the entire story....but trust me, the details are worth reading. I loved the first part. It was rich and full. For me, the story took a downturn in Berkley, as they were figuring out what to do and how to make this extended family work. The two women were forging a strong friendship, helping each other out. The problem was the people in town. A religious group in town decided that they "knew" what was going on....and it was Bigamy! Meg and Henry were arrested and made to prove that they were married because How Dare They live in the same house if they weren't. (Even though by this point it was completely platonic and where else would they go?) Then Henry and Nancy had to prove they were married.
It just keeps getting worse. This is where I was having such a hard time. Would this really have happened? Wouldn't the town listen to reason....that Meg and the kids had been thought dead for years? Do I live in such a different time that I can't comprehend that people back there would have treated them that way. Was there no room for common sense? Then on top of my frustrations with those close minded, horrible people, I find out this story is based on a TRUE story!
Worth reading.
April 25, 2010
This book was amazing mainly because the people involved were amazing. Johanna Moran did an unbelievable job at taking the facts of a true story and making them emotionally real to the reader. I was moved, horrified, outraged and heartbroken all at once.
While each of the three main character were sympathetic, I was most touched and saddened at the plight of Margaret Oades. Henry's first wife, who against her desires, left her family and all she knew to follow the husband she loved to New Zealand. There she is brutally kidnapped along with her children and made a slave by the Maori people. She finally is able to escape (albeit while her body is ravaged by smallpox) find her way back with her children (one has died) only to discover her husband has left for America. Her local friends take up a collection for passage on a ship with her children to find him, she ends up on his doorstep with all the hopes and dreams of six years only to find he has married a much younger woman and has started another family. That would be devastating enough but even though he takes her into his home he never as much as touches her (given the extreme nature of her situation and the pox scars, she is far from the beauty she once was) because he now loves his new wife. I cannot even imagine the pain and humiliation this woman endured. I wanted to kick Henry, even though my head said he was in an impossible situation, also.
The story looks at all the events through each of the three main characters point of view and takes us through the incarcerations and trials that follow as the subject of bigamy is hashed out in the California courts. Again, amazingly moving story.
While each of the three main character were sympathetic, I was most touched and saddened at the plight of Margaret Oades. Henry's first wife, who against her desires, left her family and all she knew to follow the husband she loved to New Zealand. There she is brutally kidnapped along with her children and made a slave by the Maori people. She finally is able to escape (albeit while her body is ravaged by smallpox) find her way back with her children (one has died) only to discover her husband has left for America. Her local friends take up a collection for passage on a ship with her children to find him, she ends up on his doorstep with all the hopes and dreams of six years only to find he has married a much younger woman and has started another family. That would be devastating enough but even though he takes her into his home he never as much as touches her (given the extreme nature of her situation and the pox scars, she is far from the beauty she once was) because he now loves his new wife. I cannot even imagine the pain and humiliation this woman endured. I wanted to kick Henry, even though my head said he was in an impossible situation, also.
The story looks at all the events through each of the three main characters point of view and takes us through the incarcerations and trials that follow as the subject of bigamy is hashed out in the California courts. Again, amazingly moving story.
May 21, 2015
The best debut novel I've read since Charles Frazier's "Cold Mountain"! You will be horrified, frustrated, touched and amazed at the turns and twists that involve Henry, Nancy and Margaret. The story begins in the 1880's as Henry and Margaret make a journey from England to New Zealand's North Island. The descriptive manner Ms. Moran uses for geographic locations and characterizations is astounding. I kept telling myself "what else can happen" and then....something does!! Don't plan anything the night you open this one.
July 5, 2010
I am still sort of torn as to what I think of this book. It was well-written and it certainly kept my interest, but the story made me really sad and angry. I found myself actually yelling at the book on occasion! I was ready to give it just one star! ;)
So later, I was talking about the book to Derek and he said that just because I was unhappy with the story didn't necessarily make this a bad book. He actually argued to the contrary, saying that a book that aroused such strong emotions (positive or negative) has be a good story.
When I thought about it that way, I began to give the book a little more credit. It certainly moved me as a wife and mother. I definitely empathized with Margaret and felt like I was her only advocate in the story. The book gave me a different perspective of marriage and prompted me to wonder what I would do under the same circumstances. It's a story that has stayed with me for days, so I guess on some level...the book was successful. It gave me pause to think about things a different way and it certainly stirred my emotions.
So later, I was talking about the book to Derek and he said that just because I was unhappy with the story didn't necessarily make this a bad book. He actually argued to the contrary, saying that a book that aroused such strong emotions (positive or negative) has be a good story.
When I thought about it that way, I began to give the book a little more credit. It certainly moved me as a wife and mother. I definitely empathized with Margaret and felt like I was her only advocate in the story. The book gave me a different perspective of marriage and prompted me to wonder what I would do under the same circumstances. It's a story that has stayed with me for days, so I guess on some level...the book was successful. It gave me pause to think about things a different way and it certainly stirred my emotions.
July 20, 2011
The main voices of Moran's book "The Wives of Henry Oades" are three remarkable people. The plot is based on a real court case. Moran developed the characters based on what she presumes to have happened. The story really is complex although it is given a simple straight forward telling. I think that is some of what gives it a charm and humor while depicting something so tragic. Without going into long descriptions of the plot, I found the love and respect among Henry, Nancy and Margaret astounding. They mourn their losses, move forward with empathy and concern, supporting each other through legal battles, public scorn, ridicule and harassment. Very interesting, moving story. Too good to be true? But apparently it is, to a extent.
November 7, 2017
Loved this book! I like the way this author writes. Interesting story based on a true case. I think she captured (no pun intended:) the dilemma without going over the top.
December 14, 2009
Deserving of 6 stars - I devoured this book - started yesterday and finished today, just could not put it down. Johanna Moran traveled back in time to tell an amazing story, in a 19th century voice, as if she were there to witness it. I hope there is a sequel, and I anxiously await the movie!
September 5, 2014
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 11, 2018
Wow what a great well written read! Got to the point where I could not put it down. Highly recommend it! Great women's fiction.
June 5, 2018
not a bad wee story especially as it's based on true events. I would have liked more focus on the part where the wife and children get kidnapped as part of utu but the two wives and their story is absorbing. the misogynistic views of many males in the 1800s are almost laughable as you read this tale
May 7, 2010
Every so often an author’s debut published work speaks volumes about their writing talent. The Wives of Henry Oades by Johanna Moran is one of these examples. Full of maturity, and literary talent, Moran’s novel is full-blooded and bountiful, with a beautiful story and characters that are authentic and tangible. Maybe this is the result of Moran basing the book on a true story, but I tend to think it’s because she’s a talented writer.
Set in the 1890s, The Wives of Henry Oades tells the story of the first bigamy case in the United States. Henry Oades, his wife Margaret, and their children move to New Zealand when Henry is offered a prestigious accounting job. One evening after work Henry returns to their rural home to find it nothing but smoldering ashes with the skeleton of a woman inside. Destitute and shattered, Henry searches for his family for years before leaving New Zealand under the belief that the body in his house was in wife, and that his children are dead, having been kidnapped by the native Maori.
Six years later, Henry is living in Berkeley, California, a dairy farmer who has re-married a young pregnant widower, Nancy. When Nancy opens the door one day and finds Margaret and her children on the porch the lives of the Oades’ wives and Henry are forever changed. Subject to persecution and abuse, Henry refuses to leave either wife or abandon any of his children.
Heartbreaking at times, we travel with the Oades family when they embark for New Zealand in the hopes of prosperity. We suffer with Henry while he searches helplessly for his family, and we feel his heartbreak when he finally believes them slain. We weep for Margaret and her children, forced into slavery for the Maori tribe who kidnapped them. And we suffer pity for hapless Nancy, just the bystander in a horrible situation.
Moran makes us think about relationships, love, and loyalty among family. She paints a remarkable, unimaginable situation that actually happened. And even though the book description tells you that Margaret lives, it’s still a tortuous read to see how she and her family physically survive to land in California. I haven’t read as strong a character as Margaret in quite some time. For that matter, all of Moran’s characters are lifelike and concrete. They are based on a true story, but it takes more than a historical note to create the world of the Oades’ family as they are in Moran’s book. It takes skill, and a deep and lovely imagination.
Set in the 1890s, The Wives of Henry Oades tells the story of the first bigamy case in the United States. Henry Oades, his wife Margaret, and their children move to New Zealand when Henry is offered a prestigious accounting job. One evening after work Henry returns to their rural home to find it nothing but smoldering ashes with the skeleton of a woman inside. Destitute and shattered, Henry searches for his family for years before leaving New Zealand under the belief that the body in his house was in wife, and that his children are dead, having been kidnapped by the native Maori.
Six years later, Henry is living in Berkeley, California, a dairy farmer who has re-married a young pregnant widower, Nancy. When Nancy opens the door one day and finds Margaret and her children on the porch the lives of the Oades’ wives and Henry are forever changed. Subject to persecution and abuse, Henry refuses to leave either wife or abandon any of his children.
Heartbreaking at times, we travel with the Oades family when they embark for New Zealand in the hopes of prosperity. We suffer with Henry while he searches helplessly for his family, and we feel his heartbreak when he finally believes them slain. We weep for Margaret and her children, forced into slavery for the Maori tribe who kidnapped them. And we suffer pity for hapless Nancy, just the bystander in a horrible situation.
Moran makes us think about relationships, love, and loyalty among family. She paints a remarkable, unimaginable situation that actually happened. And even though the book description tells you that Margaret lives, it’s still a tortuous read to see how she and her family physically survive to land in California. I haven’t read as strong a character as Margaret in quite some time. For that matter, all of Moran’s characters are lifelike and concrete. They are based on a true story, but it takes more than a historical note to create the world of the Oades’ family as they are in Moran’s book. It takes skill, and a deep and lovely imagination.
March 1, 2010
From my blog...[return]The Wives of Henry Oades is a heart-breakingly beautiful novel of Henry Oades, a man who through a series of extremely unfortunate events finds himself in the oddest of circumstances. The novel opens with Henry and his wife Margaret living in England and Henry is soon to be dispatched to New Zealand. It is quite evident that Henry is not only a doting father but also an extremely loving and considerate husband. The reader learns of Margaret's practical and loving nature and cannot help but like Margaret and her lovely children. When his home is burned and his family is missing, Henry continues to search for them, knowing they were taken my the Maori and not knowing whether the body found in his burned down home was that of his wife or her dear friend Mrs. Bell. Finally Henry comes to realize his family is lost to him, although Henry does not know if any of them are dead, instead choosing to leave New Zealand forever, he heads to Berkeley, California. Leaving without a penny to his name he was fortunate enough to meet up with an American who provides him a job as a farm hand. After five years, Henry meets a newly widowed and penniless woman, Nancy. Nancy is quite young, pregnant, and left with very little money, yet she and Henry marry and begin a new life together quite happy and content until his first wife Margaret and their three children appear. The trouble begins when word gets out that Henry Oades has two wives and soon trials begin. Moran does an exceedingly excellent job describing the various journeys and foreign lands while throughout her writing the reader gets a feel for Margaret, Nancy and for a time, Henry. While I found The Wives of Henry Oades to be a page-turner, reading well into the night, I was surprised when Moran ceased telling the story from Henry's perspective. Once he is reunited with the family he thought dead, the reader never gets a clear picture of what he is feeling. It had only been five years and yet he appears to keep his distance from not only Margaret, a woman he clearly loved dearly, but also his children that he was so devoted to. The court scenes were expertly written and the characters spring to life compliments of Moran's brilliant writing. I highly recommend The Wives of Henry Oades to anyone, as it truly is a beautiful novel. For those is book groups there is a reader's guide included and this would make a wonderful book to discuss.
September 21, 2010
At the end of the 19th century, Margaret and Henry Oades, with children in tow, move from England to New Zealand, where Henry is to take a temporary post, replacing a man who died from a bat bite. Margaret, her children, and a visiting friend and her son are attacked by a Maori tribe in retaliation for one of their children being whipped. Henry comes home to find his burned cabin and an unrecognizable corpse. After extensive and fruitless searching, Henry emigrates to Berkeley, California, and takes a young wife, a widow that Henry helped when her own house was burning.
So of course, you can see what is going to happen next.
The story was inspired by an actual California abstract of the Henry Oades bigamy trials.
I loved the beginning of this story – interesting characters and an interesting situation. Unfortunately, it started going downhill for me. At times, Margaret seemed too weak, depending on her young children more than helping them, and she was often not particularly likeable. Nancy Oades was initially portrayed as much kinder than Margaret Oades, but then she also had her needy, less generous side. It seemed that the two took turns being the strong one and the needy one. Henry was a kind, loving man, but I was frustrated by his lack of action, his lack of emotional response. Everything was going to turn out fine, according to him, but he wasn't doing much of anything to resolve the situation, and he came across as sometimes spineless. The actions and reactions of the characters just didn't seem real to me. There was a housemaid who turned out to be very unlikeable, betraying the people who helped her, and yet no one ever called her on it? Not even a small whomp upside the head?
The book was engaging and a quick read. I liked that it was inspired by a true event. Still, I gave it only three stars because I couldn't relate to the characters or their actions, and I became a little bored with the trials.
Thank you to Tara for giving me a copy of the book.
So of course, you can see what is going to happen next.
The story was inspired by an actual California abstract of the Henry Oades bigamy trials.
I loved the beginning of this story – interesting characters and an interesting situation. Unfortunately, it started going downhill for me. At times, Margaret seemed too weak, depending on her young children more than helping them, and she was often not particularly likeable. Nancy Oades was initially portrayed as much kinder than Margaret Oades, but then she also had her needy, less generous side. It seemed that the two took turns being the strong one and the needy one. Henry was a kind, loving man, but I was frustrated by his lack of action, his lack of emotional response. Everything was going to turn out fine, according to him, but he wasn't doing much of anything to resolve the situation, and he came across as sometimes spineless. The actions and reactions of the characters just didn't seem real to me. There was a housemaid who turned out to be very unlikeable, betraying the people who helped her, and yet no one ever called her on it? Not even a small whomp upside the head?
The book was engaging and a quick read. I liked that it was inspired by a true event. Still, I gave it only three stars because I couldn't relate to the characters or their actions, and I became a little bored with the trials.
Thank you to Tara for giving me a copy of the book.
August 22, 2019
3.5***
In 1890 Henry Oades takes his wife, Margaret, and children to new Zealand when he is offered a work opportunity that is too good to pass up. Everything is fine for a while, but an uprising of the Maori natives results in his wife and children being kidnapped and his home burned. Despite efforts to find them, they are eventually presumed dead, and Henry leaves New Zealand for America. There he settles near Berkeley California and becomes a successful dairy farmer. On a trip to town he witnesses a home fire - an event that brings back memories of the loss of his family. He later visits the widow, Nancy, to offer his condolences and assure her that she will eventually recover. Eventually he and Nancy marry and begin life together on the farm.
Meanwhile, six years have passed since Margaret and the children were captured. They have been enslaved in a Maori settlement. When smallpox strikes the village, they are expelled from the compound and left to their own devices. The group makes its way back towards Wellington, only to discover that Henry has left New Zealand. Margaret writes to Henry but months pass with no response. There is nothing to do but set sail for America, and eventually they arrive in Berkeley just a few months after Henry has married Nancy.
Henry and Nancy are stunned, but welcome the ragtag group into their home. The townspeople, however, are not so compassionate; they react with disgust that a bigamist is in their midst.
The novel is based on a case the author's father discovered in the legal archives. It is well paced and kept me reading, but I'm left somewhat dissatisfied. I'm not sure I understand the characters and their motives and reactions to these events. Everyone seems to be just “not quite” engaged, and as a result, I'm left wanting more. I do think it would be great for book groups as it is bound to engender a lot of discussion.
In 1890 Henry Oades takes his wife, Margaret, and children to new Zealand when he is offered a work opportunity that is too good to pass up. Everything is fine for a while, but an uprising of the Maori natives results in his wife and children being kidnapped and his home burned. Despite efforts to find them, they are eventually presumed dead, and Henry leaves New Zealand for America. There he settles near Berkeley California and becomes a successful dairy farmer. On a trip to town he witnesses a home fire - an event that brings back memories of the loss of his family. He later visits the widow, Nancy, to offer his condolences and assure her that she will eventually recover. Eventually he and Nancy marry and begin life together on the farm.
Meanwhile, six years have passed since Margaret and the children were captured. They have been enslaved in a Maori settlement. When smallpox strikes the village, they are expelled from the compound and left to their own devices. The group makes its way back towards Wellington, only to discover that Henry has left New Zealand. Margaret writes to Henry but months pass with no response. There is nothing to do but set sail for America, and eventually they arrive in Berkeley just a few months after Henry has married Nancy.
Henry and Nancy are stunned, but welcome the ragtag group into their home. The townspeople, however, are not so compassionate; they react with disgust that a bigamist is in their midst.
The novel is based on a case the author's father discovered in the legal archives. It is well paced and kept me reading, but I'm left somewhat dissatisfied. I'm not sure I understand the characters and their motives and reactions to these events. Everyone seems to be just “not quite” engaged, and as a result, I'm left wanting more. I do think it would be great for book groups as it is bound to engender a lot of discussion.
February 23, 2010
Imagine that your husband is transferred to New Zealand in the late 1800s and you and your small children have no choice but to accompany him. Once in your remote locale, you find that tensions between settlers and the native tribe are increasingly hostile. All of which culminates in an attack on your home in which you and your children are kidnapped and forced into slavery. You manage to escape and try to desperately find your husband, but he has left New Zealand. Desperate you are able to track him to California, and arrive at his doorstep penniless. Anticipating the best moment in the 6 years of torment you knock on his door and are confronted with his new wife, Nancy. With no other options you move into their farm with your children only to be persecuted by society and tried for bigamy. Such is the soap operatic fate of Meg Oades who is actually based on a real person and an actual court case that tested the laws of bigamy and spotlights Victorian society and values. Meg’s take is surprisingly well- balanced by Nancy’s account. Nancy is a young widow with a child of her own and a cruel victim of extraordinary circumstances. This strange but true story is deftly fleshed out in Moran’s debut even if the women and their husband are heavily idealized, but their story is unforgettable and an interesting back drop to explore family, love and loyalty. As page turning as a thriller, The Wives of Henry Oades is a thought provoking book club selection.
March 27, 2010
What is to be done in a case of accidental bigamy? This novel presents a legal and moral conundrum I've not seen addressed in fiction. There is no intentional lawbreaking nor flouting of the law. Henry Oades truly believed his wife Margaret and four children to be dead. He grieved long and hard, and finally moved on with his life by marrying Nancy.
If your supposedly dead wife and children show up at your door after several years, destitute and travel-weary, you can't possibly turn them away. And yet you can't disregard your new wife in favor of the old. Both marriages are technically legal, but the moralizing busybodies in the community conspire to make life hell for the entire Oades family.
Meanwhile, Nancy and Margaret find ways to compromise and make allowances for each other under very trying circumstances. They become friends and allies against a common enemy---the community that sits in judgement against them.
My thought upon delving into this novel was, "Halle-frickin'-lujah! A first-time novelist who can actually write!" I've become wary of "debut" novels over the past year or so. There are slews and slews of them coming out that have no business ever being published. But I have to keep sampling them because I don't want to miss out on worthy books like this one.
I'll refrain from nitpicking about minor flaws or complaints I might have about the book. They're mitigated by the fact that Johanna Moran knows how to tell a good story.
If your supposedly dead wife and children show up at your door after several years, destitute and travel-weary, you can't possibly turn them away. And yet you can't disregard your new wife in favor of the old. Both marriages are technically legal, but the moralizing busybodies in the community conspire to make life hell for the entire Oades family.
Meanwhile, Nancy and Margaret find ways to compromise and make allowances for each other under very trying circumstances. They become friends and allies against a common enemy---the community that sits in judgement against them.
My thought upon delving into this novel was, "Halle-frickin'-lujah! A first-time novelist who can actually write!" I've become wary of "debut" novels over the past year or so. There are slews and slews of them coming out that have no business ever being published. But I have to keep sampling them because I don't want to miss out on worthy books like this one.
I'll refrain from nitpicking about minor flaws or complaints I might have about the book. They're mitigated by the fact that Johanna Moran knows how to tell a good story.
April 17, 2010
The story begins in 1890 as Henry Oades surprises his wife Margaret with a job promotion - although it entails moving to Wellington, New Zealand. Margaret makes the best of it and the family soon settles in happily until one day when the Maori natives retaliate over a beating and capture Margaret and her children and burn their home. After exhaustive searches, a bereaved Henry finally accepts they are gone, but he can't bear his grief with reminders everywhere and packs up and moves to California and settles on a farm in Berkeley.
Several years later a lonely Henry meets recently widowed and very pregnant Nancy and marries her. Now you know what's going to happen next - Nancy and her children manage to escape the captors and find their way to California and upset Henry's new martial applecart - as well as the authorities hell bent on jailing Henry for bigamy.
First time author Johanna Moran did a nice job of handling the characters in this very difficult situation, along with the difficult decisions Henry and his wives both make. The relationship the developed between the two wives was interesting as well - although I'd have expected more tension and cat fights, but perhaps that was not their nature. A very quick, albeit enjoyable read, and definitely one to consider for your book group, it should generate plenty of discussion.
Several years later a lonely Henry meets recently widowed and very pregnant Nancy and marries her. Now you know what's going to happen next - Nancy and her children manage to escape the captors and find their way to California and upset Henry's new martial applecart - as well as the authorities hell bent on jailing Henry for bigamy.
First time author Johanna Moran did a nice job of handling the characters in this very difficult situation, along with the difficult decisions Henry and his wives both make. The relationship the developed between the two wives was interesting as well - although I'd have expected more tension and cat fights, but perhaps that was not their nature. A very quick, albeit enjoyable read, and definitely one to consider for your book group, it should generate plenty of discussion.
Read
May 14, 2010This book is based on an actual legal case of a man legally (though unintentionally) married to two women at the same time. The story starts our strong with a detailed look at the fateful decision of Henry Oades to sail off to New Zealand with his family. The characters are well-introduced, and I looked forward to the gradual reveal of their deeper thoughts and motivations- unfortunately, such revelations never occured.
Though the facts of the case remained interesting, the lack of detail in the narrative was extremely frustrating. After all, this is a fictional account so some effort at character development (even if it wasn't supported by primary sources) would have made for a much more enjoyable read. There is no background given that might help explain why the Maori took the Oades captive, and much more attention is focused on Henry's reaction to the abduction than on the reactions of those abducted. The subsequent escape comes out of nowhere, the journey to America passes in a flash, and even the actual court case is just glossed over in the narrative.
The author had all the seeds necessary to create a strong dramatic piece, but ultimately failed to pull this reader into the narrative. Overall, I found this to be a very unsatisfying novel, lacking as it did any real emotional connection to any of the characters.
Though the facts of the case remained interesting, the lack of detail in the narrative was extremely frustrating. After all, this is a fictional account so some effort at character development (even if it wasn't supported by primary sources) would have made for a much more enjoyable read. There is no background given that might help explain why the Maori took the Oades captive, and much more attention is focused on Henry's reaction to the abduction than on the reactions of those abducted. The subsequent escape comes out of nowhere, the journey to America passes in a flash, and even the actual court case is just glossed over in the narrative.
The author had all the seeds necessary to create a strong dramatic piece, but ultimately failed to pull this reader into the narrative. Overall, I found this to be a very unsatisfying novel, lacking as it did any real emotional connection to any of the characters.
August 4, 2012
The Wives of Henry Oades was certainly a fascinating read. Although I could sympathize with both wives, I constantly hoped that Margaret would take a more forceful stand toward her rights as the first wife, however, considering the time setting, I think I can understand Margaret's hesitation. She loved Henry, she had been to hell and back during the abduction of her and her children and sacrificed so much during her time with Henry and his new wife, Nancy. Margaret was definitely the stronger of the two women, showed much more compassion and humility than Nancy was ever capable of. It turned my stomach as to how Henry could not feel the same love for Margaret after their reunion--it felt more like lust for a younger woman yet the story came across as true love. I would have found the story ludicrous & pure fantasy had it not been based on the real life account of a 19th century bigamy case. This brought a greater fascination of the story for me. One must remember to keep a very open mind while reading even though you'll want to shake both women silly to come to right minds. The hard part is answering, "what would I do in the shoes of either of these women?" Henry was the definitely the weakest of them all claiming that all his decisions were for the good of all. Was it really?
March 29, 2016
A good book about a man who is married and makes his wife and children move to Australia. They are only supposed to stay two years but he gets a promotion and they stay longer. One day when he's at work, Maori come, kidnap his whole family and burn the house to the ground. One of the infants dies. The family lives in slavery for a long time, like 5 or 6 years. Margaret Oades becomes a midwife and helps a lot of Maori. Eventually, she and her family contract smallpox. The Maori want to shoot them, but the women say no, it's bad luck. So they are released. They make a long dangerous trek through the woods. Meanwhile, after many years of searching, Henry believes them all dead. He moves to California and remarries to a young widow with a child. He is very surprised when Margaret and the children show up on his doorstep. Soon he is arrested for bigamy. Margaret and Nancy (the new wife) are initially at odds, but soon become friends. The ending is more about the court case than the people, which was slightly disappointing.
“His wife had possessed a certain feminine manliness all women could learn from.”
“There's no such thing as a settled life. Endure the day, get on to the next. Enjoy the sea if you can. Enjoy your smoke. Enjoy a grand void of your bowels. Try to sleep. Try not to dream. It's the best you can do.”
“His wife had possessed a certain feminine manliness all women could learn from.”
“There's no such thing as a settled life. Endure the day, get on to the next. Enjoy the sea if you can. Enjoy your smoke. Enjoy a grand void of your bowels. Try to sleep. Try not to dream. It's the best you can do.”
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 10, 2009
I got this advance reader copy of "The Wives of Henry Oades" thru librarything. This is a debut novel for Johanna Moran, based on the nineteenth century legal case of Henry Oades where he was aquitted of bigamy 3 times. This family story begins with Henry, his wife Margaret, and their children as they head from London to accept his new bank job in New Zealand. It turns nightmare for them as the native Maori stage an uprising and she and the children are abducted and presumed dead. Though Henry searches grief-stricken, he eventually ends up in Berkeley, California where he later marries a young widow with a new baby....only to have his wife and children show up soon after, alive and having finally escaped captivity.
This is their story of persecution for bigamy as they struggle to care for each other in their strange new situation.
This was a seemingly simply written book, but there were intricacies that kept me very interested. It was well done and I finished it quickly. Then of course had to google the storywith little success to find out the real scoop.
All in all I would reccommend the book.
This is their story of persecution for bigamy as they struggle to care for each other in their strange new situation.
This was a seemingly simply written book, but there were intricacies that kept me very interested. It was well done and I finished it quickly. Then of course had to google the storywith little success to find out the real scoop.
All in all I would reccommend the book.
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