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The 19th Wife: The gripping Richard and Judy bookclub page turner Paperback – 2 Jan. 2009
Jordan returns from California to Utah to visit his mother in jail. As a teenager he was expelled from his family and religious community, a secretive Mormon offshoot sect. Now his father has been found shot dead in front of his computer, and one of his many wives - Jordan's mother - is accused of the crime.
Over a century earlier, Ann Eliza Young, the nineteenth wife of Brigham Young, Prophet and Leader of the Mormon Church, tells the sensational story of how her own parents were drawn into plural marriage, and how she herself battled for her freedom and escaped her powerful husband, to lead a crusade to end polygamy in the United States.
Bold, shocking and gripping, The 19th Wife expertly weaves together these two narratives: a pageturning literary mystery and an enthralling epic of love and faith.
- Print length608 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherBlack Swan
- Publication date2 Jan. 2009
- Dimensions12.7 x 3.7 x 19.8 cm
- ISBN-100552774987
- ISBN-13978-0552774987
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Review
A marvellous evocation of pioneer life... But his sympathy is with Eliza Young and other women trapped in what the Mormons termed 'celestial marriages' ― Daily Mail Published On: 2009-01-09
Beautifully written... genuinely enthralling ― Literary Review
Engrossing... vivid... packed with historical illumination, unforgettable characters... the greatest triumph is the way all this material illuminates the larger landscape of faith ― Washington Post
Intelligent, compelling, with several decent twists ― Guardian
Review
From the Back Cover
Marie Claire
For the first time in six years, Jordan returns from California to Utah, to visit his mother - in jail. As a young boy he was expelled from his family s secretive polygamous Mormon sect.Now his father has been found shot dead in front of his computer, and one of his many wives - Jordan's mother - is accused of the crime.
Over a century earlier, Ann Eliza Young, nineteenth wife of Brigham Young, second Prophet of the Mormon Church, tells the sensational story of how she battled for her freedom from her powerful husband, to lead a crusade to end polygamy in the United States.Bold, shocking and gripping, The 19th Wife expertly weaves together these two narratives in an enthralling epic of love, family, murder and faith.
Shines light from every angle on the divisive topic of American polygamy in a compelling and timely novel
Danny Scheinmann, author of Random Acts of Heroic Love
A big book, in every sense of the word...it does that thing all good novels do: it entertains us
Los Angeles Times
Engrossing...vivid...packed with historical illumination, unforgettable characters...remarkable
Washington Post
About the Author
Product details
- Publisher : Black Swan (2 Jan. 2009)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 608 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0552774987
- ISBN-13 : 978-0552774987
- Dimensions : 12.7 x 3.7 x 19.8 cm
- Best Sellers Rank: 499,996 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- 939 in American Historical Romance
- 1,039 in Family & Marriage Biographies
- Customer reviews:
About the author
David Ebershoff's debut novel, The Danish Girl, won the Lambda Literary Award and was named by The New York Times one of the 25 books that has shaped LGBTQ literature in the last two decades. It was adapted into an Oscar-winning film. Ebershoff's most recent novel is the #1 bestseller The 19th Wife, which was made into a television movie that has aired around the globe. His books have been translated into more than twenty-five languages to critical acclaim. Ebershoff has appeared twice on Out Magazine's annual Out 100 list of influential LGBT people. He is Editor in Chief of Hogarth, an imprint of Random House. Originally from California, he lives in New York City.
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To get into the book from the start takes a little patience, but bear with it and you will be greatly rewarded.
As an atheist, it is fair to say that I approached this book with a fair amount of scepticism, so imagine my surprise when I found myself utterly engrossed by it- infact, I spent simply days reading it, unusual for a self-professed `speed-reader.' That's not to say I didn't find it a bit hard going in places, because I did- it was also a bit dry in parts aswell, but needless to say this is a really moving account of a culture and religion very different to what is considered the norm and it really captured my attention and imagination.
As stated, this story is based around two intertwining stories- first of all we have Jordan, the typical American teenager, or not so typical as the case may be. He was thrown out of the Mormon Church for being gay, after growing up in a polygamist sect and being surrounded by lots of sister wives and too many brothers and sisters to count. One day he switches on the news to see his mother, his father's nineteenth wife, has been arrested for his fathers murder and so heads back to where he grew up to try and gain some answers...
In the other narrative, we learn about Ann Eliza Young, a polygamist wife in the 1800's (also `wife 19') who divorced her husband and tried to end the practice of plural marriages, despite the adversity and smear campaign against her.
What I really liked about this novel is that the parts I'd initially thought I would find dull (Ann Eliza's recount) were the aspects I enjoyed the most. Whilst this is a fictionalised account of a true story, it is clear the author has done extensive research and should be lauded for it. Entwined with Young's recaps are stories from other people she knows- including her son- adding further credence to her tale. However, as far as narrators go, her account is always questioned by those who oppose her, giving a feel of unreliability to it, which adds to the intrigue of the situation. Young however, is really given a personality despite events taking place so long ago, which should be commended.
For me, this book loses one star simply because I did feel it to be a bit slow in parts and that Jordan was not really given enough novel-time nor was as well-developed as a character. The ending was also a little bit abrupt for my liking. Nevertheless, for me this is still a brilliant portrayal of an incredibly challenging, controversial subject and for that reason alone is highly recommended. I would really like to see if this could be made into a film- no doubt it would be a success.
100% recommended!
Top reviews from other countries
Bunk room mum mnb nhytrnj mk my bf bf by it Tre Derby by gt free sees xdr
This book truly delivered answers to my questions. For many of these women, this is the only life they have known: they were born into it. Not only does it deliver answers, it also delivers a certain amount of mystique... there's been a murder... and I definitely love the mystery of a murder. The narrator of the murder mystery(son of one of the sister wives, accused of murdering her husband) is edgy and truthful. He tells it like it is, whether you like it or not. He's street-wise and connected to both worlds: the world in which he grew up and the "real" world.
Little by little, he weaves the profile of his mother: someone who didn't resist what she married into; someone who did as she was told; someone who was obedient, for the gain of her salvation. The narrator methodically pulls apart life in a polygamist family. He describes how the cult gets rid of the young boys, so that the old men can have the girls all to themselves. He also reveals the characteristics of the other sister wives, and their relationships with one another.
The narrator knows that evidence of murder may be pointing right at his mother. He wants to help her, but he's not sure how. He doesn't want her to be executed, yet how can he save her?
There are two "threads" of story-lines in this novel: the historical and the modern-day. The historical portrays the saga of Brigham Young and his sister wives, especially his 19th wife, who campaigned to end polygamy. Both of these threads are woven in such a way, that many "why's" were answered for me. Both of them drew me in, and held my interest. I wanted to jump into the story-lines of both threads, and rescue the women involved, plead with them to leave the lives they were in, and encourage them that there's a better life outside of their boundaries.
I wanted to assure the ones who questioned their lives, to stay strong and leave this cult-life behind. All ran the risk of what would happen if they abandoned their "faith".
While this novel was more complex than most that cover this subject, I was both challenged in keeping both story-lines straight and educated about a subject that I find fascinating. I also enjoyed following how the murder mystery was solved. I highly recommend this book.