Books : The 19th Wife: A Novel
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Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9781400063970
ISBN: 1400063973
Label: Random House
Manufacturer: Random House
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 514
Publication Date: August 05, 2008
Publisher: Random House
Release Date: August 05, 2008
Sales Rank: 1194
Studio: Random House
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Editorial Review:
Product Description:
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.
Average Rating: 
Rating: -
I must admit I bought this novel under a misapprehension. Based on a quick reading of the cover blurb, I was expecting two fictional narrative strands, one set in the early days of Mormonism, and the other set in modern times, both of which would be mysteries. What I got was a novel set in modern times interwoven with a real (and fascinating) memoir by the estranged polygamous wife of Brigham Young. There is a mystery in both parts of the story, but the mystery of Ann Eliza Young is a real one that has never been solved. And while I cannot deny the compelling nature of Ann Eliza Young's memoir and the other historical narratives (some real, some fictional) which make up the historical strand of this book, I can't help but feel that Ebershoff was padding out his book by relying so heavily on the writings of others. The modern strand is a lively amateur sleuth story that begins well but ends unconvincingly. Even so, I would rather have had more of the latter and a little less of the historical material, simply because I was expecting to read a novel, not a memoir or a history, and instead I got a rather slim novel woven around a rather fat history. In the end, though, the book is worth the trouble because of how much it reveals about the history of Mormonism and some of its more troubling consequences, as well as about some of the positive aspects of its modern form. This book is perceptive and touching on many levels.
Rating:  -
It was not what I thought it would be. To much switching back and forth.
Rating:  -
David Ebershoff's The 19th Wife is a big book - from its nearly 600-page length, to its fascinating recounting of the epic early days of the Mormon religion, to the multitude of first-person voices so deftly handled by Ebershoff, and on to the vast amount of research material (both real and fictional) that was used to breathe life into so many memorable characters. But most importantly, it is a big book because of the way that it so seamlessly combines current news events so many of us have followed in recent years (like the raid by Texas authorities on the Yearning for Zion ranch in which dozens of children were taken from polygamous families) with an intriguing history of the origins of one of America's major religions.
At the heart of Ebershoff's story is the actual 1875 memoir written by Ann Eliza Young about her experiences as the 19th wife of Brigham Young, Wife No. 19. In reality Young likely had married more than 50 women by the time he added Ann Eliza and her two children to his family, a total of which Ann Eliza was unaware at the time of her wedding. The 19th Wife details exactly how the practice of polygamy and the Mormon faith crossed paths and ultimately became so intertwined that the single issue of polygamy came close to destroying the religion and many of its members. For a time, armed conflict between the church and the United States government seemed inevitable and Ann Eliza's exposé may have inadvertently saved the religion by embarrassing its ... Read More
Rating: -
The book is supposed to go back and forth between two stories. One story is about a young man trying to prove his moms innocence within a community that still believes in polygamy. The second is the story of Brigham Young's 19th wife, her struggle to leave the Mormon religion and end polygamy. The second story is by far the more interesting. The book doesn't flip back and forth between the stories well, creating a magazine of stories, letters and essays instead of a smoothly flowing book. I can't express through this review how unreadable this book actually was. I would never recommend it.
Rating: -
I had heard good things about this book, but even so, I wasn't sure it was going to be a book I would enjoy. I'm glad I gave it a try. The book opens with the death of a present-day polygamist and the arrest of one of his plural wives for the murder. When their estranged son hears the news, he feels compelled to return home to investigate. This modern crime story (which, by itself, is far to thin to sustain a novel) is intercut with a lengthy retelling of Ann Eliza Young's story, which follows the story of the early history of the Mormon Church. While this part of the book does drag to a crawl in places, it is a fascinating and detailed look at the trials of the early Later-Day Saints and their struggles to find a place to live and practice their religion in peace. Along the way we learn a great deal about polygamy, as practiced by the early Mormons, and how, in spite of the official renunciation of the practice by the Church, it continues to be practiced by splinter groups. Without this extensive background, the modern-day portions of the story would lose much of its impact and mystery. The two stories dovetail together quite nicely (be sure to pay attention to the names of the characters to see just how related they really are). This book provides a glimpse into the beliefs of a people whose practices are hard for many to understand or appreciate and exposes the abuses that seem to thrive in this culture.
[This review is based on an Advanced Reader's Edition]
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