The 19th Wife - David Ebershoff

The 19th Wife What is this story about? This novel tells several stories simultaneously, switching between three narrators: A contemporary narrator called Jordan is dealing with the fact that his father has been shot dead and his mother, the main suspect, is in jail. His mother is the 19th wife of the narrator's polygamous father, who lives in the Utah desert in a religious sect (the sect is a break-away from the Mormons) The second voice is from the 1870's memoirs of Ann Eliza Young the 19th wife of Brigham Young, Prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints (the Saints or commonly known as the Mormons). The ...  Read the complete review

This book contains two parallel stories about life in a polygamous Mormon sect. The first is set in the present day and is about a young man who was kicked out of his sect but has now returned as his mother has been accusing of killing her husband. The other story is set over a century earlier and is the story of the Morman Church in the early days told by her mother and daughter. As someone who likes learning new things I found the book very interesting in how it told the story of the Mormon Church and the later divisions due to differences of opinion over the polygamous lifestyle and for that reason I much preferred the historical thread of the book. ...  Read the complete review

I just finished this book today after starting it - erm three days ago -and I could NOT put it down. The book is a chunky volume (my favourite) and part of the Richard and Judy Book Club selection for 2009 - it's also part of the buy one get one half price deal in WHSMITH at the moment - though is £7.99 when bought singly. Two stories interlink throughout the book -the modern day tale of a polygamous wife who is arrested for allegedly killing her husband on a Mormon 'cult' settlement in Utah - and that of the wife of one of the founders of the Mormon Church who was instrumental in breaking the main church away from this policy in the late 1800's. ...  Read the complete review

This is without doubt not an easy read, however it is a gripping insight into a previously little explored culture. Unlike other readers I much prefered the historical sections to the modern murder mystery, which seemed a thin sub plot in comparision to the compelling story of the early Mormon faith. While the book had me gripped throughout, I thought the historical section finished quite abruptly, which weakened the book overall. I felt the book offered quite a balanced view on a difficult subject, although I would have liked to see more input from Brigham's wives, as I felt we only got to hear from wives who had a very negative view of the practice, while ...  Read the complete review

Jordan's father has been murdered, he finds out on the Internet that his mother has been arrested for the crime; his mother was his father's 19th wife. This is an excellent murder mystery taking the reader in to the hidden society of Mormonism, I couldn't figure out who the killer was, the book kept me tied in the whole way through. Lots of engaging characters and the intriguing society made for a great book. Jordan story will touch a lot of people, I found it tragic that young people could be treated like he is. It is also a historical novel providing great insight into the start of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and plural marriage in ...  Read the complete review