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.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
Lose Yourself in a Great Historical Novel:
A 500 page historical novel about Mormons and their history of polygamy, told from the perspective of a gay former Mormon who grew up in a polygamous household? Somehow when you try to explain what the book is about, it sounds preposterous -- and yet it works. David Ebershoff has created an incredibly convincing and sympathetic cast of characters, including Jordan Scott, the narrator; Tommy, a young boy who has been thrown out of the polygamous compound, Jordan's mother, the nineteenth wife of an... more info
Book Review: The 19th Wife:
The Review I am a really big fan of the show "Big Love" on HBO. In case you're not familiar... it's a drama about modern-day polygamists. I am totally addicted! When I heard about The 19th Wife, I was intrigued and I looked forward to cracking open its pages. David Ebershoff is a talented writer and the writing of this book reflects how much time and effort he put into it. He has taught creative writing classes at New York University and Princeton and is currently an adjunct assistant professor in... more info
Loved it, but....:
I am fascinated by Mormon history. Ebershoff does a great job dealing with the question: Why do people believe what they do? How do they fall for such crazy belief systems and practices? I enjoyed both the modern day story of Jordan, as well as the historical parts of the whole Brigham Young ordeal. However, I hated the dozens of gratuitous "F" bombs throughout Jordan's story and the sordid sexual details of his gay lifestyle. Neither promoted the story and actually detracted from the plot. Even the... more info
Ambitious, But Flawed:
My maternal family traces its roots back to the handcart procession that carried the first settlers to Deseret. Although I am not LDS, I have always had an interest in the history of the religion and the founding of Utah as a theocracy. I wanted to like this book, but its convoluted presentation made it very difficult. I thought the telling of Ann Eliza Young's story was more powerful than the present day mystery, and I would have preferred to read it in its entirety without the constant switching of... more info
