I started and stopped and came back to this book multiple times over a series of months, but I just couldn't get into it enough to keep reading--or remember where I stopped reading from last time so I wouldn't have to read chapters over again. I never got more than a third of the way into it before I gave up. Life's too short and this book was too long to keep hacking away at when it didn't grab my attention immediately. I'll pass, thanks.

The 19th Wife, a novel by David Ebershoff, is loosely based on the story of Ann Eliza Young, one of the wives of Brigham Young, the preeminent prophet and leader of the Mormon Church in the nineteenth century. Ann Eliza left Brigham, and began a crusade to end polygamy. Her story is interspersed with that of a fictional modern 19th wife, BeckyLyn Scott. BeckyLyn is accused of murdering her husband.

The modern story is told through the viewpoint of BeckyLyn's adult son Jordan, whom she was forced to abandon when he was a teenager. The Scott family is part of the fictional community of Mesadale, Utah. This community calls itself the "Firsts"; they are faithful to the original Mormon belief in Celestial Marriage (polygamy).

When Ann Eliza left Brigham, she began a lecture tour of the country, ending in Washington D.C. and meeting with members of Congress and President Grant. Her voice was instrumental to the passage of the Poland Act, which helped to end polygamy in Utah.

Jordan returns to Utah to visit BeckyLyn in prison. He becomes convinced that his mother is innocent. As Jordan tries to unravel the mystery, we learn more about modern day fundamentalist Mormonism. From Ann Eliza's story, we learn about the roots of the Mesadale community.

One of my favorite non-fiction books is Jon Krakauer's fascinating investigation into fundamentalist Mormonism, Under the Banner of Heaven. And of course I never miss an episode of HBO's Big Love. So when I first head about The 19th Wife, I knew I had to read it. I really enjoyed it, and am glad I actually bought it (even though I am now generally against purchasing books). ( )

I really like it. told from the point of view of a "lost boy" one of the boys ejected from a polygamous sect. girls are valued as commodities and eventual useful tools [sex, having babies, "selling" to acquire more power] whereas boys are liabilities - threat to take power, and so are often thrown out of the sect in early teen-age years.

The history of the Mormon Church, Joseph Smith, and Brigham Young was interesting. The mystery of the modern-day 19th wife was slightly suspenseful. Overall, I thought this book was a little slow. It didn't really pull me in and grab my attention at any point. ( )

I picked up this book as a "back up" only because so many people had been talking about it. Perhaps because I had no preconcieved ideas or opinions on the topic I was able to read it with an open mind and for the sole purpose of being entertained by a new story.
It took me a while to get through but not in a bad way. I absorbed the details and questioned "is this for real?" and "how could this EVER be?" knowing that there is truth in the tale.
I enjoyed this story simply because it opened a whole new world of interest to me, something I had never really thought about or cared about before picking up the 19th Wife.