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Loading... The 19th Wifeby David Ebershoff
6   fyrefly98 | May 25, 2008 | 
At first I thought I'd find the parallel stories distracting, but it worked well. A good read, treating polygamy seriously without being strident. I loved the cafe name "A Woman Sconed" and all that implied about the characters. (  ) lizchris | Feb 5, 2010 | I just devoured this novel. I love the way that the author had 2 stories going at once. This was truly an engrossing book. (  ) risadabomb | Feb 3, 2010 | About 12 years ago I read and loved Wife No. 19, the memoir of Ann Eliza Young, one of Brigham Young's many wives. Everyone I've recommended it to since has loved it, too. When I heard of David Ebershoff's The 19th Wife, a novel combining Ann Eliza Young's story with a modern murder mystery, I knew I wanted to read it. Since I was already familiar with Ann Eliza's story, I was aware I would experience this novel differently than someone who had never heard of her before. At first I was bothered by the differences between Ann Eliza's story in the novel and the story she told in her memoir. I would read a few pages of the novel and then compare them with Ann Eliza's own account. After the first 75 pages or so, I had grown used to the novel and quit consciously comparing it to Ann Eliza's writing. However, occasional anachronistic turns of phrase reminded me that I was reading a modern interpretation of Ann Eliza's story. As is often the case with novels telling parallel stories, I was more interested in the 19th century story of Ann Eliza Webb Young and her family than in the modern story. I didn't connect with Jordan, and his quest to clear his mother of murder charges seemed unfocused in comparison with the historical part of the book. I thought the level of emphasis on Jordan's homosexuality detracted from the flow of the story, and it's probably what made the modern story seem less focused to me. One character, the twenty-something ex-Mormon, Tom, is, in my opinion, not necessary to the modern story, and I think it would have been a stronger story without him. The most interesting modern character is the young runaway, Johnny. He and Jordan have a common bond as "lost boys" from a polygamous sect, and their interaction seems more natural than any other part of the modern tale. Readers interested in the history of Westward expansion and the history of the Latter-Day Saints will probably enjoy this book more than those who pick it up primarily for the mystery. (  )3 cbl_tn | Jan 27, 2010 | Ebershoff blends the history of Mormonism with modern day fundamentalist Mormonism, and reality with fiction, to create a gripping story of murder, religion, marriage, morality, and history. He does an excellent job of slowly weaving together multiple strands of the story to reveal, in the end, a story in which every tiny bit matters a great deal, and raises a lot of moral questions, concerning religion and faith, marriage and sexuality, and selfishness and generosity. The weakest elements of the story lie in the main narrator and some aspects of the modern day story: Ebershoff doesn't have a lot of time to help the reader understand Jordan Scott, and therefore, many of his actions seem implausible, and the dialogue is at time stilted and false sounding. This, however, is a small complaint in what is otherwise a wonderfully constructed and fascinating story. lkrier | Jan 27, 2010 | A story about, and history of, the Morman church and plural marriage. The novel moves between the late 19th century and today with a story about the 19th wife and about a boy trying to get his mother (who in in a plural mariage) out of jail having been accused of murdering her husband. I thoroughly enjoyed it. (  ) bookmart | Jan 26, 2010 | Of all the religions, I think I knew the least about this one. I think I now have a better understanding through reading about the history of the church. When I used to watch "Big Love" on HBO, I never really understood how polygamy and the Firsts related to the modern day Church of Latter Day Saints, I know have a really good understanding and an appreciation for Ann Eliza Young, whose story was told throughout the book. The story of Jordan Scott and his mother was also very intriguing. I think it would be a great book for anyone who has interest in learning about other religions or just enjoys a well thought out book. ( ) taramatchi | Jan 9, 2010 | Excellent read - mixture of historical fact/fiction about the Mormons and also a present-day story. I have an interest in the historical as one of my ancestors went off to Salt Lake City and the present day characters were very well drawn. A big book, a little too lengthy perhaps, but I enjoyed every page. ( ) samsheep | Dec 12, 2009 | The 19th Wife has taken me a long time to get into, and I usually read pretty quickly. Like other reviewers, I kept abandoning it and picking it back up weeks later because I knew I needed to review it for Early Reviewers. Each time I came back to it, I was frustrated by not remembering what was happening. The modern story had promise, and I wanted to figure out what happened with BeckyLynn, but lost interest in the shifting narrative. Maybe I'll come back to this book later in life, but I have too many more compelling books to read right now, and there's never going to be enough time to waste reading something that's not for me. 1 haloolah | Nov 15, 2009 | An excellent fictional account of the start of Mormonism that is tied to present day fundamental Mormons (in this book, known as the Firsts). A searing look at how polygamy destroys those involved in it and affected by it. A great story that draws you in. I couldn't put the book down. ( ) bookwormteri | Nov 14, 2009 | This 507 page tomb, The 19th Wife, is compelling, interesting, and well written. It is a work of historical fiction (which I love), two stories told simultaneously, Ann Eliza from the late 1800's, bucks the polygamous life she was born into after marrying the powerful leader of the Mormon Church. While modern day Jordan Scott tries to solve the mystery surrounding his polygamous father's murder for which his mother has been accused. This book started out as one of those "can't put it down," reads that kept me rapt until mid-way through when the details and story felt stretched beyond necessity. I love a great read and I rarely care how long it takes the author to tell the story but occasionally I run into a story that feels kneaded to death, the pie crust flat. I have read as much as I can and sadly am abandoning this book. However, I do recommend The 19th Wife if you are a reader that demands a thorough and exhaustive account of the protagonist's lives. Overall it was an interesting story that dragged on too long for me, however, I do plan to read Pasadena, The Rose City & The Danish Girl also by Ebershoff because I enjoyed his writing style and effortless way he shares the story. ( ) bbrrtt | Nov 12, 2009 | 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. octopedingenue | Nov 6, 2009 | 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). (  ) LaBibliophille | Nov 2, 2009 | 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. ( ) annekiwi | Oct 23, 2009 | 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. ( ) cjm1970 | Oct 22, 2009 | 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. lowriderwitch | Oct 16, 2009 | Murder? Check. Famous historical characters? Check. Unbiased examination of religious church-and-state themes? Check. Ripped-from-the-headlines polygamous cult? Check. Good writing and sympathetic characters? Check and check. The 19th Wife was hard to put down. I'm usually not a fan of books that don't stick to one narrative but Ebershoff deftly weaves together two stories: a modern-day murder on a polygamous ranch in Utah and a historical narrative based on the real-life story of Ann Eliza Young, one of Brigham Young's wives who in 1875 attempted to divorce him and began the crusade to end polygamy in the United States. The historical part uses tons of different sources to tell the story: Ann Eliza's first-person narrative (based on a book she actually wrote called Wife No. 19), fictional correspondence between a BYU grad student and current-day Mormon church leaders, historical accounts from Ann Eliza's family members and contemporaries, fictional newspaper articles and a Wikipedia entry, to name a few. I've read that many people preferred the historical narrative to the modern-day murder mystery, but I liked them both. I loved the protagonist of the modern parts, a young gay man named Jordan, who was kicked out of a fundamentalist polygamist compound (the "First Latter-Day Saints," which appear similar to the fundamental and polygamist LDS sect that was in the news a year ago or so) when he was young for holding hands with his stepsister. Jordan's mother, herself a 19th wife, is arrested for the murder of Jordan's father. Jordan, reluctantly at first, determines to clear her name. His voice is compelling, and you can't help rooting for him and those he meets on his crusade to exonerate his mom. The parts that take place on the Firsts' middle-of-nowhere town are downright creepy. Ebershoff does clearly state early in the book that the funamental polygamists are not related to today's Mormons except through distant history, and that the LDS church today does not condone polygamy. Kinda sad people still have to make this distinction, but anyway. The historical parts are a fascinating depiction of the early history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, focusing specifically on the origins of polygamy and how Joseph Smith and his successor, Brigham Young, forced their followers to practice it, telling them it was the only way to heaven. I'm not Mormon, so I don't know exactly how much of the historical part is pure fact and how much is narrative license. Regardless, it's just flat-out fascinating. Polygamy was a disgusting, soul-crushing practice and I caught myself shaking my head and saying "oh no he didn't" a bunch of times. The gradual corruption it wreaked on the early LDS families makes for compelling stuff. I could go on and on about the book, but suffice to say if you like historical narratives based on actual events, you'll like this book. Also if you're fascinated by modern-day polygamists (and who wasn't, after the raid on that ranch a year or two ago?) this is a good introduction to that way of life. My only complaints are the book is a bit on the long side (the ARC is almost 600 pages) and I was constantly wondering during the historical parts what was truth and what was fiction. Maybe that's just the journalist in me. But you can read more about Ebershoff's research methods on his Web site or in the Author's Note at the back of the book. Overall, yes! This was a good read SpyGirl116 | Oct 10, 2009 | This review is unfinished and unedited. Something not-so-groovy happened while I was making changes and, poof, they were gone. Currently, i have no desire to fix it. Computers can be as frustrating as they are wonderful. The beginning of the book was interesting and flowed well. Ebershoff developed a viable and creative plot, filled with counterpoint (two corresponding time-periods working with one another) and depth. However, two-third's of the way through, it all came to a screeching halt. It became painful to read. I had to beg myself to continue, hoping that the author's rich text would return with its redeeming power. It did not. The author began to repeat the same concept - theological and/or philosophical - over and over again. It came cloaked in various situations and events, but never enlightened the reader with new thoughts, points of view, or information. This book had all the makings of an epic, historical novel that, in the end, was very disappointing. The main intent of the book was wonderful. It was to inform its readers that there is, and has been, a very difficult social problem in our country that hurts many innocent women -Polygamy through the Mormon Church. The word, "Polygamy" is housed under the term, "Celestial Marriage". The meaning is simple, but the consequences loom large. It states, men must marry many wives. Wives are the servants of their shared husband. There is an unspoken order to these wives. The first wife maintains the most power among the women in her family. The last, or youngest wife, usually maintains the sexual power over her husband, which sometimes means, power over the other wives. In this way, the Mormon culture not only degrades women, but indirectly forces the women to do the same to one another. It becomes something like the survival of the fittest. Women against women. The possibility of social control, made simple...End or expand...once more?... Without question Ebershoff did his homework before writing this novel. As he successfully illustrated, polygamy is a problem that still exists today and needs to be put out of practice. The author dealt with these historic and current day facts extremely well. It is not my point to undermine the value of that work. If he was able to enlighten one person and/or effect a change in someone's life, I'd say his work was successful within that framework. However, that does not exonerate him from the literary configurations that make-up a great novel. He was headed in the right direction for most of the novel. In fact he was doing a good job. Its failing came when he started to wind down and work towards the books end. This is where the author fell apart. This is were many writers are undone. Ebershoff wound down, and expanded. Wound down, and expanded, wound down and expanded... It became the book that could not end. I felt this tension while working towards the novels end. Indecision and uncertainty filled the last pages. By the time it did end, I felt exhausted by the unresolved conflict. (  ) BALE | Oct 3, 2009 | As much as I dislike beginning a review with my take on the ending, that is where I find myself. The irony is that although I did find the ending anti-climatic, it in no way tainted my praise of the novel. In fact, I prefer endings that ring with a dull thud over a symphonic overture. I tend toward ambivalent endings. This book brought that ambivalence as well as a concrete yet superficial-feeling resolution. Actually, there were two endings. Written as a story within a story, one ending was a mystery solved and the other was a mystery never to be solved. The first story concerns Jordon Scott, a gay ex-Mormon from a remote Utah sect called the Firsts. The Firsts claim to fame is their adherence to polygamy in spite of the Church's official stance of banning the practice. As a teen, Jordon was abandoned by his mother. The reunion of mother and son after many years is at a prison where his mother is being held, accused of murdering her husband. She was his 19th wife. The second story also tells of a 19th wife. This one concerns Ann Eliza, 19th wife of Brigham Young. She became a powerful agent in ending the practice of polygamy within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and criminalizing it in the rest of the country. Blackmailed into marrying the Church's prophet then basically ignored and neglected by him, Ann Eliza begins to doubt the central tenets of the Church. Eventually she leaves the Church, begins a lecturing tour, and pens an autobiography. Her book, along with other documents depicting life in early Church history, is interspersed with the story of Jordon Scott. I love the story within a story idea, and Ebershoff pulls it off nicely. However, the Jordon Scott story often took a backseat much of the time to the Ann Eliza story. Her story and the supporting documents were used in a compelling way. It was much more of a well-researched historical novel than a present-day murder mystery. The Ann Eliza story and the Jordon Scott story filled in gaps for each other, making each one more compelling than if told individually. I appreciated this writing technique; Jordon provides the sparse prose with blunt dialogue, while Ann Eliza provides the deeper emotions of being one of many wives and the toll it took on the many children involved. 2 Carlie | Sep 30, 2009 | The author tells us to treat it like a fictional story. Perhaps it is entirely fictional, perhaps it's based on truth. It has a ring of truth to it, but I know nothing about the Mormon religion, let alone the radical off-shoot that believes in polygamy. I also don't understand how any female would choose that lifestyle; or how anyone would be able to watch their daughters be raped and their sons evicted. But I guess they do. My inability to not get frustrated with all the characters made it harder for me to like this book. It's interesting, and I kept turning the pages to see what happened, but, to be honest, I skimmed a lot of the "historical" material because I really didn't care if so-in-so married so-in-so and became his wife number (enter number here). And I didn't like the characters in the modern day part of the story: the young boy was too much a jerk, the main character too well adapted considering his lifestyle and background and his discovery of "true love" just too convenient. ( ) crazybatcow | Sep 22, 2009 | Having read about the history of the Morman Church and plural marriages in Jon Krakauer's Under the Banner of Heaven I chose this book from the NextReads General Fiction newsletter as it sounded interesting. The parallel stories of two 19th wives one, Ann Eliza Young the 19th wife of Brigham Young the second prophet of the Mormans who successfully led them to settle in Utah and the other the 19th wife of a man involved in a fundamentalist breakaway sect of the Mormans who still practice plural marraige to the present day, who has been accused of his murder. The story of Ann Eliza Young is interesting as it is a fictional historical account of her successful fight to outlaw plural marriages in the United States during the late 1890s after she divorces Brigham Young. Both narratives draw attention to the plight of women and children involved in plural marriages and shines a light fundamentalism and the fight for religious freedom that is so much a part of American culture. ( ) librarylandlady | Sep 22, 2009 | This book was about 2 "19th" Wives one in the 1800's and one modern.(19 is in quotes because neither of these women were really the 19th but thats what they were called). Ann Eliza was married to Brigham Young ,the historical fiction part of the book about Ann Eliza goes from her childhood till she divorced Brigham and went on a tour of the country talking about abolishing polygamy. I found Ann Eliza's story really good it kept me interested and those parts of the book were written very well. I however did not like the present day story or that the author seemed to think that if Jordan said the F-word ever other sentence then we'd know it was the present day story.I just really didn't like this part of the book at all when it finally came out who killed Jordans father did I care ? No , I guess I really didn't. If this book would have just been about Ann Eliza It would have gotten 4 - 4 1/2 stars but the present day story takes away from it too much. ( )1 susiesharp | Sep 11, 2009 | Ebershoff manages to straddle multiple stories, centuries and leading characters without losing the reader behind. All voices feel authentic and it is easy to let go and be carried away by the quirky circumstances of a world I could never understand. And while it is not out and out historical fact, I am that much closer to understanding this totally foreign religion without fear and just a little self-indulgent anger. A superb read through and through! ( ) catscritch | Sep 9, 2009 | The 19th wife is really 2 stories in one, the 19th wife of Brigham Young and the 19th wife of a modern day "First" polygamist. The stories are intertwined offering insight into the relationships of both women with their husbands and with the rest of the Mormon community. Ebershoff includes as historical background letters and chapters from Young's wife's book. Though both marriages are shown to be failures, one ending in divorce and the other in murder, the outcomes are surprising different. ( ) pak6th | Sep 8, 2009 | This book intertwines the story of Ann Eliza Webb Dee Young Denning, the 19th (or 27th or 52nd, depending on how you count) wife of Mormon leader Brigham Young, with a modern-day murder mystery set on a polygamous compound of “Firsts,” Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints (FLDS), in Utah. The historical fiction part of the book is loosely based on Ann Eliza’s 1876 memoir, Wife No. 19 (available online), with a number of liberties taken with the real story. Ann Eliza actually sued Brigham Young for divorce and went around the country speaking about her life in polygamy, contributing indirectly to its eventual demise in the official Mormon church. I found the parts of the book pertaining to Ann Eliza’s story the most interesting. They are presented in the form of supposed excerpts from her memoir, her father’s autobiography, Latter Day Saints (LDS) church archives, letters by her son and one brother, contemporary newspaper articles and interviews, even her mother’s, another brother’s, and Brigham Young’s diaries, and research by Ann Eliza’s descendent, Kelly Dee, supposedly a student at Brigham Young University working on her master’s thesis. In an endnote, author David Ebershoff makes it clear that “Although I am the author of these, they are fictional representations of what it’s like to spend time in the archives and online researching Ann Eliza Young, Brigham, and early LDS history. Many are inspired by an actual text or a kind of text.” Ann Eliza’s story is so fascinating that I was compelled to do research of my own to find out what was real and what was not in Ebershoff’s fiction. The mystery centers around Jordan Scott, a 20 year old gay kicked out of the Firsts at age 14 (more because it was common to do so with the excess of boys in polygamous societies, as he hadn’t come out at that point). His mother is the 19th wife of a First, Jordan’s father, and she’s been accused of killing him. Jordan believes she is innocent and sets out to prove it. On his website, Ebershoff relates an incident while doing research for the book that ends up happening to Jordan too. Ebershoff pulls together the two stories with Kelly, who meets and aids Jordan at one point. This modern-day story is less interesting than Ann Eliza’s tale, yet it provides insight into recent events involving FLDS. I found it interesting that one of Ann Eliza’s brothers is implied to be the first leader and “Prophet” of the Firsts, and that no one knows what happened to Ann Eliza after her second memoir was published in 1908. The latter point is true and I think she was probably murdered by Firsts for resuming her fight against polygamy. The unabridged audio version of this book was excellent. It employed four narrators, a young male for Jordan, a young female for Kelly, an older female for Ann Eliza, and an older male for most of the other voices in the book (Ann Eliza’s father, brother, son, Brigham Young, etc.). This made it quite easy to follow the weaving storylines. ( )2 riofriotex | Sep 7, 2009 | I am usually not a fan of books that jump between two storylines taking place at different points of time. However, this book sucked me in and never let go. The author does a good job of depicting the practice of poligamy in the early Mormon Church as well as in present day independent sects. Solving the murder that takes place in a small isolated town proves challenging - and the murderer unexpected. In addition, I thought the portrayal of Brigham Young was well done. He is shown both as the incredible religious leader who helped so many AND as a flawed husband. In historical fiction such as this, authors often take a great deal of literary license. Eberhoff provides an extensive appendix explaining when his information comes from historical record and when his storytelling takes over....Highly recommended ( )1 KC9333 | Aug 30, 2009 | |
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Review: The question of polygamy has always been a thorny one in my own personal ethical code. I believe pretty strongly in not only the correctness, but also the vital necessity of the separation of church and state, and so legislation against polygamy as a religious practice always rubs me in exactly the worst way. And yet, in the wake of recent widely-publicized cases, the social realities of the practice of polygamy tend to be horrible enough, particularly where the children are concerned, that part of me says "we should really do something about that." (Although I do wonder if the fact that it's illegal isn't a contributing factor to the horrible social outcomes, much like illegal drugs - if polygamists weren't forced to live so far off the grid, wouldn't it be easier to keep an eye out for child abuse, rape, and give those women who wanted a way out the means to do so?) In any case, reading The 19th Wife didn't solve any moral dilemnas for me, even though it comes down pretty vehemently on the anti-polygamy side, but it definitely did make me reconsider the issue, as well as providing some background and historical perspective about the beginning of the Mormon faith and the practice of polygamy of which I was previously unaware.
As a novel, it's quite good, although not without its faults. It was absolutely an absorbing read, and is a thick book without being long - the almost 600 pages passed quickly and without dragging. The writing itself was nothing special, no fancy literary tricks, but it got the job done without getting in its own way. There were elements that I didn't think worked quite as well as the author had intended - in the modern storyline, especially, there were a few character elements and sub-plots that seemed extraneous. I also was a little put off by the format of the historical sections. Not so much by the format per se, which was a combination of (fictional) memoirs, letters, interviews, and articles, but more by the decision to fictionalize documents that actually exist. Ebershoff explains this to a degree in his author's note, but Ann Eliza's memoir actually exists (and can be read online at Google Books), and so the fact that he re-wrote it but presented it as actual excerpts a) leads to her language, if not her perspective, feeling overly modern and therefore historically inaccurate, and b) seems like he didn't trust her to properly tell her own story. It's a relatively minor transgression on the grand scale of things, and didn't ruin my enjoyment of the book, but was always niggling in the back of my mind and had a tendency to pull me out of the story. 4 out of 5 stars.
Recommendation: An absorbing, intensely interesting, and very timely read now that Mormons are experiencing a bit of a vogue in pop culture. People who like HBO's series Big Love would probably enjoy this book (and vice-versa), although I think it would also appeal to anyone interested in a unique bit of American religious history.