Amy Stolls

A sad fact about today's society is that a majority of all people who marry at least once will also get divorced. One or two divorces is considered normal. Three or four is slightly amusing. Anything over that, and you head into the Hollywood marriage rate, which is only acceptable if you are fabulously wealthy or notorious. So, what is a girl to do when she finds out that her boyfriend has been married eight times? While the answer is seemingly simple, Amy Stolls' The Ninth Wife explores show more the complications behind this question and the vagaries of love.

The story switches back and forth between Rory and Bess. From Rory, the reader gets a first-hand understanding of why he chose to marry eight different women while getting a hint at how Bess just might be different. Bess' point of view mirrors the reader's own, as she struggles to fathom how someone could ever get married that often and still want to attempt another marriage and reconciling the feeling of disbelief with her growing feelings of love and commitment to someone who obviously is not commitment-phobic. This duality, while often adding a comedic bent to the story, presents a very clear picture of the different types of love that exist, how each one is legitimate and fills a need in people. While a delightfully light-hearted story on its own, the reasons for all eight wives are all serious and reasonable, which themselves insert a more studious tone to the novel. This seriousness in no way detracts from the novel but rather instills a measure of realism to the proceedings.

In Bess, Ms. Stolls has created a character with whom many a reader will be able to identify. Suffering from self-esteem issues, loneliness, societal expectations, and an aging family, her experiences will be all too familiar for readers of a certain age. Yet, readers of any age can relate to her feelings of inadequacy and desire for a meaningful relationship. The fact that Bess is so adorably likable is a testament to Ms. Stolls' ability to create a character that is sympathetic, not too depressing, and engaging. Conversely, Rory is just plain charming. Between the two, the tension and laughs, romantic and otherwise, flow freely.

For those who like this sort of thing, there is a lesson to be learned about relationships; however, those readers who just prefer to sink into a great novel without bothering with any life lessons, The Ninth Wife definitely fits the bill. Ms. Stolls has created a cast of characters that is as humorous, fun, and realistic as one would want while adding an element of poignancy and sensitivity to the overall story. Life is not all fun and games, and Ms. Stolls maintains a balance between the whimsical and the realistic. The Ninth Wife is simply a delightful story about the power of relationships and love.

Thank you to NetGalley for my e-galley! show less

When Bess finally finds that special someone who wants to share his life with her, Rory has just one small surprise- he has been married 8 times before! As she tried to work through her feelings about his past and theor future, she embarks on a cross country road trip from DC to take her grandparents to their new home in AZ, stopping along the way to meet as many of Rory's former wives as she can find.

From the description and flap copy, I expected a standard chick-lit book, full of humor and show more froth. What I got instead was a well-crafted family drama that explores love in all its different incarnations. The backstories here are poignant and complicated, giving the book a depth that I did not expect. Bess and Rory are great characters, as are Bess' friends and grandparents (who sounds quirky in the flap copy but are actually quite tragic in their way). I found it hard to put this excellent novel down and highly recommend it. show less

"Pick a partner and get a tombstone," is the opening sentence of this delightful quest novel. Bess (age 35, never married) meets Rory (age 45, married eight times), they fall in love, and Rory proposes. In alternating chapters, we learn about Bess's family (bickering grandparents) and friends, and Rory's previous marriages. All the characters are well-drawn, most of them are sympathtic, yet real. The second half of the novel recounts Bess's journey across country to sort out her feelings for show more Rory, to meet some of his ex-wives, to deliver her grandparents to a life-care community in Arizona, and to make some startling discoveries about her own heritage. Handling Sin by Michael Malone is my all-time favorite read. The Ninth Wife has much in common with Malone's book.

I smiled, laughed, wept (a little), and found much to ponder. An example: "...the basic personal ad of the human race--troubled, needy person seeks love and salvation."

Because there's more to this tale than "what happens," I did not find the almost 500 pages at all tedious or wordy. I love Amy Stolls's writing style as much as the story itself. Highly recommended. show less

This book is so much more than its intriguing (and unsettling) premise. Would anyone want to marry a man who had previously been married 8 times? By the end of this lengthy novel, I was deeply immersed in the lives of Bess and Rory, and the merging of the past with the present. Amy Stollls writes very well, and manages to imbue her very likeable characters with understandable emotions. There is a surprising poignancy and depth to this novel that develops as the plot unfolds. I will show more definitely read future novels by this gifted writer. show less