The 19th Wife

This has been the best historical fiction novel about polygamy that I have read. It answered many questions. With two timelines (the 19th wife of Brigham Young, Ann Eliza Young, who fought against polygamy, and the fictional 19th wife of the "Firsts" convicted of murder) the story can get confusing. But continuing reading - it will all come together. A very good read.

Talk about timing -- with the big raid some time back of the Yearning For Zion ranch and all of the news from that event, this book should sell big time. Personally, I'm fascinated with the whole issue of polygamy -- not that I'd want to do it, but I do wonder why others subject themselves and furthermore, I wonder why the government hasn't just come right out and reminded law enforcement that polygamy is illegal and that leads to my wondering why this is still going on. The whole brainwashing thing eludes me as well, but then again, the issues brought up in this book are part of the reason I shy away from any sort of organized religion. Ebershoff may have written fiction, but the issue of brainwashing is very real. Take the Yearning For Zion thing in Texas -- the women there were scared to death of having to live on the outside because of all the things they are taught about the real world while they are under the sway of the FLDS leadership at the ranch. Or in the novel -- it's rife with examples of how the church leadership managed to convince some seemingly intelligent women that they needed to share their husbands with other women, sometimes under the same roof. It's all about salvation, you know? Fantasy camp for men; for women and especially for their children, well, what can I say? Sorry about the diatribe, but you know, the whole polygamy thing has a tendency to rankle me, and I appreciate Ebershoff's book -- it pointed out the many issues about this practice justified in the name of salvation. So now that I've ranted, the book is structured so that there is a present-day mystery that focuses on a woman who has been arrested and imprisoned for killing her husband. It turns out that she is the 19th wife, and her estranged son reads about her arrest on the internet. Seems that when he was younger, he was tossed out of the local polygamist community, "The Firsts," where they believed they were carrying on the mission of the first and true LDS church, when polygamy was the norm. So off he trots to Utah to see his mother and then gets involved in trying to prove her innocence. At the same time, there is another thread running in this book, the story of another 19th wife, Ann Eliza Young, who married Brigham Young and then squared off against him and the whole polygamy issue publicly. The present-day story is minor compared to Ann Eliza's story, beginning with her mother's conversion to Mormonism and then her descent into the hell that was polygamy after the prophet had a revelation from God that men should take more than one wife. The two stories are interspersed, but Ann Eliza's story is (imho) the better of the two. More than the present-day story, her story had me glued to the book. The characters were well drawn and Ebershoff did a fine job with the whole polygamy thing, especially describing the plight of the children from polygamous marriages. This is not something I probably would have picked up at a bookstore, but the topic intrigued

After the recent headlines of the polygamous cult in Texas, I bought this book out of curiousity. I've been reading several books lately on the subject of polygamy, trying to understand the reasoning, the faith, the beliefs behind it. Initially, the "jumping back and forth" from present-day back to the 1800's was a little jarring, but soon I found I could not put this book down. The weaving of fact and fiction in this book has been done so well, it's like a beautiful tapestry that envelopes you completely with its story. After I finished reading, I found myself on the internet, trying to get more information about events that the author mentions in his book - what was true? What wasn't? The book is a wonderful blend of history, humor, tragedy...and I think what amazed me most was that the author, a modern-day man, was so able to describe the feelings of an 18th-century plural wife. Wonderful book.

If you, like I, love a fabulous mystery, history, poetic-like writing and an intriguing subject, you must read the 19th Wife. I could not put the book down and finished it in two days. The author has an uncanny ability to delve into characters souls and psychologies and to enable readers to find parts of himself or herself in subliminal ways. Ebershoff seamlessly switches between past and present and I felt as if I were living in a period (the advent of Mormonism and the incredible courage and resilience of the early Mormons) that I had no clue about. Do yourself a favor and pick up this book. I think it is a perfect literary jewel.

I really enjoyed reading The 19th Wife. In fact, it was one of the best books I've read this year. The author, David Ebershoff, skillfully weaves a tale back and forth between the roots of nineteenth century polygamy and a modern day polygamist murder mystery. Much of the book focuses on the nineteenth century beginnings of polygamy and the Mormon faith, and at first I was put off by this, being more interested in today's headlines than historical fiction, but as I moved through the book I found myself more and more captivated by the very compelling story of Ann Eliza Young, Brigham Young's nineteenth (disputed) wife. This book is woven with so much historical fact that it becomes hard to separate fact from fiction, but I do believe the author tried to accurately portray the events as much as possible. Just a few of the highlights and themes in this book include a couple of "lost boys" who were kicked out of their community for small indiscretions, left abandoned on the streets at a young age. Their stories are wrought with pain but end nicely. There are also a few instances of modern day escapes from the polygamist community; some forced and coerced marriages; and a consistent theme of hurt feelings as the husbands take on additional wives. This book covers these stories and so many more it would be difficult to touch on all of them in a short review. I have never read a nearly 600 page book in just four days, but that is just what I did with this book. I felt a very emotional connection to this book and it's characters and I hope to read more from this author.