The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff (ISBN:0812974158)

English (US)

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		The 19th Wife: A Novel
	
				(81 reviews)			
(844 Readers)

			David Ebershoff		
	
It is 1875, and Ann Eliza Young has recently separated from her powerful husband, Brigham Young, prophet and leader of the Mormon Church. Expelled...more
 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 her family’s polygamous history is revealed, including how both she and her mother became plural wives. Yet 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, family, and faith.   less

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
I liked the two different stories that were told in alternating chapters--a modern-day story of the murder of a polygamist husband purportedly by his 19th wife and the historical story about Brigham Young and his 19th wife who eventually divorced him and helped to bring about the official ban on polygamy in the LDS church. Just as with Krakauer's Under the Banner of Heaven, there is a lot of...more
 I liked the two different stories that were told in alternating chapters--a modern-day story of the murder of a polygamist husband purportedly by his 19th wife and the historical story about Brigham Young and his 19th wife who eventually divorced him and helped to bring about the official ban on polygamy in the LDS church. Just as with Krakauer's Under the Banner of Heaven, there is a lot of Mormon church history here.   hide

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
Blech

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
If you are at all interested in the evolution of the Mormon Church and especially it's history with polygamy, I highly recommend this book. It's fascinating, thought-provoking, and an entertaining crime mystery all at the same time. Keep in mind that it is a fictional account, so you can't take it as pure history. My understanding though is that Ebershoff did some heavy research in writing this...more
 If you are at all interested in the evolution of the Mormon Church and especially it's history with polygamy, I highly recommend this book. It's fascinating, thought-provoking, and an entertaining crime mystery all at the same time. Keep in mind that it is a fictional account, so you can't take it as pure history. My understanding though is that Ebershoff did some heavy research in writing this novel so there is much to be gleaned. 500 pages flew by.   hide

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
Wowza! This author has a gift, no doubt about that. He intertwines FLDS as it is today with LDS beginnings (Brigham Young, etc...). I had to read this after the huge removal of children in Texas, I was being pulled by the book!! :) The author is against FLDS, he makes that clear with the compassion he shows towards the characters that get out of the church. So, if you are FLDS this...more
 Wowza! This author has a gift, no doubt about that. He intertwines FLDS as it is today with LDS beginnings (Brigham Young, etc...). I had to read this after the huge removal of children in Texas, I was being pulled by the book!! :) The author is against FLDS, he makes that clear with the compassion he shows towards the characters that get out of the church. So, if you are FLDS this book may offend you...but it shouldn't offend LDS, he doesn't speak negatively or positively about them. My grandmother was LDS, and I don't think she would have been offended. Who knows! I don't the author cares if he offends, and good for him, it is his book!   hide

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
A book about polygamy, the Mormon religion, and the factions of the LDS church that still practice polygamy today.  I must admit, my knowledge of all the above was sparing at best and I did learn alot while reading this book.  The book is a somewhat historical fiction paralleling the live of Ann Eliza Young, the 19th wife of Brigham Young, and a modern day 19th wife who is accused of murdering...more
 A book about polygamy, the Mormon religion, and the factions of the LDS church that still practice polygamy today.  I must admit, my knowledge of all the above was sparing at best and I did learn alot while reading this book.  The book is a somewhat historical fiction paralleling the live of Ann Eliza Young, the 19th wife of Brigham Young, and a modern day 19th wife who is accused of murdering her husband.  The book instantly grabbed my attention and held it until 3/4 of the way through.  At that time I became very bored with the historical aspects and wish the author would have dedicated more time and words to the present day aspect of the book.  I do recommend this book, it is a good read and I find the subject matter very interesting.   hide

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							Joan
						
							few weeks ago						
An inspiring tale, and a cautionary one.  While reading, you keep asking yourself, what would I have done in her shoes?  Survival as well as thriving is up for question all the way through.

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
If you are into historical novels, you will get a lot out of this book.  It tells two stories:  the saga of the 19th wife of Brigham Young and how profoundly polygamy in the 1800's affected her personally and the LDS church in general.  Simultaneously, it tells the story of a modern day cult called the Firsts who continue to practice polygamy today and it's negative effect on children, incidence...more
 If you are into historical novels, you will get a lot out of this book.  It tells two stories:  the saga of the 19th wife of Brigham Young and how profoundly polygamy in the 1800's affected her personally and the LDS church in general.  Simultaneously, it tells the story of a modern day cult called the Firsts who continue to practice polygamy today and it's negative effect on children, incidence of abuse, etc.   hide

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							Gina
						
							few weeks ago						
I like how the 19th wife took you in a world that you don't often see.  You felt like you have seen the hidden world of the polygamy. I like how the book took you back and forth though the beginning of the religion to the present.  The two stories blended very well and related at the same time.  A must read.  One of my most favorite books.

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
Very interesting and even though the author was forthright about the information being either fiction or biased (the historical information was written from specific perspectives) it still provides you with a feel for sister-wife relationships.  The thought is so foreign to me that it was insightful to see what the positives might be and how human nature may get in the way.  I'd say it's a read.

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
Love, love, love this book! A good one for HBO series "Big Love" fans

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