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The 19th Wife [Paperback]

David Ebershoff
3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (103 customer reviews)
RRP: £8.99
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Book Description

2 Jan 2009

Jordan returns from California to Utah to visit his mother in jail. As a teenager he was expelled from his family and religious community, a secretive Mormon offshoot sect. Now his father has been found shot dead in front of his computer, and one of his many wives - Jordan's mother - is accused of the crime.

Over a century earlier, Ann Eliza Young, the nineteenth wife of Brigham Young, Prophet and Leader of the Mormon Church, tells the sensational story of how her own parents were drawn into plural marriage, and how she herself battled for her freedom and escaped her powerful husband, to lead a crusade to end polygamy in the United States.

Bold, shocking and gripping, The 19th Wife expertly weaves together these two narratives: a pageturning literary mystery and an enthralling epic of love and faith.


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Product details

  • Paperback: 608 pages
  • Publisher: Black Swan (2 Jan 2009)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0552774987
  • ISBN-13: 978-0552774987
  • Product Dimensions: 12.7 x 3.8 x 19.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (103 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 78,145 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Review

The multiplicity of perspectives serves to broaden Ebershoff's depiction not only of polygamy, but also of the people whose lives it informs. And this gives his novel a rare sense of moral urgency (The New York Times Book Review )

A marvellous evocation of pioneer life... But his sympathy is with Eliza Young and other women trapped in what the Mormons termed 'celestial marriages' (Daily Mail 20090109)

Beautifully written... genuinely enthralling (Literary Review )

Engrossing... vivid... packed with historical illumination, unforgettable characters... the greatest triumph is the way all this material illuminates the larger landscape of faith (Washington Post )

Intelligent, compelling, with several decent twists (Guardian )

Review

Gripping and beautifully written.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
36 of 36 people found the following review helpful
By unlikely_heroine VINE™ VOICE
Format:Paperback
This novel has received mixed reviews but I thoroughly enjoyed it and found "The 19th Wife" to be two diverting stories in one. In modern-day Utah, Jordan Scott, a young teenager excommunicated from a heretical Mormon sect that still engages in polygamy, tries to unravel the mystery of his father's murder in order to free his mother, who has been accused of the crime. Interspersed in this story is a fictionalised account of the life of Eliza Ann Young, the "19th wife" of the nineteenth century Mormon leader, Brigham Young. Eliza Ann was notable for speaking out against polygamy and her efforts are part of the reason the Mormons eventually abandoned the practice.

For me, the historical sections were the real "meat" of this book, fascinating in their detail and very well-executed. Eliza Ann Young's voice comes across very strongly and her struggle for independence, autonomy and dignity is highly readable. I found the modern strand of the story, curiously, to be less convincing and "real"; Jordan is not the living, breathing character that Eliza Ann is, although he is likeable enough. The contrast between the skill with which the historical sections are written, and the slightly clumsy narrative of Jordan, almost suggested to me that Ebershoff wanted us to think that Jordan was something of an unreliable narrator - at various places it seemed as if we were being spun a yarn by this young man rather than being told what really happened.

It is also true that the murder mystery is less involved and less satisfyingly resolved than it might have been, which seems to be a result of the "Jordan" sections being somewhat underwritten. Those expecting a modern-day crime novel will be disappointed as most of the book concerns historical Mormonism and Jordan's efforts to establish himself in a life beyond the sect he was born into.

Nevertheless, this book is still a very enjoyable read and I found it compelling. This book is six hundred pages long and perhaps could have done with a little trimming in places, but as I was enjoying the story and the company of the characters, the length of "The 19th Wife" did not bother me too much.
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253 of 267 people found the following review helpful
By C. Ball TOP 1000 REVIEWER VINE™ VOICE
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This book is somewhat misleading. From the cover and the blurb on the back you'd think it was a murder mystery set within a Mormon sect, which in a way it is, but it's much more than that. It's set in two times periods: the modern day, in which Jordan, a young gay man excommunicated from a fanatical Mormon sect that still practices polygamy, attempts to solve the murder of his father, a murder that his mother, the 19th wife, is accused of committing; and the mid 19th century, where it follows the life of Ann Eliza Young, a real life figure who was the 19th wife of Brigham Young and sister of the man who founded the First breakaway sect that Jordan and his mother are a part of, her divorce from Brigham Young and her crusade against the practice of polygamy. It's much more about the destructiveness of polygamy than it is a murder mystery, and it's well worth reading.
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23 of 24 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars Too long... 1 Mar 2009
By LittleReader VINE™ VOICE
Format:Paperback
I think this novel could have been vastly improved by being about 200 pages shorter.
It started off interesting and addictive - though I initially found the references to Mormons, Latter Day Saints and Firsts a little confusing, it was soon much clearer in my mind. There is no doubt that DE has a fluid, readable writing style and a flair for full and honest characterisation - that much I certainly did like.

Narrated by Mormon's, Ann Eliza Young, the 19th wife of the Prophet Brigham Young and various members of her family during the 19th Century and Jordan a Century later - an excommunicated homosexual trying to piece together the murder of his father while his mother awaits trial for it, the story is brimming over with Historical fact.

However, by the middle third of the book, I was flagging. It just went on and on and on far too long to hold my attention. I wish DE had been more succint in his tale as I know I would have savoured it. Instead, I was speed-reading in order to move on to something else.
A huge shame...
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars Pretty Good
The second time I've read this one. This book combines three stories concerning the doctrine of celestial marriage, which was fundamental to the LDS church in the 19th century. Read more
Published 27 days ago by R. Vowles
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating
I found this book gripping and couldn't put it down- the length didn't bother me, in fact it could have been longer as I'd have liked to know more about what happened to Jordan and... Read more
Published 2 months ago by A. Reddy
1.0 out of 5 stars Neither a detective story nor a history
Oh I hated this book! The device of crossing between modern day characters and those from the past is hard to get right and in this case it overburdens an already over burdened... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Vivien
4.0 out of 5 stars Fiction and fact
A compelling tale covering over two hundred years in the journey of a relatively new religion/ doctrine. An interesting take on how faith can be used for good and bad.
Published 3 months ago by J York
3.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating
I found the subject matter of this book really intriguing however I did find that sometimes the book became bogged down in the factual history, which interfered with the emotional... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Lindy
4.0 out of 5 stars A enlightening read
As a lapsed Mormon convert (in my late teens and early twenties) I was fascinated by The 19th Wife. Interspersed with the modern day murder mystery is the story of the early... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Paul Lemon
5.0 out of 5 stars Extraordinarily vivid - a book that has stayed with me long after the...
It took a while to plough through over 600 pages but The 19th wife is an extraordinary book and well worth the effort. Read more
Published 11 months ago by sam155
5.0 out of 5 stars The 19th Wife
Well written and lifting the lid on polygamy, this book blends two stories, past and present.
Jordan was expelled as a young boy from his family's cult village, an offshoot of... Read more
Published 11 months ago by Clare O'Beara
5.0 out of 5 stars How many?!!
I wouldn't want to share my husband with one other wife - let alone 18 others...An interesting, thought-provoking book. I recommend it to those interested in historical matters.
Published 12 months ago by Jenny
3.0 out of 5 stars three novels where one would be better
This book seems to be trying to do too many things at once:

- it describes at some length the history of the Mormons
- it describes parts of the life and times of... Read more
Published 13 months ago by thetruthshallsetyefree
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