The 19th Wife: A Novel
by David Ebershoff
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Book Reviews of The 19th Wife: A Novel
Book Review: Hated this book!
Summary: 1 Stars
Wow! No one seemed to like my last review! Let me try again! I did NOT like this book AT ALL! It was boring, had horrible language, took me forever to make it through and I got very tired of how it jumped back and forth between two story lines. The whole gay storyline just had to be thrown in there too! I can see two books being made rather than incorporating both story lines into one.
Different parts in the book were entertaining, but many definitely border on whether they are truly factual or not. I personally believe he is trying to shed a negative light on mormonism and Brigham Young.
I would NOT refer this book to anyone and am very, very sad that I actually paid good money for it and read some of the stuff I did. I just don't believe there is a lot of truth within his storylines.
Don't buy it!
Book Review: Really enjoyed this book.
Summary: 5 Stars
It's amazing to find out things you don't know. I read this book for a book club and wasn't sure if I was going to like it or not. I really didn't want to read a book about the Ladder day saints. I'm glad I did though. It really shows how people with an agenda can really screw things up. I find it very interesting how the author intertwined two completely different stories throughout the whole book. It really brought a comparison to see how much has or hasn't changed in the faith, while telling a compelling story that's also a mystery.
I really enjoyed this and I think a lot of people that have been putting it off because of it being based on a religious faith should really go ahead and read it. The religion is not the center of it all, it's not preachy. It's the facts behind that religion that make it interesting.
Book Review: Another Attempt to Understand Polygamy
Summary: 4 Stars
Following the stories of several main characters and in different eras made the beginning of the book a little confusing, but soon the pattern emerges, and the fascination with these interesting women grows.
There are many good things in the modern LDS Church, but I am still unable to accept their clannishness and rather juvenile requirement that all must wear "Mormon" underwear,restrict family who are not Mormons from being present at their sealing ceremony (wedding), and send their young on missions that seem to separate them from family, while restricting what they can read, hear or think for two years. Polygamy - totally unacceptable and still unexplainable, even after reading the 19th Wife.
Book Review: want to cut half the book and make a movie
Summary: 4 Stars
Read this recently because I liked Ebershoff's edgy writing and quirky characters in "Pasadena."
Like some of the other reviewers on here, I found the random tangents and anecdotes about the Mormons and their offshoots a bit boring (and I am a historian by trade). An editor should have cut half the material and left only the story of the actual "19th wife" of Brigham Young.
The modern-day storyline would be excellent material for an indie movie, if someone could figure out what to do with the awkward historical interjections. Something starring James Franco, Haley Joel Osment, and Kevin Spacey as (respectively) Jordan, Johnny, and the Prophet. Sundance would love it.
Book Review: Kept me engrosed
Summary: 4 Stars
The 19th wife presents a picture of polygamy that is chilling and puzzling. Ann Eliza's story is gripping and using her book anchors it in history. The modern day story also provides a chilling tale.
It breaks my heart to see how people can abuse other people in the name of God. These "prophets" actually change the meaning of words to feed their evil behavior. Obedience to God is not the same as obedience to these dictators. The culture of fear and force instantly alerts one to the anti-god like character of these communities.
I also recommend "under the banner of heaven" by Krakauer.
Just don't condemn a whole faith by the abuses of a few in charge.