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1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
 Hated it! Mar 10, 2010
When I purchased this book, I honestly thought I'd love it. But the more I read, the less I liked the author's style. It was very distracting to go between the modern day events and the historic accounts. At first I did like the historic portion of the book but after a while, it was just too monotonous. Even though I normally make myself finish a book I start even if I don't like it, I ended up just reading the sections from the current day when I was when I had only 1/4th of the book to go.
A compelling book club read.... Mar 02, 2010
I read this book for the first time last year and then skimmed it again for a recent book club meeting. It held up well, even on a second perusal.
The 19th Wife is a novel that tells two stories. One part is a contemporary mystery told by a young man who was forced out of the polygamist compound where he was born at 14. His mother, the 19th wife of his father, has been accused of murdering the father and Jordan returns to Utah to help with her case. The other story is historical and concerns the 19th wife of Brigham Young, Ann Eliza Young. She left her husband, divorced him, and went on a crusade against polygamy throughout the United States, speaking to groups everywhere. The two stories are intertwined and the point of view and narrator change frequently. Also, documents, emails, even Wikipedia articles are scattered throughout the book.
Most of my book group liked the book, but some had problems with the extra articles and items that peppered the story. They found these jarring and felt that they were pulled out of the story over and over. Some members liked the historical part better than the contemporary. In any case, the book generated a lot of discussion. We talked about what makes a novel and whether this book would have been better as a strictly non-fiction historical account. I have always enjoyed books that tell a contemporary story and then relate it back to a historical event. It was obvious that the author did an enormous amount of research. All in all, a great book for book clubs.
0 of 1 found the following review helpful:
 Pom pom marigolds waving Feb 26, 2010
A good read as many have already reviwed, and did read this book in just a couple of days.
(Would have been in one sitting but I have a life) Ebershoff writes as he edits so makes for
a classic read. I think I read Irving Wallace's book, THE 27th WIFE, at a much younger age
as it seemed that many scenes were familiar. My copy does not have questions for book club
even if this book is certain to be discussed this morning..Most of all, this book brought to me
the place of UTAH's red desert.
Great genre-bending fiction Feb 26, 2010
Part historical tale, part contemporary murder mystery, this novel is presented largely as a collection of documents, including a confessional jailhouse letter and instant messages. I read it in three days. As for the murder mystery, I was kept guessing until the last page. People who like Devil in the White City, City of Thieves, anything by David Liss will probably like this one.
0 of 1 found the following review helpful:
A great read! Feb 22, 2010
I was hooked to this book from the very first chapter. I love the way the author goes back and forth between a historical account based on facts and the modern day fiction tale. He does a great job showing the parallels between the problems that women exerienced in the 1800's and how those haven't changed for many women who accept plural marriage as part of their life. It makes me question how someone could be Mormon with all of the ridiculous beliefs that seem to contradict one another but then I look to Christianity, Judaism, etc. and I realize that all religions once upheld barbaric practices as a religious necessity and contain ridiculous stories with a lot of "magic" in them. My only complaint would be that the book ends too abrubtly without a solid ending for the main characters.
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