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A review by karnaconverse
The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff
5.0
A great selection for a mother-daughter book club discussion.
My 14-year old daughter and I recommend The 19th Wife for any mother-daughter pair interested in historical fiction. The novel is actually two books in one: one set in late 1800’s Utah, the other set in present-day Utah. Both stories depict families torn apart by polygamy.
Ebershoff alternates between the stories of Ann Eliza Young and Jordan Scott. Ann Eliza was Brigham oung’s nineteenth wife who wrote a book denouncing polygamy in 1875 and then traveled throughout the United States speaking against the Mormon church. Jordan Scott is a young man who was thrown out of his fundamentalist community and whose mother, BeckyLyn, also a nineteenth wife, sits in jail, accused of killing her husband. Jordan’s search for answers and Ann Eliza’s memoir-like chronicle reveals much about the mysteries of love, family and faith and encourages readers to contemplate the mysteries of love, family, and faith. My daughter and I had several interesting conversations about human nature and why we believe what we do.
Understanding the book’s structure is key to its enjoyment. In addition to studying how the chapters were laid out, I found it helpful to read the Author’s Notes and the Reader’s Guide before I immersed myself too deeply in the text.
My 14-year old daughter and I recommend The 19th Wife for any mother-daughter pair interested in historical fiction. The novel is actually two books in one: one set in late 1800’s Utah, the other set in present-day Utah. Both stories depict families torn apart by polygamy.
Ebershoff alternates between the stories of Ann Eliza Young and Jordan Scott. Ann Eliza was Brigham oung’s nineteenth wife who wrote a book denouncing polygamy in 1875 and then traveled throughout the United States speaking against the Mormon church. Jordan Scott is a young man who was thrown out of his fundamentalist community and whose mother, BeckyLyn, also a nineteenth wife, sits in jail, accused of killing her husband. Jordan’s search for answers and Ann Eliza’s memoir-like chronicle reveals much about the mysteries of love, family and faith and encourages readers to contemplate the mysteries of love, family, and faith. My daughter and I had several interesting conversations about human nature and why we believe what we do.
Understanding the book’s structure is key to its enjoyment. In addition to studying how the chapters were laid out, I found it helpful to read the Author’s Notes and the Reader’s Guide before I immersed myself too deeply in the text.