The 19th Wife
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The story of Ann Eliza Young's crusade against polygamy intertwines with a tale of murder involving a polygamist family in present-day Utah.

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Add a CommentA big book, this tome digs into the history of the Mormon Church while at the same time follows the story of Jordan who seeks the truth regarding the supposed murder of his father by his mother – the 19th wife. Well written and crafted if a tad long.
Parts of this were unbearably dreary and tedious, but overall I liked it.
If you enjoy watching Big Love you will enjoy this book. It talks about people and places that sound so familiar.
The only well written parts in this novel were the purported excerpts from Ann Eliza Young's own book "Wife no.19" published in 1876. The secondary, fictional story seemed like something submitted to a middle school writing club. His characters were shallow and uninteresting and often irrelevant.
Loved this book. Couldn't wait to get home and read it each day!
So addicting. I literally could not put this book down. I loved it. It was a little strange and a little shocking at times, but the Who-Dun-It mystery keeps you entralled. The author wraps everything up neatly and leaves you with a satisfying ending that leaves you begging for a sequel, but content where the characters end up. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in Ann Eliza Young, polygamy, or just mysteries in general. It's a truely special read.
I found it hard to believe that an author could take a modern mystery tale and interweave it wth a historical account and not make it laughable but I was proved so wrong. The two stories complement each other beautifully and it was easy to follow despite the many characters. An incredible story.
It is a really interesting book. As with the other readers who posted comments, I learned a lot about polygamy from both (male and female) perspectives. It was also interesting to see how men who were initially not supporters of polygamy slipped into a cycle of taking more and more wives. I enjoyed both the modern and historical perspectives, but I found the historical perspective dragged on a bit.
Two interesting stories - one fictional account of Eliza Ann Young, the 19th wife of Brigham Young (or should I say 52nd?) and one a modern murder mystery. The writer did a good job. Learned a great deal about polygamy and the negative effects not only on women, but also how it affects the men who are forced into it. I preferred the narrative from the historical perspective.