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karenleagermain's review against another edition
3.0
I am completely fascinated with the Brown family and am not ashamed to admit that I love their reality show. When I saw that they had written a book, I immediately downloaded it on my Kindle and breezed through it in less than twenty-four hours. It's a very fast read!
This book doesn't have stellar writing. I assumed that the Browns had help writing the book, but it doesn't come across as slick or professional. It reads very much like a self published book written by people with zero writing experience. Maybe this made me like it a little more, giving them kudos for doing it themselves. I'm not sure what the truth it and can't be bothered to investigate.
The format bothered me a bit. The book rotates between Kody and his wives, each taking a chapter to discuss a particular topic, like how they came into the marriage and how being on a reality show has affected their lives. It made the read a bit tedious. I would have preferred it being written interview style and if the story had included the opinions of their children and friends.
Setting aside the writing and format, the Browns have an interesting story and they have put themselves at great risk to tell it. I am from a very small family and growing up an only child without cousins, I find large families to be intriguing. I also love reading about fringe groups and cultures that are different than my own. This is what makes the Browns so appealing, the are definitely outside what would be considered the norm, but in many ways, they are no different than the average American family. If they had not come public, many of their neighbors and coworkers would have had any idea that they practice polygamy.
One message that was repeated throughout the book was the idea of patience and understanding in a marriage. I felt like the Browns gave great relationship advice garnered through their years of being a family. This advice could apply to any type of relationship- couples, friends, relatives. The idea of listening and learning what another person needs and knowing that all needs might not be the same for every person. In creating a strong foundation for any type of relationship, you need to listen to a persons needs and then meet those needs with understanding and compassion. The Browns all echoed the sentiment of striving for their personal best and always working towards that never ending goal. A big part of reaching that goal is connecting with each other and their children, making sure everyone feels loved and a vital part of the team. I know that many people will write off the Browns for their beliefs or the fact that they are on a reality show, but all of that aside, I felt like the book offered some great advice towards being a better person. The Browns are all very clear that they are far from perfect and have many faults, but I think this makes them more sincere. This isn't an advice book and it's anything but preachy, it's just a family telling their story and what works (and doesn't work) for them.
This book doesn't have stellar writing. I assumed that the Browns had help writing the book, but it doesn't come across as slick or professional. It reads very much like a self published book written by people with zero writing experience. Maybe this made me like it a little more, giving them kudos for doing it themselves. I'm not sure what the truth it and can't be bothered to investigate.
The format bothered me a bit. The book rotates between Kody and his wives, each taking a chapter to discuss a particular topic, like how they came into the marriage and how being on a reality show has affected their lives. It made the read a bit tedious. I would have preferred it being written interview style and if the story had included the opinions of their children and friends.
Setting aside the writing and format, the Browns have an interesting story and they have put themselves at great risk to tell it. I am from a very small family and growing up an only child without cousins, I find large families to be intriguing. I also love reading about fringe groups and cultures that are different than my own. This is what makes the Browns so appealing, the are definitely outside what would be considered the norm, but in many ways, they are no different than the average American family. If they had not come public, many of their neighbors and coworkers would have had any idea that they practice polygamy.
One message that was repeated throughout the book was the idea of patience and understanding in a marriage. I felt like the Browns gave great relationship advice garnered through their years of being a family. This advice could apply to any type of relationship- couples, friends, relatives. The idea of listening and learning what another person needs and knowing that all needs might not be the same for every person. In creating a strong foundation for any type of relationship, you need to listen to a persons needs and then meet those needs with understanding and compassion. The Browns all echoed the sentiment of striving for their personal best and always working towards that never ending goal. A big part of reaching that goal is connecting with each other and their children, making sure everyone feels loved and a vital part of the team. I know that many people will write off the Browns for their beliefs or the fact that they are on a reality show, but all of that aside, I felt like the book offered some great advice towards being a better person. The Browns are all very clear that they are far from perfect and have many faults, but I think this makes them more sincere. This isn't an advice book and it's anything but preachy, it's just a family telling their story and what works (and doesn't work) for them.
iamabibliophile's review against another edition
3.0
It was nice to read the thoughts of all of the Brown's. You could aboslutely tell they each wrote down their own personal thoughts and feelings straight from the heart. Very interesting to see a very real dymanic between them all.
I could never, ever live that lifestyle or expose my kids to it. However, I don't see why the Brown's are so persecuted. The government has no say in a spiritual marriage. They are following the letter of the law by only having one civil marriage.
I could never, ever live that lifestyle or expose my kids to it. However, I don't see why the Brown's are so persecuted. The government has no say in a spiritual marriage. They are following the letter of the law by only having one civil marriage.
chelsealeem's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
2.75
Incredibly “fun” read after knowing the current state of the family… until I thought about the kids involved and then I just felt sad.
_laurasbookshelf's review against another edition
2.0
Synopsis
Since TLC first launched its popular reality program Sister Wives, Kody Brown, his four wives—Meri, Janelle, Christine, and Robyn—and their seventeen children have become one of the most famous families in the country.
The uncensored, New York Times bestselling memoir by the polygamist stars of the hit show Sister Wives, Kody and his four wives openly discuss what it’s like living in a plural marriage.
Thoughts
I was interested in reading this book after binge watching 17 seasons of the show because I thought it would fill in the gaps of story lines that the show lightly glossed over - boy was I wrong. There were negative dynamics between the Sister Wives that were brought up, but when the challenges were mentioned the explanations were cut short.
For example, one of the main problems discussed was that the relationship between Meri and Janelle was non-existent, awful even. But no specific examples were covered. As readers, we want to know what events/arguments caused Janelle to pack up the kids and move out for nearly a year, but we never find out. With being under the public eye and wanting to connect with readers, why not take the chance on being totally transparent?
Robyn and Janelle's backstories had the potential to be the most interesting, with both of them having previous monogamous marriages (one with Meri's brother, too) and corresponding divorces. I wanted to hear way more about their lives before becoming a sister wife, but they stop short of telling anything about their previous lives or marriages other than the fact that they happened and subsequently ended.
This book was written 10 years ago and now in 2023 (spoiler) these Sister Wives no longer share a husband. I ultimately wish the best to the wives that have split from Kody. Hopefully, if they choose to write singular books on their individual stories, that they don't repeat the surface level writing that was completed here.
Since TLC first launched its popular reality program Sister Wives, Kody Brown, his four wives—Meri, Janelle, Christine, and Robyn—and their seventeen children have become one of the most famous families in the country.
The uncensored, New York Times bestselling memoir by the polygamist stars of the hit show Sister Wives, Kody and his four wives openly discuss what it’s like living in a plural marriage.
Thoughts
I was interested in reading this book after binge watching 17 seasons of the show because I thought it would fill in the gaps of story lines that the show lightly glossed over - boy was I wrong. There were negative dynamics between the Sister Wives that were brought up, but when the challenges were mentioned the explanations were cut short.
For example, one of the main problems discussed was that the relationship between Meri and Janelle was non-existent, awful even. But no specific examples were covered. As readers, we want to know what events/arguments caused Janelle to pack up the kids and move out for nearly a year, but we never find out. With being under the public eye and wanting to connect with readers, why not take the chance on being totally transparent?
Robyn and Janelle's backstories had the potential to be the most interesting, with both of them having previous monogamous marriages (one with Meri's brother, too) and corresponding divorces. I wanted to hear way more about their lives before becoming a sister wife, but they stop short of telling anything about their previous lives or marriages other than the fact that they happened and subsequently ended.
This book was written 10 years ago and now in 2023 (spoiler) these Sister Wives no longer share a husband. I ultimately wish the best to the wives that have split from Kody. Hopefully, if they choose to write singular books on their individual stories, that they don't repeat the surface level writing that was completed here.
aklo1976's review against another edition
3.0
An interesting read for anyone who has watched TLC's "Sister Wives". Surprisingly more honest than the "couch sessions" shown on the TV show, the Brown Family shares insight on how they came to choose plural marriage, their struggles with jealousy, daily life and their future. Kody Brown and each of his four wives take turns with the narrative, which at times can be repetitive. However, overall I found the book to be fairly compelling.
snarkycrafter's review
emotional
sad
medium-paced
2.0
As far as quality, it's a solid 2. Let's face it, the writing isn't great...but that's probably not why you picked up this book. If you're reading this after watching the the show and the exit of 3 of the 4 wives then you should really enjoy the book. So many things have changed from when they published this book and it's interesting to see them now vs. then.