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3.52 AVERAGE
3.52 AVERAGE
You'd think so many players in a story would make it too confusing and you'd be right. That's why the author chose to corral the story mostly around three characters: the husband, one of the wives and one of the children. What each of the other family members does throughout the 500 page book isn't as important as their impact on those three.
Golden, the book's main character and the patriarch of the family, is incapable of decisions. And not too smart. Combine those two facts with the chaos of 4 wives and 28 children and you have a pretty likable guy, surprisingly. Most of us in the book group started out not really liking this character. We grew frustrated with his helplessness and his childish way of avoiding confrontations. But there are scenes between him and other characters that endeared us to him and ultimately propelled us further into the story.
Trish, the fourth of four wives, is lonely. Swallowed up by her tiny house set aside from the main family's premises. All she wants is a place within the family. And in a polygamist relationship that means bearing children. She's delicate, pretty and just coming around to the fact that even the fourth wife can gain some control over her situation.
Rusty is the freakazoid 12 year-old son. Desperate for attention from any one of the adults in his family, he acts out in a way unsuitable for his environment. He befriends a guy named June, who indirectly changes the course of all of their lives but not in any way that the reader will suspect. Brady Udall writes Rusty's narrative lovingly and hilariously. Rusty is easily my favorite character in this book.
SPOILERS AHOY AHOY
Honestly, it was a book I didn't expect to like as much as I did. It had every thing against it when I picked it up: fervent religiousity, a mob of potential characters and story lines, the heft of 500+ pages. It's Brady Udall's writing that made it so entertaining and believable. I really have to give him credit here.
Golden is such a sad sack; but you learn so much about how he tries to fit himself into all of these expectations that you can't help feeling overwhelmed and helpless along side him. The storyline of Glory, the car ride at the end of the novel, his treatment of Cooter the terrier all succeeded in turning Golden into a lovable jackass for me. Some of the gags went on a little too long - the gum in the pubic hair and The Barge's role in the story come to mind immediately. But never to a point of jolting out of my pleasant white-water-rapids ride through this book. Rusty's way of thinking is so screwed up but completely believable for a sheltered pre-teen struggling for individuality. Once Trish's past is revealed the reader comes over to her side where her husband and her potential adulterer are concerned. Not an easy feat to achieve in writing.
The switching of narration where each of the wives and the children were referred to by number was smart. Their names and inner workings weren't essential to the plot, so they were labeled away by birth order. I'm from a family of three boys, and I'm often referred to by birth number. Therefore, I'm sure it has to happen in a family of 28 kids. And the fact that Golden repeats his kids names in order to calm himself down is another example of little touches Udall brings to Golden's character to endear him to the reader. It also gave the reader a sense of the broad functions of the family,the community, and even the world. The scenes in the nuclear testing sites, with the other polygamists at church, at the whorehouse all lent themselves to the idea that so much was arcing the fates of the Richards family. Very beautifully done and a touch that, I think, will make this novel timeless.
The author didn't seem to make a judgment on this belief system either. I believe someone in the group mentioned Udall's non-polygamist Mormonism background. Considering the LDS seem pretty adamant in separating themselves from the polygamists, it could have been very easy for him to call that way of living out. The pros and cons were equally on display through out the book. Yes, there were times when my non-polygamist bias came out to judge, but within 20 pages you would read that, for example, the three very different wives stood together to support the fourth in her time of need or the most disciplinarian of the wives accepted responsibility for the raising of one of the more troublesome boys from another branch of the family.
Ugh, I'm glossing over so much.
Overall, I'd suggest reading it and just letting it all wash over you. That, by the way, is not my usual way of reading a book. I'm an analyzer by nature, so the fact that I felt comfortable enough to trust the storytelling and go with it speaks volumes. A perfect read for stretching out on the couch during a blizzard.
Golden, the book's main character and the patriarch of the family, is incapable of decisions. And not too smart. Combine those two facts with the chaos of 4 wives and 28 children and you have a pretty likable guy, surprisingly. Most of us in the book group started out not really liking this character. We grew frustrated with his helplessness and his childish way of avoiding confrontations. But there are scenes between him and other characters that endeared us to him and ultimately propelled us further into the story.
Trish, the fourth of four wives, is lonely. Swallowed up by her tiny house set aside from the main family's premises. All she wants is a place within the family. And in a polygamist relationship that means bearing children. She's delicate, pretty and just coming around to the fact that even the fourth wife can gain some control over her situation.
Rusty is the freakazoid 12 year-old son. Desperate for attention from any one of the adults in his family, he acts out in a way unsuitable for his environment. He befriends a guy named June, who indirectly changes the course of all of their lives but not in any way that the reader will suspect. Brady Udall writes Rusty's narrative lovingly and hilariously. Rusty is easily my favorite character in this book.
SPOILERS AHOY AHOY
Honestly, it was a book I didn't expect to like as much as I did. It had every thing against it when I picked it up: fervent religiousity, a mob of potential characters and story lines, the heft of 500+ pages. It's Brady Udall's writing that made it so entertaining and believable. I really have to give him credit here.
Golden is such a sad sack; but you learn so much about how he tries to fit himself into all of these expectations that you can't help feeling overwhelmed and helpless along side him. The storyline of Glory, the car ride at the end of the novel, his treatment of Cooter the terrier all succeeded in turning Golden into a lovable jackass for me. Some of the gags went on a little too long - the gum in the pubic hair and The Barge's role in the story come to mind immediately. But never to a point of jolting out of my pleasant white-water-rapids ride through this book. Rusty's way of thinking is so screwed up but completely believable for a sheltered pre-teen struggling for individuality. Once Trish's past is revealed the reader comes over to her side where her husband and her potential adulterer are concerned. Not an easy feat to achieve in writing.
The switching of narration where each of the wives and the children were referred to by number was smart. Their names and inner workings weren't essential to the plot, so they were labeled away by birth order. I'm from a family of three boys, and I'm often referred to by birth number. Therefore, I'm sure it has to happen in a family of 28 kids. And the fact that Golden repeats his kids names in order to calm himself down is another example of little touches Udall brings to Golden's character to endear him to the reader. It also gave the reader a sense of the broad functions of the family,the community, and even the world. The scenes in the nuclear testing sites, with the other polygamists at church, at the whorehouse all lent themselves to the idea that so much was arcing the fates of the Richards family. Very beautifully done and a touch that, I think, will make this novel timeless.
The author didn't seem to make a judgment on this belief system either. I believe someone in the group mentioned Udall's non-polygamist Mormonism background. Considering the LDS seem pretty adamant in separating themselves from the polygamists, it could have been very easy for him to call that way of living out. The pros and cons were equally on display through out the book. Yes, there were times when my non-polygamist bias came out to judge, but within 20 pages you would read that, for example, the three very different wives stood together to support the fourth in her time of need or the most disciplinarian of the wives accepted responsibility for the raising of one of the more troublesome boys from another branch of the family.
Ugh, I'm glossing over so much.
Overall, I'd suggest reading it and just letting it all wash over you. That, by the way, is not my usual way of reading a book. I'm an analyzer by nature, so the fact that I felt comfortable enough to trust the storytelling and go with it speaks volumes. A perfect read for stretching out on the couch during a blizzard.
A fine and often hilarious and genuinely heartbreaking book about family. Udall is a spectacular writer.
I liked this book in the beginning, but I got really stuck in the middle. I finished it because it was for my book group, otherwise I would have just quit in the middle. I don't think I like books about wimps or people who don't stand up for themselves or what they believe in. Golden was a wimp, and I was supposed to feel badly for him, but I didn't.
I loved this book. The protagonist, Golden Richards, is a lovable doofus with four wives and over twenty children. Golden is vulnerable, easily led, taciturn, and not very bright. Golden manages to get himself into very deep trouble, and you find yourself worrying for his life at some points. If the man whose wife he's seeing doesn't shoot him and leave him to rot in an underground bunker, one of his woefully neglected and sexually frustrated wives just may. To top this all off, Golden is seriously mourning the loss of a child, which he blames himself for. How will Golden tie all these loose ends in his life while managing to salvage his family?
But honestly, Golden is not the star of this book. That honor goes to his son Rusty, or as he is known by his many siblings, "Ree-pul-SEEvo" or "The Family Terrorist." Rusty is absolutely, gut-wrenchingly hilarious and heartbreaking. He's a typical 11 year old, who finds himself often embarrassed by the situation in his pants. The way Udall writes from Rusty's perspective is seriously perfection. Rusty refers to his family members as "a-holes" and says things like "crud" and "buttfudge." For some reason, Rusty being unwilling to commit to full-on cussing makes him that much more endearing, because no matter how much he hates his life in polygamy, it is still a part of him. Rusty is what I will take away from this book. Even though I rooted for him unrelentingly, I had a sinking suspicion things would not end well for him, which was ultimately heartbreaking. As Rusty himself would say, "What a gyp."
But honestly, Golden is not the star of this book. That honor goes to his son Rusty, or as he is known by his many siblings, "Ree-pul-SEEvo" or "The Family Terrorist." Rusty is absolutely, gut-wrenchingly hilarious and heartbreaking. He's a typical 11 year old, who finds himself often embarrassed by the situation in his pants. The way Udall writes from Rusty's perspective is seriously perfection. Rusty refers to his family members as "a-holes" and says things like "crud" and "buttfudge." For some reason, Rusty being unwilling to commit to full-on cussing makes him that much more endearing, because no matter how much he hates his life in polygamy, it is still a part of him. Rusty is what I will take away from this book. Even though I rooted for him unrelentingly, I had a sinking suspicion things would not end well for him, which was ultimately heartbreaking. As Rusty himself would say, "What a gyp."
Alternates between the really cute and the really dismal, sometimes in the same paragraph.
As a natural atheist introvert, reading about huge polygamous families, even when things are going well for the characters, is horrifying, so I may be a bit biased here. Just mathematically, when people I know can hardly make ends meet with a few kids, reading about a guy with, like, four wives and twenty kids makes me cringe. I cannot imagine the sheer number of people living in two houses. The protagonist (the father/husband) keeps going into the closet for a moment of silence, and I identify.
Which makes the novel sound like a horrorshow -- it's not, or at least I imagine it wouldn't be, for a regular person.
As a natural atheist introvert, reading about huge polygamous families, even when things are going well for the characters, is horrifying, so I may be a bit biased here. Just mathematically, when people I know can hardly make ends meet with a few kids, reading about a guy with, like, four wives and twenty kids makes me cringe. I cannot imagine the sheer number of people living in two houses. The protagonist (the father/husband) keeps going into the closet for a moment of silence, and I identify.
Which makes the novel sound like a horrorshow -- it's not, or at least I imagine it wouldn't be, for a regular person.
this book ended up being very good, after a lot of complicated wanderings. the last ten-ish chapters were actually quite stunning.
I gave up, the characters in this were just not interesting to me at all.
Really couldn't finish it. I was a third of the way through and bored out of my mind. Life is to short to force yourself to read books you aren't interested in...
I'm trying to decide if this book truly deserves 5 stars, or if I just loved it so much because it came as a breath of fresh air after three books in a row that I couldn't bother to finish. At any rate, The Lonely Polygamist deserves at least 4 stars, as an entertaining, well-plotted and written novel full of fascinating characters.
Golden Richards is the "lonely polygamist" of the title, husband to four women, father to more than 20 children. He's a man who mostly takes what life gives him, which is basically how he became a polygamist, but I don't want to give too much of the story away.
The novel is written in third person, but focuses on Golden, Wife #4 (Trish), and his 11-year-old misfit son (Rusty), along with some omniscient narration in which everyone is just referred to by number. The characters are interesting, but believably flawed. Udall reveals bits and pieces of the story through flashbacks, while still keeping the overall narrative easy to follow.
Alternately sad and funny, the novel explores the complications of marriage and family with religious fundamentalism, nuclear testing, a brothel, and much more.
Golden Richards is the "lonely polygamist" of the title, husband to four women, father to more than 20 children. He's a man who mostly takes what life gives him, which is basically how he became a polygamist, but I don't want to give too much of the story away.
The novel is written in third person, but focuses on Golden, Wife #4 (Trish), and his 11-year-old misfit son (Rusty), along with some omniscient narration in which everyone is just referred to by number. The characters are interesting, but believably flawed. Udall reveals bits and pieces of the story through flashbacks, while still keeping the overall narrative easy to follow.
Alternately sad and funny, the novel explores the complications of marriage and family with religious fundamentalism, nuclear testing, a brothel, and much more.