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3.52 AVERAGE
3.52 AVERAGE
This book was hilarious, heart-wrenching, and at some points just cringing. But overall it was a great book to get lost in.
It was an interesting view of life in a polygamist family...the lonely part makes complete sense.
Wow was that ever depressing. I didn’t feel a tad bit of sympathy for a single adult in the story (well maybe some for the person kicked out of his polygamist family but really he is more boy than man). You surely won’t want to run out and join a polygamist group after reading this one.
Love his writing style, and always an interesting, unique story.
Turns out I didn’t pause it and kept going. I’m glad I did because it certainly was an interesting story. Often comedy and soap opera, it was also farce and tragedy. Udall uses some strange perspective shifts at time that didn’t always work for me, but he offers many touching insights and truths into the human condition. His choice of location and context of uranium mining and bomb test sites was a fascinating undercurrent, but some of that came in later than I would have liked.
Not sure it needed to be 600 pages, but it still kept me reading, so…
Not sure it needed to be 600 pages, but it still kept me reading, so…
A good read. At first Golden Richards (the "lonely polygamist" in question) was frustrating and whiny, but he got better. The ending was definitely bittersweet, but there were a lot of nice quirky moments throughout to keep me going.
The ultimate dysfunctional family novel. Not a likable character among them. And, as far as I was concerned, a lack of any sort of resolution. Still, one of the most compelling and engaging reads I've had in a long time.
I was so looking forward to this book but ultimately it was disappointing. The multiple 3rd person character perspective shifts offered some dimension to the story but I didn't really connect to the story emotionally because of the characters and sparse, slow writing style. I thought it might be cooler to explore other perspectives unseen (the other wives and children) to really give depth (Rusty really creeped me out!). It also was really long and although it picked up in plot towards the end it was tough to get through. An interesting topic for sure but I'll stick to Big Love on HBO!
This book was essentially Big Love in novel form. Being extremely intrigued by polygamous culture, I enjoyed reading the fictional account of a family straining to manage the inevitable stress that comes with being a part of such a large family. At 600 pages, it was not an incredibly quick read, but everything seemed to come together in the end.
i absolutely loved this book!
and i think the author used a great idea: sure, we aren't all polygamists, but we all come from families, and lots of us have a spouse, and maybe some children...
with the polygamist approach, the pitfalls of marriage can be exaggerated and even be worthy of complaint. it becomes more of a plot point than an indulgence.
anyhow - this book was laugh out loud funny in spots, and then you'd be caught off guard by a tender or sad chapter. like a little bit of sugar to help the medicine go down.
the book is told from 3 character's perpectives - the husband, one wife, and one son (named rusty: hands down my favorite character!). and they are all lonely.
that's another poignant point this polygamist family can exaggerate: how can someone be lonely in such a huge family? but life-giving relationships need to be fed with real contact, understanding, and communication. even with only one spouse and a few children, it can be hard to sustain. meanwhile, this man has 4 wives and 28 children!
lastly, i liked that no one turned their back on polygamy at the resolve of the book. that would be preachy and judgemental of a lifestyle, instead of keeping this man's family symbolic for our own life and connections.
and i think the author used a great idea: sure, we aren't all polygamists, but we all come from families, and lots of us have a spouse, and maybe some children...
with the polygamist approach, the pitfalls of marriage can be exaggerated and even be worthy of complaint. it becomes more of a plot point than an indulgence.
anyhow - this book was laugh out loud funny in spots, and then you'd be caught off guard by a tender or sad chapter. like a little bit of sugar to help the medicine go down.
the book is told from 3 character's perpectives - the husband, one wife, and one son (named rusty: hands down my favorite character!). and they are all lonely.
that's another poignant point this polygamist family can exaggerate: how can someone be lonely in such a huge family? but life-giving relationships need to be fed with real contact, understanding, and communication. even with only one spouse and a few children, it can be hard to sustain. meanwhile, this man has 4 wives and 28 children!
lastly, i liked that no one turned their back on polygamy at the resolve of the book. that would be preachy and judgemental of a lifestyle, instead of keeping this man's family symbolic for our own life and connections.