Scan barcode
whatvictoriaread's review
5.0
This was very tough to read in places but I’m so glad that I did. It’s a story that’s been told before but I connected with the two main characters so much that I couldn’t stop reading. Recommended.
hsg's review
2.0
Eberhoff's The 19th Wife is MUCH better on both the historical and contemporary fronts. This was way too predicatable.
athira's review against another edition
3.0
Rachel and Sara are fifteen, an age by when they should be married. In Utah's secret Blood of the Lamb community, that is. When the book begins, their father is taking them to see the prophet to decide who they should marry. Sara is to be wedded to her uncle, while Rachel has received sixteen "testimonies". (For a marriage to be fixed, a male should receive a testimony or a message from God to marry someone.) Rachel's sixteen testimonies send the same message to both her father, who believes Rachel is a slut, and to the prophet, who driven by lust, takes more time to decide Rachel's case.
Now that was a powerful start!
Their community practices polygamy. Their father has four wives, and many children. In order to remember which child belonged to which wife, he devised a naming system that each wife name her children using the same starting character. Each night, the wives take turns in bed with their husband.
Hidden Wives was a very engaging read filled with some strong characters. Sara is outraged at her match. She is not as pretty as her sister, and occasionally feels sad about that. Rachel is a devout. She considers any departure from her faith as blasphemous, and while Sara becomes increasingly distant from her beliefs, Rachel prays even more than usual. When Luke comes to their town because his father wants to convert to the Blood of the Lamb faith, Rachel finds herself falling for him. His hostility towards their religion blanches both Rachel and Sara, but soon Rachel makes it her mission to convert him.
I liked Rachel least of all. It could be because I have a low tolerance for people who are so blinded by their faith that they do not see reason. (Now, before you throw tomatoes at me, let me assure you that there are a number of very devout people among those I love dearly.) Rachel was sometimes... impossible. I felt very exasperated when I found her attributing everything to God, be it good or bad, so when things do go wrong for her, I could hardly feel sympathetic. When Sara was destined to be the fifth wife of her uncle, all Rachel can wish is that she herself becomes the first wife of someone. Sara, on the other hand, was mature. She was quick to reject what goes against her convictions and is more in control of her observance and instinctual skills. When her father beats her, she spends a whole night cursing him. But Rachel only sits back with acceptance.
Hidden Wives was a riveting read. I found myself coming back to it every time I took a break. Still, I had some really minor issues. At times, I found the writing jerky and almost discontinuous, but without taking away my enjoyment of the book. There is one other character who gets suddenly introduced in the latter half of the book. I didn't quite see the point of that because it seemed a little too convenient and unbelievable for me. I also felt that the beginning of the second half was shaky, compared to the rest of the book. Sara and Rachel do things I wouldn't expect of any fifteen-year old who hasn't stepped outside their own community.
Hidden Wives shows humanity at its worst and its best. When one of the wives of a man dies, the remaining wives are serving the men eggs and biscuits, over which they discuss what to do with the body. Everything they do has to be kept from the authorities, so lies are rampant. In addition, the believers pull out their children from their regular school and instead assign them to a single large class that teaches them the tenets of their faith.
The authors have touched upon a lot of themes without overwhelming the reader. At the core is the idea of how much faith one should have in a religion. Along with that, the reader gets a taste of mother-daughter and father-daughter relations at its worst. Man and woman as husband and wife and in a polygamous relation. Rape and lust. Role of women in society. I definitely recommend this read. There is a lot I learned, but mostly I understood how certain customs persist over generations, and how polygamy is still practiced in Utah and neighboring states.
Now that was a powerful start!
Their community practices polygamy. Their father has four wives, and many children. In order to remember which child belonged to which wife, he devised a naming system that each wife name her children using the same starting character. Each night, the wives take turns in bed with their husband.
A woman's purpose or calling is to be a fertile ground for her husband's seed, creating a multitude of saints on earth.
Now that made me sick!
Hidden Wives was a very engaging read filled with some strong characters. Sara is outraged at her match. She is not as pretty as her sister, and occasionally feels sad about that. Rachel is a devout. She considers any departure from her faith as blasphemous, and while Sara becomes increasingly distant from her beliefs, Rachel prays even more than usual. When Luke comes to their town because his father wants to convert to the Blood of the Lamb faith, Rachel finds herself falling for him. His hostility towards their religion blanches both Rachel and Sara, but soon Rachel makes it her mission to convert him.
I liked Rachel least of all. It could be because I have a low tolerance for people who are so blinded by their faith that they do not see reason. (Now, before you throw tomatoes at me, let me assure you that there are a number of very devout people among those I love dearly.) Rachel was sometimes... impossible. I felt very exasperated when I found her attributing everything to God, be it good or bad, so when things do go wrong for her, I could hardly feel sympathetic. When Sara was destined to be the fifth wife of her uncle, all Rachel can wish is that she herself becomes the first wife of someone. Sara, on the other hand, was mature. She was quick to reject what goes against her convictions and is more in control of her observance and instinctual skills. When her father beats her, she spends a whole night cursing him. But Rachel only sits back with acceptance.
Hidden Wives was a riveting read. I found myself coming back to it every time I took a break. Still, I had some really minor issues. At times, I found the writing jerky and almost discontinuous, but without taking away my enjoyment of the book. There is one other character who gets suddenly introduced in the latter half of the book. I didn't quite see the point of that because it seemed a little too convenient and unbelievable for me. I also felt that the beginning of the second half was shaky, compared to the rest of the book. Sara and Rachel do things I wouldn't expect of any fifteen-year old who hasn't stepped outside their own community.
Hidden Wives shows humanity at its worst and its best. When one of the wives of a man dies, the remaining wives are serving the men eggs and biscuits, over which they discuss what to do with the body. Everything they do has to be kept from the authorities, so lies are rampant. In addition, the believers pull out their children from their regular school and instead assign them to a single large class that teaches them the tenets of their faith.
The authors have touched upon a lot of themes without overwhelming the reader. At the core is the idea of how much faith one should have in a religion. Along with that, the reader gets a taste of mother-daughter and father-daughter relations at its worst. Man and woman as husband and wife and in a polygamous relation. Rape and lust. Role of women in society. I definitely recommend this read. There is a lot I learned, but mostly I understood how certain customs persist over generations, and how polygamy is still practiced in Utah and neighboring states.
xeni's review
4.0
The subject of this is crazy: a polygamist community in Utah in which girls are married as young as 12 to men as young as 40.
This story of survival deals mainly with Rachel and Sara, two half sisters who live under their father's thumb. Sara is told to marry her uncle by "divine intervention" and Rachel has 18 men who say that they've been "ordered by god" to marry her. It is so obvious that all these men just think with their pricks. And it is disgusting what they do with the underage girls.
Despite all that, Sara and Rachel manage to escape in one form or another throughout the book in many forms. This story was very suspenseful at times, but overall there was a happy ending and justice served to some of the bigger culprits.
Avery's (who is actually 2 women) writing style was very wonderful. The story flowed, occasionally into humorous turns of phrase. They have a knack of writing not seen in many young adult authors.
I'm glad that I decided to read this book after all. I almost didn't want to, because of the subject matter, but then I figured perhaps I would learn something new. And I definitely did.
This story of survival deals mainly with Rachel and Sara, two half sisters who live under their father's thumb. Sara is told to marry her uncle by "divine intervention" and Rachel has 18 men who say that they've been "ordered by god" to marry her. It is so obvious that all these men just think with their pricks. And it is disgusting what they do with the underage girls.
Despite all that, Sara and Rachel manage to escape in one form or another throughout the book in many forms. This story was very suspenseful at times, but overall there was a happy ending and justice served to some of the bigger culprits.
Avery's (who is actually 2 women) writing style was very wonderful. The story flowed, occasionally into humorous turns of phrase. They have a knack of writing not seen in many young adult authors.
I'm glad that I decided to read this book after all. I almost didn't want to, because of the subject matter, but then I figured perhaps I would learn something new. And I definitely did.
akalexander24's review
5.0
Oh my goodness. This book is good. {P.S.--I'm not just saying that because I won a free copy from Goodreads First Reads.)
Hidden Wives centres around two teenagers named Sara and Rachel, both fifteen (though Rachel turns sixteen during the novel). They're sisters, or rather, half-sisters--Sara's mother is Anna Marx. Rachel's mother is Marylee Shaw. Both women are married to the girls' father, Abraham Shaw. They live in a polygamists' cult called Blood of the Lamb, in Utah. Both believe that marrying a man--most likely at least twenty or thirty years older, probably already with a few wives already--is the only way for them to keep from going to hell.
Sara's beginning to get skeptical. She's quickly discovering that she's too smart to ignore what she's seeing, blindly trust what she's taught. Unfortunately, others are seeing it, too.
Rachel believes in her religion with all her heart. No matter what, she is determined to always believe. Even when she's hurt, physically and mentally. Even when she falls in love. She's willing to stand by her religion until the very end...
The novels tells a gritty story, full of hurt and pain. But it's also undoubtedly a story of hope, and a story of truth. Highly emotional yet never graphic, Claire Avery (a pseudonym for the pair of sisters who wrote the book together) has brought a usually hidden reality into light with this new novel Hidden Wives. A fast-paced page turner, I read the last two hundred pages straight through. Highly recommended.
(Reviewed for my blog, accessible here.)
Hidden Wives centres around two teenagers named Sara and Rachel, both fifteen (though Rachel turns sixteen during the novel). They're sisters, or rather, half-sisters--Sara's mother is Anna Marx. Rachel's mother is Marylee Shaw. Both women are married to the girls' father, Abraham Shaw. They live in a polygamists' cult called Blood of the Lamb, in Utah. Both believe that marrying a man--most likely at least twenty or thirty years older, probably already with a few wives already--is the only way for them to keep from going to hell.
Sara's beginning to get skeptical. She's quickly discovering that she's too smart to ignore what she's seeing, blindly trust what she's taught. Unfortunately, others are seeing it, too.
Rachel believes in her religion with all her heart. No matter what, she is determined to always believe. Even when she's hurt, physically and mentally. Even when she falls in love. She's willing to stand by her religion until the very end...
The novels tells a gritty story, full of hurt and pain. But it's also undoubtedly a story of hope, and a story of truth. Highly emotional yet never graphic, Claire Avery (a pseudonym for the pair of sisters who wrote the book together) has brought a usually hidden reality into light with this new novel Hidden Wives. A fast-paced page turner, I read the last two hundred pages straight through. Highly recommended.
(Reviewed for my blog, accessible here.)
createassemblage's review
1.0
Couldn't keep it in my hands long enough to throw it across the room. Junk.
anrobe's review
5.0
What a gem this book is! I enjoyed every moment of reading it. It grabbed me from page one and didn't let go of me for a moment. This is one of those books that you don't want to put down because you can't wait to see what will happen next. And, then, you're sad when it is over because it was so fantastic!
The world created in this novel is so fascinating ... the characters are so well drawn and well written. The two sisters that are the central characters of the novel are amazingly relate-able. I was drawn into their world and into their journey immediately.
I've read several novels and non-fiction accounts of polygamist sects and this is one of the best I've read. It presents all of the issues facing the characters so flawlessly. Claire Avery brought a lot of the issues to the forefront without ever coming across as preachy or judgmental. In many cases, the descriptions of the abuse experienced in the book were brutal but well written. I was impressed with how well Claire Avery handled those brutal aspects of the story. I see that other reviewers have suggested that it would be a great book for book clubs because of how much there would be to discuss. I have to agree wholeheartedly!
The writing is excellent, the attention to detail in the story was well done and the characterizations were excellent. The pacing of the novel was wonderful - it kept me on the edge of my seat! I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised to find out that this is a debut novel. It's fantastic! This is a novel that I definitely recommend ... and I eagerly await future books by Claire Avery!
The world created in this novel is so fascinating ... the characters are so well drawn and well written. The two sisters that are the central characters of the novel are amazingly relate-able. I was drawn into their world and into their journey immediately.
I've read several novels and non-fiction accounts of polygamist sects and this is one of the best I've read. It presents all of the issues facing the characters so flawlessly. Claire Avery brought a lot of the issues to the forefront without ever coming across as preachy or judgmental. In many cases, the descriptions of the abuse experienced in the book were brutal but well written. I was impressed with how well Claire Avery handled those brutal aspects of the story. I see that other reviewers have suggested that it would be a great book for book clubs because of how much there would be to discuss. I have to agree wholeheartedly!
The writing is excellent, the attention to detail in the story was well done and the characterizations were excellent. The pacing of the novel was wonderful - it kept me on the edge of my seat! I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised to find out that this is a debut novel. It's fantastic! This is a novel that I definitely recommend ... and I eagerly await future books by Claire Avery!
celebrin's review
3.0
I began this on a Friday and finished it the next Saturday morning. I thought it was an excellent book, but the characters were a little one-dimensional. I'd recommend Escape more.
anastaciaknits's review
3.0
it was okay, but the story was a little too neat and perfect (aka not realistic because the story just fell into place). I much prefer memoirs to fiction when it comes to polygamy books