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ashleyhoss820's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
lawrierl's review against another edition
4.0
very interesting look into early Latter-Day Saints by way of a fictionalized novel.
nm_young's review against another edition
4.0
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
4 Stars= It was a very good read. Might read it again
TRIGGER WARNING: SEXUAL AND PHSYICAL ABUSE, HOMOPHOBIA, POLYGAMY, MURDER, RELIGION!
POV: Single, First Person (Present storyline), Multiple, First Person (Historical storyline)
Series/Standalone: Standalone
Part of an interconnected series: No
Safe or Dark: Darkish (See trigger warning above)
First and foremost, I want to say that I respect all religions. People are free to believe and have faith in whatever they want, as long as it isn't hurting themselves or someone else. Polygamy included. With that being said, I do believe the FLDS (NOT THE LDS) are a harmful organization and view them as a cult. While this does not affect my review of the book, I just felt the need to make that clear.
I picked up this book because I have been interested in learning about the earlier days of different religions and enjoy learning about religions and even cults. My husband's surname is Young, he is a descendent of Nicholas Ephraim Young (the first commissioner of baseball), and for some insane reason I am wholeheartedly convinced that he is also in some way related to Brigham Young. Therefore, I have been doing a bunch of research to try and find an answer to that. It is my new life goal.
While I enjoyed the story overall, I found myself more interested in the historical parts of the book (Ann Eliza Young's story, Chauncey Webb's diary, etc.) than the "mystery" aspect of the story set in the present. (Although, I could have done without the parts of Kelly Dee’s master’s thesis. Those essays of hers sure did drag on. I could have done without some of the family member’s letters as well.) Even though we do not know how historically accurate any of the information given in the story was, what was true and what was fabricated by David Ebershoff? It was entertaining regardless.
The transition between past and present flowed nicely together. It didn't feel like the timeline was jumping around too much or too choppy. However, the current story that Ebershoff spun about Jordan Scott, his mom, and the FLDS just didn't have enough excitement for something that was supposed to be a murder mystery, but in the end we get all the answers we were looking for, so I suppose that is something.
The book did get me thinking about Ann Eliza Young and her standing in history. It has made me want to read her book, Wife No. 19. Which I am sure will also leave me and other people wondering what parts of her story are true and which are pure fabrication. We weren't there, so we will never know. Was she truly a pioneer for women's rights and the abolishment of polygamy? Was she truly treated this way by Brigham Young and his harem of wives, or was she a woman who felt wronged by her husband(s) and religion, spewing out lies? But I digress.
I enjoyed this book, and I think it is worth a read.
4 Stars= It was a very good read. Might read it again
TRIGGER WARNING: SEXUAL AND PHSYICAL ABUSE, HOMOPHOBIA, POLYGAMY, MURDER, RELIGION!
POV: Single, First Person (Present storyline), Multiple, First Person (Historical storyline)
Series/Standalone: Standalone
Part of an interconnected series: No
Safe or Dark: Darkish (See trigger warning above)
First and foremost, I want to say that I respect all religions. People are free to believe and have faith in whatever they want, as long as it isn't hurting themselves or someone else. Polygamy included. With that being said, I do believe the FLDS (NOT THE LDS) are a harmful organization and view them as a cult. While this does not affect my review of the book, I just felt the need to make that clear.
I picked up this book because I have been interested in learning about the earlier days of different religions and enjoy learning about religions and even cults. My husband's surname is Young, he is a descendent of Nicholas Ephraim Young (the first commissioner of baseball), and for some insane reason I am wholeheartedly convinced that he is also in some way related to Brigham Young. Therefore, I have been doing a bunch of research to try and find an answer to that. It is my new life goal.
While I enjoyed the story overall, I found myself more interested in the historical parts of the book (Ann Eliza Young's story, Chauncey Webb's diary, etc.) than the "mystery" aspect of the story set in the present. (Although, I could have done without the parts of Kelly Dee’s master’s thesis. Those essays of hers sure did drag on. I could have done without some of the family member’s letters as well.) Even though we do not know how historically accurate any of the information given in the story was, what was true and what was fabricated by David Ebershoff? It was entertaining regardless.
The transition between past and present flowed nicely together. It didn't feel like the timeline was jumping around too much or too choppy. However, the current story that Ebershoff spun about Jordan Scott, his mom, and the FLDS just didn't have enough excitement for something that was supposed to be a murder mystery, but in the end we get all the answers we were looking for, so I suppose that is something.
The book did get me thinking about Ann Eliza Young and her standing in history. It has made me want to read her book, Wife No. 19. Which I am sure will also leave me and other people wondering what parts of her story are true and which are pure fabrication. We weren't there, so we will never know. Was she truly a pioneer for women's rights and the abolishment of polygamy? Was she truly treated this way by Brigham Young and his harem of wives, or was she a woman who felt wronged by her husband(s) and religion, spewing out lies? But I digress.
I enjoyed this book, and I think it is worth a read.
book_concierge's review against another edition
3.0
Audio book performed by Kimberly Farr, Rebecca Lowman, Arthur Morey, and Daniel Passer
3.5***
There are two completely different, yet connected, storylines in this novel.
In contemporary Utah, a man is murdered at his desk. He is a polygamist and was online playing poker when he sent a quick message to halt the game because “wife # 19 is here.” Jordan Scott cannot believe that his mother was the shooter, yet her fingerprints are all over the weapon and so she sits in jail facing possible execution. How Jordan returns to the rural, secluded community, where The Prophet rules the members of his religious cult, to prove his mother’s innocence forms the basis of the contemporary portion of the book.
Juxtaposed with that story is the background of Ann Eliza Webb Dee Young – Brigham Young’s so-called 19th Wife. Set in the latter half of the 19th century, this historical novel explores the beginnings of the Church of Christ of Latter Day Saints, and the issues that led to the Church’s denouncing of polygamy.
The novel moves back and forth between the story lines. I’ve read a number of reviews that criticize Ebershoff for this technique. It’s a difficult style to pull off, and I thought he did a reasonably good job of it. I was never confused about what timeframe I was in, and I thought jumping back and forth helped to build tension and suspense. That being said, I was much more interested in the historical aspect of the novel. The contemporary murder mystery had too many holes in it and ended unsatisfactorily. But Ann Eliza’s story was fascinating to me, and it was that portion that really kept me reading. I’d rate the historical novel 4**** and the contemporary mystery 2**. That would average to 3, but I think that would be a little low for the overall book. So I rate it 3.5*** - a little better than average.
The audio book was very good. Using four different performers really helped to clearly identify the story lines and differentiate the many characters.
3.5***
There are two completely different, yet connected, storylines in this novel.
In contemporary Utah, a man is murdered at his desk. He is a polygamist and was online playing poker when he sent a quick message to halt the game because “wife # 19 is here.” Jordan Scott cannot believe that his mother was the shooter, yet her fingerprints are all over the weapon and so she sits in jail facing possible execution. How Jordan returns to the rural, secluded community, where The Prophet rules the members of his religious cult, to prove his mother’s innocence forms the basis of the contemporary portion of the book.
Juxtaposed with that story is the background of Ann Eliza Webb Dee Young – Brigham Young’s so-called 19th Wife. Set in the latter half of the 19th century, this historical novel explores the beginnings of the Church of Christ of Latter Day Saints, and the issues that led to the Church’s denouncing of polygamy.
The novel moves back and forth between the story lines. I’ve read a number of reviews that criticize Ebershoff for this technique. It’s a difficult style to pull off, and I thought he did a reasonably good job of it. I was never confused about what timeframe I was in, and I thought jumping back and forth helped to build tension and suspense. That being said, I was much more interested in the historical aspect of the novel. The contemporary murder mystery had too many holes in it and ended unsatisfactorily. But Ann Eliza’s story was fascinating to me, and it was that portion that really kept me reading. I’d rate the historical novel 4**** and the contemporary mystery 2**. That would average to 3, but I think that would be a little low for the overall book. So I rate it 3.5*** - a little better than average.
The audio book was very good. Using four different performers really helped to clearly identify the story lines and differentiate the many characters.
shareen17's review against another edition
2.0
This book deals with polygamy with a present day story and a story set in the times of Brigham Young. At times I thought the author showed good skill at delving into the motivations and sympathies of a wide cast of characters. I thought some of the methods of storytelling used here, so-called 'historical documents' written by the author, made the story feel disjointed and a little slow. I am no fan of polygamy, but it also sometimes seemed unfair the way some past events were presented as fact which are actually highly disputed.
waynediane's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting history of the Mormon religious history and polygamy. The problem with the book is time frames. There was at least one story in a story, so keeping it straight fact vs. fiction made it difficult at times to follow.
mbkarapcik's review against another edition
3.0
Jordan Scott, banished from the polygamous community in Utah where he grew up, returns to prove that his mother, the so-called 19th wife, did not kill his father. She's on death row, and there's a limited amount of time to get her exonerated. In between the engaging story of Jordan and his quest, you learn about Ann Eliza Young, also the supposed 19th wife, who went against her husband, prophet and Mormon church leader, Brigham Young, to crusade against plural marriage in the 1870s.
Jordan's story elucidates the modern day juxtaposition of fundamentalist sects and those not involved in the community or those who left the community. He leaves his life in California to solve this mystery and gets reacquainted with his former homeland, his relatives, and makes new acquaintances to help him come to terms with the events that occurred. His story is quick-paced and surprising--you're in this journey with him and on his side. He meets up with diverse groups of people, and you get a smattering of life within a fundamentalist sect and other unusual stories.
While some of Ann Eliza's story is interesting in hearing about the history of the Mormon church and some of its more scandalous roots, you slog along with the history and collegiate documents. It drags a lot, so that's why I gave this a three and not a four. Sometimes, I just couldn't wait to exit those passages. Yes, getting some of the history was helpful, but there was just too much of it. Although I wasn't expecting another "Big Love"-type of story, I was expecting a more exciting story rather than a somewhat dry history. Unlike in the TV show, you don't feel much empathy for those continuing the unlawful tradition of plural marriage.
Jordan's story elucidates the modern day juxtaposition of fundamentalist sects and those not involved in the community or those who left the community. He leaves his life in California to solve this mystery and gets reacquainted with his former homeland, his relatives, and makes new acquaintances to help him come to terms with the events that occurred. His story is quick-paced and surprising--you're in this journey with him and on his side. He meets up with diverse groups of people, and you get a smattering of life within a fundamentalist sect and other unusual stories.
While some of Ann Eliza's story is interesting in hearing about the history of the Mormon church and some of its more scandalous roots, you slog along with the history and collegiate documents. It drags a lot, so that's why I gave this a three and not a four. Sometimes, I just couldn't wait to exit those passages. Yes, getting some of the history was helpful, but there was just too much of it. Although I wasn't expecting another "Big Love"-type of story, I was expecting a more exciting story rather than a somewhat dry history. Unlike in the TV show, you don't feel much empathy for those continuing the unlawful tradition of plural marriage.
reikista's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
katielee1220's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The book could have been cut down 200 pages and there could have been less history.