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A review by book_concierge
The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff
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.