Free download or read online the 19th wife pdf epub book. What did you think when you started reading the 19th wife. One of these women officially his 19th wife though the number was probably much higher rebelled. The fictional, modern story of a lost boy returning home to the compound after a very disturbing incident concerning his parents, by david ebershoff and the autobiography of ann eliza young, the 19th wife of brigham young. The first part of the novel, two wives, contains prefaces to two very different books. Part of my 2014 challenge to read some books i already own. I learned a great deal about polygamy, the firsts and b.
The first edition of the novel was published in 2008, and was written by david ebershoff. The story of ann eliza youngs crusade against polygamy interwines with a tale of murder involving a polygamist family in presentday utah. Amazon readers gave the 19th wife 4 stars barnes and noble readers gave the 19th wife 4 stars the 19th wife is two stories in one. Friday morning bookclub gives the 19th wife by david. The main characters of this historical, historical story are brigham young, jordan scott. The 19th wife shocked me, but not because of its content. It is the story of ann eliza young the 19th wife of brigham young, and beckylyn the 19th wife of a presentday polygamist leader. Faith, i tell them, is a mystery, elusive to many, and never easy to explain. Mark the date of the next book club party as well as your spot in the current book with this fun bookmark invitation. The book was fantastic, but the movie really fell short. As he says in his authors note, the real ann eliza young actually wrote two memoirs. Jordan is 20 years old, gay and living in pasadena, with a decent job and a dog.
The 19th wife book hennepin county library bibliocommons. Type the party information hosts address, date and time of the party, and what people should bring in a column and print on cardstock. David ebershoffs timely new novel, the 19th wife, mixes fictionalized excerpts from youngs memoir with a contemporary murder mystery that takes place in a mormon sect very similar to the yearning for zion ranch that was in the news so much this spring. Ebershoffs book is a novel which parallels the stories of a modernday fictional 19th wife of a polygamist and the historical 19th wife of brigham young, who divorced him and became an ardent foe of polygamy. I found it to be wellwritten, and enjoyed the various voices he used. Another book club read, and well, the first 100 pages were awesome. The 19th wife is a big book, in every sense of the word. It offers historical and contemporary perspective on one of the worlds fastestgrowing religions and one of its oldest practices, and in the process it does that thing all good novels do.
The result is a book packed with historical illumination, unforgettable characters and the deepest questions about the tenacity of belief. The first, set in 1875, concerns a young woman who. Her name was ann eliza, and she is a central character in ebershoffs book. His fiction has won a number of awards, including the rosenthal foundation award from the american academy of arts and letters, the ferrogrumley award, and the lambda literary award. It sweeps across time and delves deeply into a world long hidden from sight.
With newfound confidence, they each begin to come alive as exciting romances are ignited and old flames. The greatest triumph is the way the 19th wife illuminates the larger landscape of faith. The plot line switches back and forth between the historical fiction story of the 19th wifethe full history of mormonism, and a current day story of a young man who had been excommunicated from his. Two interlinked stories are at play in the 19th wife. Ebershoffs book the 19th wife is a wellresearched and inciteful read about the consequences of celestial or plural marriage a mb d the devastating effects it has on women, children and men. He juxtaposes the world of modern polygamous families down on the remote utaharizona line with the life of a junior wife of 19thcentury mormon patriarch brigham young. After reading the 19th wife by david ebershoff, i had to read this book.
Based on your reading of the 19th wife, what kind of memoirist do you think the real ann eliza young was. It is both a historical fiction and a modern day murder mystery. First thursday book club discussion questions the 19 th wife by david ebershoff april 5, 2012, 2pm. David ebershoff is the author of the novels the 19th wife, pasadena, and the danish girl, and a shortstory collection, the rose city. The 19th wife intertwines ann elizas story with that of jordan scott, a young man whose mother, beckylyn, was the 19th wife of a presentday polygamist leader in utah. I read and did not like the book too much purple prose and too much historical inaccuracy and too much clearly vanity driven inclusions with the murder mystery, which should have been the focus, taking up maybe 5% of the books text. Sweeping and lyrical, spellbinding and unforgettable, david ebershoffs the 19th wife combines epic historical fiction with a modern murder mystery to create a novel of literary suspense. I never felt completely immersed into the world in which david ebershoff is trying to bring me into. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 514 pages and is available in hardcover format. One of the main narratives proceeds from the viewpoint of eliza ann young, who was the nineteenth or twentyseventh or possibly fiftysecond wife of mormon leader brigham young. The psychological impact of children of polygamy was very enlightening. The plot line switches back and forth between the historical fiction story of the 19th wifethe full history of mormonism, and a current day story of a young. Four longtime friends and book club membersdiane keaton, jane fonda, candice bergen and mary steenburgenhave their lives upended when they aim to spice up their mundane routines by reading the provocative bestseller fifty shades of grey. It is 1875, and ann eliza young has recently separated from her powerful husband, brigham young, prophet and leader of the mormon church.
Expelled and an outcast, ann eliza embarks on a crusade to end polygamy in the united states. The 19th wife book jefferson county public library. Ebershoff is a popular novelist best known for his book, the danish girl, which was adapted into a major motion picture. Mar 16, 2020 inspiration and full menus for your next book club meeting. Sweeping and lyrical, spellbinding and unforgettable, david ebershoffs the 19th wife combines epic historical fiction with a modern murder mystery to create a brilliant novel of literary suspense. Ebershoffs books are available in more than twenty languages. The 19th wife a facsinating listenthe narrators did a great job and intertwined the 2 19th wives very well.
There was an unequal focus on the current story vs. Despite the high hurdles ebershoff has erected, the novel flows surprisingly wellin a less talented writers hands, the 19th wife could have turned into a rube goldberg. Beckylyn, the 19th wife of a man belonging to a polygamous religious group, is accused of killing her husband. However, her friend queenie is convinced the woman is not capable of such an act, and. Cut around the text to make a strip perfect for a bookmark and cut two slits in the top. The book is so well written that i had to continually remind myself that it is fiction. Sweeping and lyrical, spellbinding and unforgettable, david ebershoff s the 19th wife combines epic historical fiction with a modern murder mystery to create a brilliant novel of literary suspense. First thursday book club discussion questions the 19 th wife.