The 19th Wife

The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff is an amazing tale of the Mormons and polygamy. Ebershoff is a master storyteller, weaving in the history of Mormonism and polygamy with a current day tale from a compound in Utah.

It is clear that The 19th Wife was well researched and even though it is published as a work of fiction, you get a better understanding of the Mormon religion.

Ebershoff weaves in the history of Ann Eliza, Brigham Young's 19th wife, through a memoir of her own (she did in fact publish a memoir after leaving the church, but it is not completely and fully replicated here). Between that is the story of BeckyLyn and her excommunicated son, Jordan. BeckyLyn has been accused of killing her husband - and incidentally she is his 19th wife.

You feel pulled along by both tales and are curious to learn more. There are some holes in the story, but after reading the interview with the author at the back of the book, those appear to due to lack of information, not any error by the author.

The 19th Wife is the type of book I love, one that has interesting characters, a good plot and gives you a view into a world you don't have access to.

Family Album

I enjoyed The Photograph by Penelope Lively and was interested in reading her latest novel, Family Album.

Family Album centers around the Harper family who occupy a sprawling Edwardian house, Allersmead, outside London. The novel is told from the varying perspective of the six children, parents, au pair and other family members and jumps back and forth across the years.

Lively sometimes alludes to life changing events which turn out to be mundane and what turns out to be the family secret is handled as just a fact. But all of that just leads you to believe that this family is like all others - with various issues and unforgotten hurts.

Lively is a wonderful author who is a master at examining the small and large events form one's vision of herself.