"Faith, I tell them, is a mystery, elusive to many, and never easy to explain. Now, with the publication of this autobiography, my enemies will no doubt suspect my motives....Simply, I wish to expose the tragic state of polygamy's women, who must live in bondage not seen in this country since the abolishment of slavery a decade ago; and to reveal the lamentable situation of its children, lonely as they are."
-Ann Eliza Young, 1874, from the novel
Anticipating a trip to Utah I searched our library for Utah fiction and The 19th Wife popped up. The description intrigued me so I checked out the e-version for my Kindle to read during our journey. I didn't realize it was 500+ pages but I did finish it by the end of our 10-day tour of the Utah national parks.
Our Road Scholar tour began in St. George, UT which was founded by Mormons, a fact I didn't know before we arrived. The first day and a half of our program involved some local history which made the book even more interesting since it is set in SW Utah and St. George is even one of the settings of the story.
The author weaves two stories---of nineteenth century Ann Eliza Young, one of many wives of Brigham Young who becomes an apostate of the Mormon church and a fervent crusader against polygamy. She is an actual historic figure and in fact, wrote 2 autobiographies called Wife No.19 (1875) and Life in Mormon Bondage (1908). (I refer you to the quote above). Though she refers to herself as the 19th wife, there is much confusion as to her actual position.
The second story, set in the 21st century, involves Jordan Scott, a young man who was excommunicated by the LDS church and kicked out by his mother at the age of 13. When Jordan discovers that his mother has been arrested for murdering his father, he is compelled to return to SW Utah and gets caught up in trying to prove her innocence. One would expect Ann Eliza's and Jordan's stories to eventually connect and they do in an interesting way.
The author includes "documents"---sermons, letters, research pieces, news articles, etc. that move Ann Eliza's story forward, sometimes informative but often slowing the pace of the plot. (Some are apparently based on fact or may be actual documents.) I found the interview with the author quite fascinating---how he came to write this novel and why he chose the story-in-a-story format.
Before reading the novel, I knew little about the Mormon faith or history. Mostly I knew members are required to do mission work and many have large families. What I learned from the novel didn't shed a very positive light on the subject. In spite of the controversy of celestial marriage the author admits Brigham Young had a huge impact on the settling of the West. I can't help but wonder how a person of the Mormon faith would react to The 19th Wife. I will rate it a 3.5. I'm glad I read it, it served my purpose and it was informative. Some parts I found engaging and others, a bit tedious. Probably not for everyone!
Saturday, October 21, 2017
Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger
"'Heavenly Father, for the blessings of this food and these friends and our families, we thank you. In Jesus's name, amen.'
That was it. That was all of it. A grace so ordinary there was no reason at all to remember it. Yet I have never across the forty years since it was spoken forgotten a single word."
-Jake Drum's prayer and brother Frank's reaction, from the novel
Someone had given me this paperback edition some time ago. Wish I remembered who---I'd thank him/her. I enjoyed it very much; I'll rate it a 5. Short chapters and frequent foreshadowing make it a true page-turner.
Young Frank Drum and younger brother Jake are the sons of an itinerant rural preacher in Minnesota. Frank is 13 years old the summer of 1961 when there is a series of mysterious deaths, including one of traumatic consequence to the family. The plot takes a number of twists and turns until finally a killer is revealed and it surely took ME by surprise!
The time setting was nostalgic for me since I was a teenager in 1961. There were mentions of such cultural memories as drive-in movies and TV shows like "Have Gun, Will Travel," "Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color," "The Ed Sullivan Show" and others.
The relationship between Frank and Jake was realistic and quite touching, I thought. Gus was a very likeable character, as well---though a heavy drinker and not a relative, he seemed to hold the Drum family together in many ways. Frank is telling this story from his youth 40 years later which makes for an interesting perspective. I definitely recommend Ordinary Grace.
That was it. That was all of it. A grace so ordinary there was no reason at all to remember it. Yet I have never across the forty years since it was spoken forgotten a single word."
-Jake Drum's prayer and brother Frank's reaction, from the novel
Someone had given me this paperback edition some time ago. Wish I remembered who---I'd thank him/her. I enjoyed it very much; I'll rate it a 5. Short chapters and frequent foreshadowing make it a true page-turner.
Young Frank Drum and younger brother Jake are the sons of an itinerant rural preacher in Minnesota. Frank is 13 years old the summer of 1961 when there is a series of mysterious deaths, including one of traumatic consequence to the family. The plot takes a number of twists and turns until finally a killer is revealed and it surely took ME by surprise!
The time setting was nostalgic for me since I was a teenager in 1961. There were mentions of such cultural memories as drive-in movies and TV shows like "Have Gun, Will Travel," "Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color," "The Ed Sullivan Show" and others.
The relationship between Frank and Jake was realistic and quite touching, I thought. Gus was a very likeable character, as well---though a heavy drinker and not a relative, he seemed to hold the Drum family together in many ways. Frank is telling this story from his youth 40 years later which makes for an interesting perspective. I definitely recommend Ordinary Grace.
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