The Glovemaker: A Novel

Written by Ann Weisgarber

Narrated by Karen Peakes and Mikael Naramore

A Publishers Weekly starred review

In the inhospitable lands of the Utah Territory, during the winter of 1888, thirty-seven-year-old Deborah Tyler waits for her husband, Samuel, to return home from his travels as a wheelwright. It is now the depths of winter, Samuel is weeks overdue, and Deborah is getting worried.

Deborah lives in Junction, a tiny town of seven Mormon families scattered along the floor of a canyon, and she earns her living by tending orchards and making work gloves. Isolated by the red-rock cliffs that surround the town, she and her neighbors live apart from the outside world, even regarded with suspicion by the Mormon faithful who question the depth of their belief.

When a desperate stranger who is pursued by a Federal Marshal shows up on her doorstep seeking refuge, it sets in motion a chain of events that will turn her life upside down. The man, a devout Mormon, is on the run from the US government, which has ruled the practice of polygamy to be a felony. Although Deborah is not devout and doesn’t subscribe to polygamy, she is distrustful of non-Mormons with their long tradition of persecuting believers of her wider faith.

But all is not what it seems, and when the Marshal is critically injured, Deborah and her husband’s best friend, Nels Anderson, are faced with life and death decisions that question their faith, humanity, and both of their futures.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Release date: Feb 5, 2019
• ISBN: 9781978648463

Ann Weisgarber

Ann Weisgarber was born and raised in Kettering, Ohio. After graduating from Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, she was a social worker in a psychiatric hospital before moving to Houston, Texas, with her husband. She earned a Master of Arts in Sociology at the University of Houston and taught high school and later, sociology at a junior college. She has lived in Boston, Massachusetts, and Des Moines, Iowa, but now splits her time between Sugar Land, Texas, and Galveston, Texas. The Glovemaker is her third novel.

Reviews for The Glovemaker

[brokenteepee · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Deborah is a woman living in Utah territory with her husband Samuel, a wheelwright. He leaves every year to travel to different parts of the territory to help repair wagon wheels and other things for people in various Mormon towns. For Deborah and Samuel are members of the Latter Day Saints but they, like most of the other members of their town of Junction don’t believe in plural marriage. The country at the time is very much up in arms about the Latter Day Saints, the religion they don’t understand and in particular polygamy.The town of junction is full of Saints that are not quite so committed to the Church but are still believers. Only one family has a plural marriage, the other married couples are just one man/one woman. But Samuel, Deborah and their neighbor Nels will still help their fellow Mormans – when polygamists are being chased for breaking the law they come through the town of Junction and through a series of steps are helped to safety. But one night, in January – which is the wrong time of year for someone to be trying to cross the territory due to the weather – a man comes to Deborah’s door. Samuel is late back from his usual circuit. There was a rockslide on the route so Nels has said it would take him 6 weeks longer to get home. Deborah is counting the days awaiting his return.The man that arrives gives all the right phrases but he still makes her uneasy. Deborah just wants him to get on his way. But trouble is soon to follow as a Federal Marshal soon shows up looking for the man. From there life gets complicated for all the inhabitants of Junction.This is not a long book (312 pages) but there is a lot of story packed into those pages. This is my third book by Ms. Weisgarber and I love how she takes a relatively unknown piece of history and weaves such a rich and detailed story. The Glovemaker doesn’t cover an expansive period of time and the issues it discusses are not widely known outside of Morman history. That’s what makes her books so fascinating – they open windows to America’s past but not in big and booming ways but rather through tales of strong women.This was a book that pulled me in from the beginning. The descriptions of the territory and its cold isolation in the winter months had me shivering. The fear Deborah felt was palpable and her love and concern for her husband really came through – not to mention her anger at him for leaving her for so long every year so he could travel and explore. She understood on one level it was his work but she also knew it was more than work for him.In reading the Glovemaker I found myself quite surprised when the book ended as I had become so immersed in the lives of the people of Junction. I didn’t want to leave. I did read the book in one sitting with just a slight break in between for a doctor’s appointment. I’m keeping it for a second read at another time for I suspect that it will only improve in time. And I will anxiously await Ms. Weisgarber’s next book.

[nancynova · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Set in Utah, And no surprise, it's about Mormons. Several have settled in some harsh desert canyons, helping men who are being pursued by the authorities for bigamy escape to another town to hide. Only one man's pursuer didn't seem right and he inadvertently was injured....turns out that although a lawman, he was really a disgruntled father. I'm not sure why the title, except the woman does make gloves, but it doesn't add much to the story.

[heatherlinc · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This was a quiet, slow moving novel about a woman living in an isolated Mormon town in Utah. If you are looking for a story full of action and adventure, this is definitely NOT for you. However, I actually enjoyed the simplicity and slower pace of "The Glovemaker" and the author did a wonderful job bringing the time and place alive.The historical aspect of the Mormon church and the hardships Deborah faced living in Utah while her husband was away were fascinating. I also liked the dual narrative that was shared between Deborah and Nels. Both of them found themselves in a situation which led them to question their beliefs, traditions and sense of duty. I liked both Nels and Deborah, especially Deborah, who displayed quiet courage and compassion. Occasionally her husband, Samuel, also had a voice through the letters he wrote to his wife.Overall, a nice read.

[kbranfield-837433 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Set in 1888, The Glovemaker by Ann Weisgarber is an engrossing historical novel that offers a fascinating glimpse of the Mormon faith.

Thirty-seven year old Deborah Tyler is growing increasingly concerned about her missing husband, Samuel. He left months earlier on his annual journey as a wheelwright.  She has not received the usual letters he sends to her but she is reassured by her step-brother-in-law and friend Nels Anderson. Nels' theory is a rock slide forced Samuel to turn around and take a much longer route home.  Enough time has passed that they believe Samuel will be home any day. However, their lives are upended when Nels and Deborah help a polygamist evade capture by a federal Marshal.  After an altercation leaves the Marshal  fighting for his life, Deborah and Nels do everything they can to protect themselves and their close-knit community from any future harm.  Both remain on edge as they wait for the  Marshal's traveling partners to  make their way to their enclave. At the same time,  Deborah's fears for Samuel's safety intensify as he fails to return home.

Deborah and Samuel adhere to many tenets of their Mormon faith but they decided to join Nels in Junction, Utah due to their dissatisfaction with some elements of their religion.  Joined by a few more families, they still practice their faith but in a more relaxed fashion.  With the exception of one family, the small community does not believe in polygamy. In fact, Nels, Deborah and Samuel provide assistance to polygamists who are fleeing deputies who have warrants for their arrest.

While anxiously awaiting Samuel's return, Deborah offers assistance to one of these men. She is very uneasy since few deputies pursue polygamists during the winter months.  Sheltering him for one worrisome night, Deborah sends him to Nels who will take him to safety. Apprehensive the snow-covered ground will reveal their assistance, she takes steps to conceal that he was on her premises. Deborah's fears are realized when the Marshall shows up and confronts her with the evidence that she aided the fugitive.

The situation quickly turns dire when Nels seeks Deborah's help for the gravely injured Marshall. Despite Nels' best efforts to protect her, she quickly realizes they are in serious jeopardy.  Although she would rather not help the Marshall, Deborah's faith will not allow her to abandon him in his time of need.  After her worst fears about his condition are realized, Deborah and Nels do everything they can to protect themselves and the other residents from future repercussions.

Based on true life events, The Glovemaker is a well-written and engaging historical novel. The pacing is a little slow but this adds to the overall tension as the events play out against harsh weather conditions in an extremely isolated area. Deborah and Nels are well-developed characters whose compassion for others could lead to their downfall.  Ann Weisgarber provides a sensitive and nuanced portrayal of a little known time in Mormon history.  A well-researched and thought-provoking novel that I greatly enjoyed and highly recommend.

[beckyhaase · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

THE GLOVEMAKER by Ann WeisgarberI almost stopped reading this novel because of the stream of consciousness style of writing and the repetition of a certain phrase. However, by page 20 I was hooked. Samuel is missing and Deborah, his wife, is waiting for his return when she is surprised by a stranger knocking on her door and seeking assistance.Utah Territory in the 1880’s is the setting for Junction, a tiny hamlet of Mormon saints who are not anxious to have the official LDS church or the law visit them. The mysteries of Samuel and the stranger make a compelling tale. The tension of the community builds almost to the breaking point. Weisberger handles the tension and the setting very well. Deborah, and Nels, her neighbor and Samuel’s best friend, are realistically written. The forbidding climate and terrain become a part of the story as the tension builds. A good story, a good writer, and interesting, well drawn characters all combine to make this read well worth your time.4 of 5 stars

[cariola_6 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Glovemaker is set into motion when Deborah, a Mormon wife living in Junction, Utah in 1888, opens her door to a stranger's knock. Junction was settled by a group of Mormon families who strayed from the norms of their church in that they did not build a wardhouse, nor did they appoint a bishop Only one homesteader is polygamous, but the residents are sympathetic to the Saints--men who chose to have multiple wives and believed that this brought them closer to God. Deborah's wheelwright husband, Samuel, has been travelling to outlying towns for work for months but is due home soon. In the past, he has aided Mormons fleeing from the law, helping them find their way to a sanctuary called Floral Ranch. Despite qualms about opening her home to a stranger, Deborah believes that it is her duty to help a fellow Mormon, as Samuel would have done. She feeds the man and lets him sleep in her barn overnight, and after he leaves in the morning, she sends him off to her nearest neighbor, Samuel's best friend Nels, who will take him on to Floral Ranch. She takes pains to conceal the fact that he was ever there. Deborah knows that if he is running, there will be lawmen behind him, and the last thing she wants is to be charged with aiding a criminal. And indeed, a federal marshall soon arrives. He is bent on finding Braden, claiming the man kidnapped a 16-year old girl and made her his third wife. Deborah denies ever seeing the man and directs the marshall to Nels's house, hoping the two men have already left. Soon, the situation takes a turn for the worst.There was a lot to like about this book. For one thing, I didn't know a lot about the early Mormon church and it's offshoots, nor did I know the extent of the persecution the Mormons endured. One striking event that I had never heard of was a raid on a wagon train of settlers that left all but a handful of children dead--men, women, children, the elderly. While Native Americans were initially blamed, it came out that Mormons had also participated, presumably to avenge the murders of Joseph Smith and his brother. I also appreciated Weisgarber's descriptions of the ominous territory in the deep of winter. Overall, the characters were individualized and well-drawn, and Deborah's internal conflicts--her fears v. her sense of duty, her concern for her sister and her family, her growing dependence on Nels and his apparent attraction to her, and her concern that Samuel should have returned weeks earlier--were handled believably and added to the tension. Overall, this was an enjoyable historical novel.One note: Despite the title, glovemaking had little to do with the story. There is no glovemaking shop, no customers stopping by, no gloves being made. Yes, Deborah does make gloves, mostly as gifts for family and friends. There is a description of the gloves given to Nels the previous Christmas, Deborah twice pages the through the book where she has recorded people's measurements, and she mentions a few times that it makes her happy to know that Samuel must be wearing the gloves she made for him. That's it. I couldn't see any symbolic meaning there. Not exactly false advertising, but the title really doesn't measure up to the story that Weisgarber tells.

[cathygeha · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Glovemaker by Ann WeisgarberWhen I reached a certain age my mother told me I must have beautiful leather gloves and she purchased them for me in black, navy and white...along with some driving gloves. As I read this book I thought about what it might be like to make gloves from scratch using leather tanned by my father keeping a book with measurements, snippets of leather and threads with people’s names beside them. My daughter now how my leather gloves and they are going strong. A good pair of gloves, no doubt, would be worn by the recipient and, if given by someone they knew, cherished forever. The gloves Deborah made were custom-bespoke and sometimes embellished. And, though Deborah’s life was not filled with frills I do believe she found beauty not only around her but in the gloves she made. So, what is this story about? It is about an interesting time in Utah and about a small breakaway group of Mormons who moved to Junction where most of them did not participate in plural marriages and all seemed to want a bit of distance from organized religion as they knew it. They still considered themselves “Saints” but a bit to the side rather than immersed in all of the traditions. The group was small with only about six to eight families living in the same area. A small number of the group assisted “Saints” on the run from the US Government out to catch polygamist. And, into this group comes trouble. How they deal with the trouble and how it impacts each of them is part of the story. The blurb pretty much tells what the story is about but it is so much more than the blurb. I have to say I learned from this book a part of history I was unaware of. I had known parts of the history of the Mormons but had not heard of some of the events mentioned in this book. I also have to say that I could truly enjoyed getting to know the characters and empathized with them as they made the decisions they did. At this point I feel I need to let this story simmer within for a bit and then take it out to look at again. I would like to think that those who remain in Junction will be happy and since Deborah seems to be a woman with both feet firmly planted on the ground I do see her moving forward and finding a way to be content in the future...at least I hope she will...and hope she will not be alone as she makes gloves for those she loves. Thank you to NetGalley and Skyhorse Publishing for the ARC – This is my honest review. 5 Stars

[bookscookslooks · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Deborah is a woman living in Utah territory with her husband Samuel, a wheelwright. He leaves every year to travel to different parts of the territory to help repair wagon wheels and other things for people in various Mormon towns. For Deborah and Samuel are members of the Latter Day Saints but they, like most of the other members of their town of Junction don’t believe in plural marriage. The country at the time is very much up in arms about the Latter Day Saints, the religion they don’t understand and in particular polygamy.The town of junction is full of Saints that are not quite so committed to the Church but are still believers. Only one family has a plural marriage, the other married couples are just one man/one woman. But Samuel, Deborah and their neighbor Nels will still help their fellow Mormans – when polygamists are being chased for breaking the law they come through the town of Junction and through a series of steps are helped to safety. But one night, in January – which is the wrong time of year for someone to be trying to cross the territory due to the weather – a man comes to Deborah’s door. Samuel is late back from his usual circuit. There was a rockslide on the route so Nels has said it would take him 6 weeks longer to get home. Deborah is counting the days awaiting his return.The man that arrives gives all the right phrases but he still makes her uneasy. Deborah just wants him to get on his way. But trouble is soon to follow as a Federal Marshal soon shows up looking for the man. From there life gets complicated for all the inhabitants of Junction.This is not a long book (312 pages) but there is a lot of story packed into those pages. This is my third book by Ms. Weisgarber and I love how she takes a relatively unknown piece of history and weaves such a rich and detailed story. The Glovemaker doesn’t cover an expansive period of time and the issues it discusses are not widely known outside of Morman history. That’s what makes her books so fascinating – they open windows to America’s past but not in big and booming ways but rather through tales of strong women.This was a book that pulled me in from the beginning. The descriptions of the territory and its cold isolation in the winter months had me shivering. The fear Deborah felt was palpable and her love and concern for her husband really came through – not to mention her anger at him for leaving her for so long every year so he could travel and explore. She understood on one level it was his work but she also knew it was more than work for him.In reading the Glovemaker I found myself quite surprised when the book ended as I had become so immersed in the lives of the people of Junction. I didn’t want to leave. I did read the book in one sitting with just a slight break in between for a doctor’s appointment. I’m keeping it for a second read at another time for I suspect that it will only improve in time. And I will anxiously await Ms. Weisgarber’s next book.

[clue_4 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Weisgarber's new historical novel is based on an actual settlement in Utah by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The settlement was very small, in the 1880s when the book takes place only seven families lived there. Though LDS members, six of the families did not practice polygamy nor did the town have a bishop as was usual in an LDS settlement. Church leaders questioned their faith. Deborah Tyler is the barren and only wife of Samuel, a wheelright who travels through the rough Utah landscape going from settlement to settlement mending and replacing wagon wheels. This year he hasn't arrived home before winter weather set in. As a woman alone Deborah is put in a bad situation when a strange man appears at her door. He is an LDS member running from U.S. Deputies who will arrest him because he has more than one wife. There have been others come to the Tyler door and like them this man is trying to make his way to Floral Ranch where he will be given safe haven. Deborah is frighteningly aware the law will be close on his trail and if they find him there or even learn he has been there she will be arrested too. She and Samuel could lose the house and property where they have planted and nurtured orchards. The man's arrival begins a sequence of events that will challenge faith, ethics, and love by Deborah and others in the community. Beautifully written and thoroughly researched, The Glovemaker presents history of the LDS readers may not know. The location of Junction, an actual town, is inside the Capitol Reef National Park where the orchards of the LDS settlers are still maintained. It was a visit to the Park that inspired Weisgarber to research and write about the settlers there.