The 19th Wife: A Novel

By David Ebershoff

Faith, I tell them, is a mystery, elusive to many, and never easy to explain.

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.

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. A rich account of a family’s polygamous history is revealed, including how a young woman became a plural wife.

Soon after Ann Eliza’s story begins, a second exquisite narrative unfolds–a tale of murder involving a polygamist family in present-day Utah. Jordan Scott, a young man who was thrown out of his fundamentalist sect years earlier, must reenter the world that cast him aside in order to discover the truth behind his father’s death.

And as Ann Eliza’s narrative intertwines with that of Jordan’ s search, readers are pulled deeper into the mysteries of love and faith.

Praise for The 19th Wife

“This exquisite tour de force explores the dark roots of polygamy and its modern-day fruit in a renegade cult . . . Ebershoff brilliantly blends a haunting fictional narrative by Ann Eliza Young, the real-life 19th “rebel” wife of Mormon leader Brigham Young, with the equally compelling contemporary narrative of fictional Jordan Scott, a 20-year-old gay man. . . . With the topic of plural marriage and its shattering impact on women and powerless children in today's headlines, this novel is essential reading for anyone seeking understanding of the subject.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Aug 5, 2008
• ISBN: 9781588367488

Reviews for The 19th Wife

[starbox_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Quite a gripping tale and one where I learnt a lot about early Mormonism.There are two stories going on here in tandem: a young man, thrown out of the 'Firsts' (a breakaway group from the Latter Day Saints, where polygamy still goes on in a rather scary, controlling cult) is visiting his mother in jail. She's accused of shooting her husband- but could it be another of his wives or someone else entirely? Readable but didnt grab me particularly.Far more engrossing was the account of early Mormonism- the early missionary efforts by Joseph Smith and later Brigham Young - which resulted in vast numbers joining their movement from both USA and elsewhere; the dreadful privations of those pioneers as they trekked across the states to settle ultimately in Utah. And the decision to not merely allow polygamy, but demand their members practised it - the initial resistance from the congregations...and the corruption as Young accumulated a positive harem. Following Young's determined 'nineteenth wife', Ann Eliza Young, who moves from being relegated to a lowly position as he favours newer acquisitions over her, to escaping and telling her story to the whole of a fascinated America...Rather horrifying reading really- while LDS have long accepted that polygamy cannot continue, the fact their leader was so into it would make the average reader look at the religion with a pretty cynical eye!

[lisalynne_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is the fastest 600 pages I’ve ever read. I received the book through the Early Reviewer program and I have to admit that I was a little intimidated by its size. I am not a speed reader - but this book hooked me right from the start. I read the first 300 pages in a single sitting and was surprised at just how quickly it moved along.The 19th Wife is a complicated braid of a story, reaching from today’s headlines back to the origins of the Mormon religion. It combines a modern-day murder mystery with the fictionalized account of a well-known plural wife and a wealth of “documents” telling her story. The research required would have been phenomenal and it could have been dry as dust. Instead, the mix of fact and fiction, narrative and document, cleverly tells a complex story in a very interesting way. My full review is on my blog.

[rdra1962 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It is rare that I enjoy both stories of the "story within a story" format, but Ebershoff handles both really deftly. I preferred the historical tale, even though it is a little stiff. many of the reviewers who did not like this novel are Mormans (not FLDS), who were offended by the fact that a main character is gay; predictable, and upset that the author gives us details about the sacred undergarments and secret rituals - that's what makes it so interesting - and thorough!

[cherybear · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Three interconnected stories, based on some historical facts. 1. A young man was thrown away by his mother, because the Prophet told her to. He returns to Utah to see her in prison after she is accused of killing her polygamist husband. (the present day)2. Ann Eliza Young leaves her husband Brigham Young. (the late 1800s)3. A woman writing a master's thesis researches Ann Eliza's life. The three viewpoints work pretty well, and the characters are pretty well developed. Some portions are a bit confusing, but all in all a satisfying read.

[abergsman-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

An interesting fictionalized story about FLDS. A quick read, but the back-and-forth storytelling did not always work.

[lauriegienapp · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

very interesting concept... mingling past and present.. well done

[markmeg · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Polygomy. Very good.

[casabooks · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Picked this up from someone's sofa table, starting browsing... I mean reading . . . and after a few pages was hooked.
Weaves the true story of Ann Eliza (one of Brigham Young's wives) and a fictional (but not too far-fetched) 20th century murder mystery.
I'll be reading the actual biography book that Ann Eliza published in approx 1876, also.
Recommended reading.
Read in 2010.

[jodes101 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

There were parts of this book that I really enjoyed and then it would lose track somehow and seem to drag then all of a sudden it would pick up the pace again so I felt quite ambiguous towards the end. Some of the facts of this type of living were brought home such as the "lost boys" sad and despicable and anyone who has ever been a part of this whether intentionally or not should be incredibly ashamed of themselves.

[elmoelle · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book tells the mirror image stories of two 19th wife's, one a fictionalized version of one of the wives of Mormon prophet Brigham Young, Ann Eliza, and the other a modern day polygamist wife who lives in a fundamentalist mormon sect.
There were times in this book when I wished that the story of Ann Eliza could be cleaved from the much more plot filled story of the modern day wife's son, who is seeking to exonerate his mother for the murder of her husband, which she does not believe he did. However, as I moved deeper into the book, I appreciated how the historical underpinnings of Ann Eliza's story brought more depth to the modern day mystery.
In an author's note, Ebershoff clarifies which portions of his story were based on fact an which were not and describes some of his source material. I found this really helpful in trying to make sense of the history of the Latter Day Saints and the relationship of that religion to polygamy.
I generally have a pretty live and let live attitude towards the way that other people arrange their lives and sort of thought of polygamy as a fairly harmless, if unappetizing, family structure. I was really interested to come to understand the author's portrayal of the harm that is caused not only to the women and children in polygamous marriages, but also to the husbands. When a husband is asked to spread himself out so thinly among wives and children, he ultimately feels as though he is not meeting the needs of his family.
For me the biggest mystery left unsolved by this book is the why of the introduction of polygamy into the church of latter day saints. It is unclear whether it was simply a way to make more children and so more saints or if it was a product of lust.

[downtownlibrarian · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Well worth reading as a mystery and a historical novel.

[gypsysmom_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book combines a story about a modern day polygamist husband who is murdered with a historical story about Ann Eliza Young, one of Brigham Young's many wives. Ann Eliza was told by Brigham when they married that she was his 19th wife although in reality she was probably at least his 50th. The 19th wife of the man who is murdered is accused of killing him so the two stories tie together.I learned lots about the origins of the Latter Day Saints and how they finally ended up in Utah. I also learned about how polygamy affected the children as well as the women which is something I hadn't really considered before. The present day story is what kept me reading the last third of the book because by that point Ann Eliza's crusade was pretty much over. I was disappointed that the mystery of her disappearance was not solved. I kept hoping there would be some evidence found while the modern day investigation was wrapping up.Lots of research went into this book and it shows. I would read more by this author.

[abookvacation · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I would have really liked this book if it had been one story. It was nice to have some background on Ann Eliza and polygamy, but I am not a fan of 19th century English and it was really dry. If half of that was cut out, it would have been a great book.

[sovranty · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is a book of two stories: one placed in the 19th century from the perspective of a Mormon prophet's wife and one placed in the present from a Mormon's "lost boy's" perspective. While these two stories can easily be read on their own, for a fuller understanding of the author's attempt to interpret celestial marriage (polygamy) and its effect on those - willingly, unwillingly, and unfamiliarly- involved it is essential to read the book as it is written.

[rachelrj_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed this -- both the modern and the historical storylines. I was a little disappointed at the hyper-neat resolution of the mystery, though.

[blondestranger · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This was a really great book with two fantastic stories - but it took forever to read because I wasn't captivated by the characters. I'm also not sure how much of it is fact vs. what is fiction. All and all, I enjoyed the book and am glad my Mom recommended (and gave) it to me!

[cather00 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This took a long time for me to get through because I listened to the audio book version (15 disks). It was entertaining for the most part, but near the end, I just wanted it to finish. I'm not sure I'd feel that way if I'd read the book. Parts of the story held my attention and I was riveted. Other parts dragged for me.

[vibrantminds · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The 19th Wife is in two parts. The first is a story of murder that takes place in a polygamist colony. The victim is the husband of 19 plus wives of which his 19th wife is imprisoned for his murder. Her son, who was kicked out of the colony as a teenager, comes to his mothers aid in trying to solve the mystery behind his fathers murder and his mothers imprisonment. The second part of the book are inserts about the 19th wife of Brigham Young. Ann Eliza Young, who was a very controversial wife. She filed for divorce from Brigham Young and traveled to Washington DC to tell her story and fight for the ban on polygamy. A side by side comparison of the damaging effects polygamy can have on an individual and society today as well as in the past.

[witchyrichy · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

At first, I found the narrative a bit jarring in the way it moved back and forth among different voices and even formats. But once I got used to it, the connections between past and present began to make sense.

[labibliophille · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The 19th Wife, a novel by David Ebershoff, is loosely based on the story of Ann Eliza Young, one of the wives of Brigham Young, the preeminent prophet and leader of the Mormon Church in the nineteenth century. Ann Eliza left Brigham, and began a crusade to end polygamy. Her story is interspersed with that of a fictional modern 19th wife, BeckyLyn Scott. BeckyLyn is accused of murdering her husband.The modern story is told through the viewpoint of BeckyLyn's adult son Jordan, whom she was forced to abandon when he was a teenager. The Scott family is part of the fictional community of Mesadale, Utah. This community calls itself the "Firsts"; they are faithful to the original Mormon belief in Celestial Marriage (polygamy).When Ann Eliza left Brigham, she began a lecture tour of the country, ending in Washington D.C. and meeting with members of Congress and President Grant. Her voice was instrumental to the passage of the Poland Act, which helped to end polygamy in Utah.Jordan returns to Utah to visit BeckyLyn in prison. He becomes convinced that his mother is innocent. As Jordan tries to unravel the mystery, we learn more about modern day fundamentalist Mormonism. From Ann Eliza's story, we learn about the roots of the Mesadale community.One of my favorite non-fiction books is Jon Krakauer's fascinating investigation into fundamentalist Mormonism, Under the Banner of Heaven. And of course I never miss an episode of HBO's Big Love. So when I first head about The 19th Wife, I knew I had to read it. I really enjoyed it, and am glad I actually bought it (even though I am now generally against purchasing books).

[ingriddoris · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Interesting story, going between the story of Brigham Young's 19th wife (or 52nd depending on the count) and the modern world with a mystery surround a murder in a polygamous sect.

[smits_52 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

An intersting blend of the mormon history and a modern story interwoven.It is a history of the first years of the Mormons and the story of Ann Eliza Younga wife of Brigham Young an outcast sho crusades against polygamy,Combined with this story is s story of polgamist family in modern Utah. Jordan was thrownout and now is trying to free his mother convicted of murdering her polygamist husband. Very interesting.

[indygo88 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Among other things, this was an enlightening read for me. Not knowing much at all about the Mormon faith or its origins, I now feel much more educated. And though much of this novel is historic fiction, it's written in a way that makes it very believable. I actually thought most of the "documents" presented throughout were real, until reading some other reviews & background information. (In my defense, I listened on audio, which doesn't include some of the additional disclaimer information that I believe the written book does, at the end.) I suspect many current day Mormons would be offended by this novel, and it's fair to say that this book centers primarily on polygamy, so it's important to keep in mind that the Mormon stance on polygamy was reversed in the late 1800's. But even so, there was a lot of good background information here. The novel alternates between a historical fiction account and a present-day fictional story. I found myself nearly equally engaged through the first 2/3 of the book, but found the portions about Ann Eliza Young and Brigham Young in his older years quite a bit drier near the later portions of the book, allowing my mind to wander somewhat. This would be an excellent discussion book for book club.

[karenweyant · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The 19th Wife is actually a tale of two wives: Ann Eliza Young, the "19th wife" of Brigham Young, and Beckylyn, the 19th wife of a modern day polygamist. Through a careful exploration of history and a modern day murder mystery, author David Ebershoff narrates multiple stories of what it is like to live in the world of polygamy.Ebershoff's novel, of course, is very timely. Besides HBO's popular series, Big Love, polygamy has taken center stage in the news. But besides being timely, there are several aspects of this work that really impressed me. First, in spite of the length, the novel never dragged. In fact, when I finished the book, I found myself wanting more, inspite of the 500 some odd pages. Second, because of the many storylines told from different points of view, it could be easy for a reader to get lost. But Ebershoff weaves the multiple stories and voices together, so that the reader is eager to see how everyone fits into the complex puzzle of the book's plot. Finally, and what I consider the most important aspect of this book, is that there is no judgement. Instead, as readers, we see a rich exploration of history and belief.

[marlene9nl · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Finished it last night (October 29). I give this book 3.5 stars which I cannot do alas on this site.

There are 2 stories in this book and I liked the older story much better. The mystery modern story was okay though. Weird I do not have so much to say about this book. Maybe I would have loved it better if I did not know already a lot about this faith. Have read quite a lot of books so it wasn't new to me.

[wlr11 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

For anyone who has not been exposed to polygamy or the history of polygamy, this is a great read. It was a page-turner and I appreciated how the author captured the past in reflection to modern-day. I would recommend this book!

[mermind · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Combining historical fiction and mystery genres, this book is quit a good read if you are at all interested in Mormon culture. The writing style is competent, but not impressive which is the reason I give it only three stars.

[tjsjohanna_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I wanted to read this with an open mind, but I just couldn't do it. Mr. Ebershoff managed to shoehorn in all the prevailing anti-Mormon propaganda out there into this novel. Instead of writing a novel about the complex issue of polygamy, he chose to view it as nothing more than the lust of men. The discouraging thing about this is that Mr. Ebershoff has managed to make his work of fiction look like historical fact, and many readers will go away figuring now they know all there is to know about Mormon history. Just for the record, I'm a sixth-generation Mormon and all of my family lines run through this period of Mormon history. I do have polygamous ancestors. On a side note, I wished the modern story had been more extensive - though I'm not sure what to believe about Mr. Ebershoff's depiction of modern polygamy given his take on the practice in the 1800's.

[buildalife · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was the most interesting and enjoyable book I've read in a long time. I love the changing voices and perspectives. It's so masterfully interwoven, that it truely was difficult to discern what was factual and what was fiction. I can't wait to try some of his other books.

[stephaniechase_1 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Despite the glowing reviews on the back -- and a recommendation by a patron -- I could not get into this book. I found the modern day character, Jordan Scott, especially difficult. Perhaps I will try it again sometime in the future.