thanks to Librarything; ARC for review... I won't be keeping this one, so if you want it, you can ask for it and it's yours

Talk about timing -- with the big raid a month ago at the Yearning For Zion ranch and all of the news from that event, this book is going to sell, big time. Personally, I'm fascinated with the whole issue of polygamy -- not that I'd want to do it, but I do wonder why others subject themselves and furthermore, I wonder why the government hasn't just come right out and reminded law enforcement that polygamy is illegal and that leads to my wondering why this is still going on. The whole brainwashing thing eludes me as well, but then again, the issues brought up in this book are part of the reason I shy away from any sort of organized religion. Ebershoff may have written fiction, but the issue of brainwashing is very real. Take the Yearning For Zion thing in Texas -- the women there were scared to death of having to live on the outside because of all the things they are taught about the real world while they are under the sway of the FLDS leadership at the ranch. Or in the novel -- it's rife with examples of how the church leadership managed to convince some seemingly intelligent women that they needed to share their husbands with other women, sometimes under the same roof. It's all about salvation, you know? Fantasy camp for men; for women and especially for their children, well, what can I say? Sorry about the diatribe, but you know, the whole polygamy thing has a tendency to rankle me, and I appreciate Ebershoff's book -- it pointed out the many issues about this practice justified in the name of salvation.

So now that I've ranted, the book is structured so that there is a present-day mystery that focuses on a woman who has been arrested and imprisoned for killing her husband. It turns out that she is the 19th wife, and her estranged son reads about her arrest on the internet. Seems that when he was younger, he was tossed out of the local polygamist community, "The Firsts," where they believed they were carrying on the mission of the first and true LDS church, when polygamy was the norm. So off he trots to Utah to see his mother and then gets involved in trying to prove her innocence. At the same time, there is another thread running in this book, the story of another 19th wife, Ann Eliza Young, who married Brigham Young and then squared off against him and the whole polygamy issue publicly. The present-day story is minor compared to Ann Eliza's story, beginning with her mother's conversion to Mormonism and then her descent into the hell that was polygamy after the prophet had a revelation from God that men should take more than one wife. The two stories are interspersed, but Ann Eliza's story is (imho) the better of the two. More than the present-day story, her story had me glued to the book.

The characters were well drawn and Ebershoff did a fine job with the whole polygamy thing, especially describing the plight of the children from polygamous marriages. This is not something I probably would have picked up at a bookstore, but the topic intrigued me and the story got my dander up. I would say that Ebershoff's done his job as a writer -- getting the reader very involved. Personally, if he'd have left it with the story of Ann Eliza, I probably would have liked it better.

I'd recommend it to anyone who's interested in the topic of polygamy, and if you liked this one, try Krakauer's Under the Banner of Heaven.

My thanks to Librarything for allowing me to read this before it was released.

off to PerryFran in MD. Enjoy!

Thanks quinnsmom for sending the BCID and again for the book! I hope to read this soon and may make it a bookray so it continues its travels.

---

Bookray

Starting a bookray for this book. Please PM me if interested. Bookray will remain open until last person has the book.

Participants so far:

. GrannyAnn from New York, USA (US preferred - Canada if necessary)
. dvg from New Jersey, USA (US only)
. ResQgeek from Virginia, USA (US only)
. crrcookie from DC, USA (US/Canada/Europe)
. BooksnBeer from Virginia, USA (US preferred)
. dabercro from Utah, USA (US only)
. tostle from Utah, USA (?)
. ciloma from Idaho, USA (US preferred - International if needed)
. heartthumper from Kansas, USA (International)
. oi-reader from Ohio, USA (International if needed)
. istop4books from Minnesota, USA (US and Canada only)<----Book lost

THIS BOOK WAS LOST. istop4books HAS PROVIDED A REPLACEMENT COPY. SEE THIS JE FOR NEW COPY

Finished this book this morning and I found it to be a real eye-opener! Coming from a Mormon background (I grew up in Utah), this book was very relevant for me. I thought Ebershoff did a great job in telling this story that includes the roots of polygamy in the Mormon Church along with a modern day murder mystery in a polygamist cult and how the two stories connect with each other. I tend to agree that the story would have perhaps been better if only the story of Ann Eliza Young was told, but I did get engrossed in the modern-day story as well. Reading the story of the Mormon beginnings and Brigham Young was definitely not the same stories I was taught in Mormon Sunday school. Especially the baser aspects of why Brigham and Joseph Smith entered into polygamous relationships and some of the other historical aspects such as the “hand-cart tragedy.” This is a work of fiction and it is hard to separate the fact from the fiction, however, I think the author tried to accurately portray the events as much as possible.

The story within the modern-day cult reminded me a lot of the HBO series “Big Love.” I would recommend this series highly. This book also piqued my interest in reading more about Ann Eliza Young – I would like to read her book “Wife No. 19” at some point. I didn’t realize she had such an impact on the Mormon Church’s renouncement of polygamy. Overall a high recommendation for this book.

I will be sending this out today to GrannyAnn to start this bookray.

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Sending to GrannyAnn to start this bookray. Enjoy!

USPS DC# 0308 0070 0000 7892 3667

Received in the mail today. I can't wait to get started!

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

This was a well-written and enjoyable book. The 2 stories (1800's and present day) were both very interesting. The story of Ann Eliza was gripping and really taught me a lot about Mormon history. The modern day murder mystery was also interesting.

Sent to the next participant.

Arrived safely today.

Thank you PerryFran for adding me to this ray. I have been looking forward to reading this book since I saw it in bookpage a while back. I will move it along quickly. Will PM next on list for addy now.

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Like perryfran, I have a Mormon background -- I was a convert as a pre-teen with my parents. I, too, do not remember from my Sunday School about this side of Brigham Young or polygamy. I remember hearing that it was to make sure that pioneer women and children had the protection of a man and family while making that trek to Utah. But many things did go off in my brain so I’m thinking a lot of this fictional tale has truth behind it. I read it cover-to-cover including the acknowledgements and found Ebershoff noting the areas of fiction – which I appreciated greatly. He indicated that he knew people would be speculating on what was fictional and truth, so he helped us out. Bravo!

I enjoyed reading about Ann Eliza. I would love to know more of this brave woman who stood up for herself and all women by speaking with government and forcing the LDS church to discontinue the polygamy practice. I was fascinated with her life, the internal battle of doing what is right and knowing what you were taught in your spiritual life is wrong.

I found the modern day version FLDS story to be just as interesting. I am so glad Ebershoff did this. People need to be made aware this is still happening and it really needs to be stopped. It is against the law. Being under the guise of religious freedom should not make it okay. It is a version of slavery and a huge disrespect of womankind. I would also think it to be spousal and child abuse. You cannot provide financially, emotionally and physically to your spouse but more importantly your children are neglected in these areas as well.

I highly recommend this book. Even though it has some fictional aspects to it, there are many truths as well. I will be reading more on this topic and Ann Eliza as well.

Thank you for sharing this book with me and indulging a little tirade from this spiritual but nonreligious woman!

Its on its way to ResQgeek via Priority Mail
USPS Delivery Confirmation #: 0307 1790 0004 3027 8324 (from Netcong NJ 07857)

Arrived in the mail today...perfect timing, as I'm almost done with my current one. I'll start this soon and hand it off to crrcookie as soon as she gets home from her vacation.

I had heard good things about this book, but even so, I wasn't sure it was going to be a book I would enjoy. I'm glad I gave it a try. The book opens with the death of a present-day polygamist and the arrest of one of his plural wives for the murder. When their estranged son hears the news, he feels compelled to return home to investigate. This modern crime story (which, by itself, is far to thin to sustain a novel) is intercut with a lengthy retelling of Ann Eliza Young's story, which follows the story of the early history of the Mormon Church. While this part of the book does drag to a crawl in places, it is a fascinating and detailed look at the trials of the early Later-Day Saints and their struggles to find a place to live and practice their religion in peace. Along the way we learn a great deal about polygamy, as practiced by the early Mormons, and how, in spite of the official renunciation of the practice by the Church, it continues to be practiced by splinter groups. Without this extensive background, the modern-day portions of the story would lose much of its impact and mystery. The two stories dovetail together quite nicely (be sure to pay attention to the names of the characters to see just how related they really are). This book provides a glimpse into the beliefs of a people whose practices are hard for many to understand or appreciate and exposes the abuses that seem to thrive in this culture.

I'll be passing this on to crrcookie soon.

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

I'm meeting with crrcookie for lunch, and I'll pass this book on to her. Enjoy!

Lunch was great and it was even better when I got a new book to read! I always give bookrings priority so I should be done with it soon. It looks very interesting and I look forward to reading the book and also everyone else's journal entries.

Well, I read this book rather quickly and then found that I could not make a journal entry as I needed some time to figure out what to say about the book. Then I seem to have forgotten but I will be passing this book along in a couple of days and it is long past time to make my comments.

I must admit to not knowing much at all about the subject of polygamy. Of course, I have heard things on the news usually when a large scandal is involved but I never really thought about the history of polygamy and how it ingrained itself into a society of people. When the mainstream of the Mormon religion denounced the practice the splinter groups refused to give it up and have been keeping it a secret for many years by staying away from most of society.

This book was unique in that it interwove two stories that are modern and historical. I enjoyed reading about the history of Brigham Young and his many wives. It seems so strange to think that a religious leader would do something that is so far removed from the things that I believe in my own religious practices. I thought that the bravery and courage of Ann Eliza and how she got away from the abuse and hurts that she was forced to endure. It is an amazing story when you take into account the timeframe and the way that women were treated during that time.

The modern day story was a lot different. It was scary in that these people would treat their own so callously. The reasoning of the men is bizarre and the way that the women stay with feelings of no choice is heartbreaking. "Wife #19" is railroaded into a murder charge and there are few that are even trying to prove her innoncence until her son starts poking around and finds a few other sympathetic family members that can help him untangle the web of strangeness that surrounds the town.

I liked the way that the stories complemented each other and how history and modern day can be interwoven to make a book that is hard to put down. This book is one that I would definitely recommend to anyone that wants to learn more about religions and their history.

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

I am meeting with BooksnBeer at the Navy Yard Metro Station where I will hand off this book and enjoy some lunch and conversation.

I read and released this book as part of the 2008 Keep Them Moving Release Challenge from the Release Challenges forum.

I was hand delivered this book today by crrcookie - What a nice surprise. We have lunch, talked books and cookie set books free - too bad it was raining and I had a meeting. Next time, I will play hookey.

This looks very interesting!!! I work with someone who is a Mormon - I wonder if I should ask if they have read this?

Wow!!! – what to say about this book. First – I don’t think I will say anything about this book to the women I work with that is Mormon – we are only work mates and I would be afraid of offending.
This was a very interesting and eye opening book for me. I really had not known anything about Mormons – so it did teach me about the history and I want to do some more reading on the subject. It also got me thinking about Polygamy and what an emotionally, financially and logistically draining situation that must be. The tying it to religion is so wrong. It also made me think about the other creative living relationships that exist. What relationship is workable for us – Monogamy or Polyamory……

I would and have recommended this book.

I am still trying to contact the next on the list....

Arrived in the mail yesterday. It will go to the top of Mt. TBR. I'm looking forward to reading this especially with all that has been in the news in recent years about the FLDS, polygamy, Warren Jeffs, and underage marriages.

I really liked this book. I found the early history of the LDS church quite interesting. I moved to UT just over 15 years ago and am not LDS. I am interested in the predominant religion of this state which to this day is quite influential in every day life and the laws passed in this state. Since my move here, there have been incidences in the news concerning lost boys, girls escaping the polygamous life, and most recently, the capture, arrest, and conviction of Warren Jeffs, the prophet of one of the polygamous sects.

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Book is headed south on I-15 to tostle in Salt Lake City

Sorry to have delayed a journal entry...I received the book and started reading it immediately. I agree with other journalers...I would have preferred to read just of Ann Eliza.
I will send this book on to the next reader.

Received in the mail today.

Reserved for heartthumper

What a marvelous read! I enjoyed the whole thing - well - almost all of it. I found the historical aspect of it very interesting and found a pdf of Ann Eliza Young's memoir to download and read. I am curious how much it differs from what was presented in this book. I grew up in Mormon country and a lot of the major players and themes were not unfamiliar to me.

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

On its way to heartthumper

Received in mail today. Only one book ahead of it. Looking forward to starting it. Thanks for including me.

Real eye-opener. I did enjoy Eliza Ann's story more than BeckyLyn's. I found Eliza Ann very brave. Thanks for including me.

Have messaged oi-reader for her address.

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Book Ray sent to oi-reader in Toledo, Ohio. Enjoy!

arrived safely yesterday. I have 1 1/2 rings ahead of this but should be able to get to it in a week or so. Thanks for sharing and thanks heartthumper for the lovely postcard included :)

An enjoyable read with an unpredictable ending. The historical aspect was just as enthralling as the modern story line. Thanks for sharing, this is on it's way to istop4books today!

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

You are next! Enjoy :)

Arrived today safe and sound. I can't wait to read it, I have one half finished book in front and then I'll dig into this one.

THIS BOOK WAS LOST. istop4books HAS PROVIDED A REPLACEMENT COPY. SEE THIS JE FOR NEW COPY. Thanks istop4books for replacing the book!

This book has washed ashore at the Lost Book Island after not being heard from for many months. This new arrival will be shown to a room and be allowed a bit of rest before being introduced to the many fun things to do here at the island.



All around there are books sipping cool drinks under shady palms while other books participate in a wide variety of beach sports. There is plenty of sand, surf and sun here for all of the lost and wayward books to enjoy.



It is hoped that very soon a new journal entry will come to rescue this book from the island and send it back out into the BookCrossing world so that it may continue on its journey. It is hoped that the new journal entry will tell all the interested parties where this book has been this long time and where it will be traveling to next.