The Sister Wife by Diane Noble
Summary from Goodreads
What if the man you loved told you God wanted him to take another wife? What if that woman was your best friend?
Set in the heart of the earliest days of a new nineteenth-century sect known as the Saints, The Sister Wife is a riveting account of two women forced into a practice they don't understand, bound by their devotion to Prophet Joseph Smith. When Mary Rose marries Gabriel, neither of them could foresee how quickly the community would turn to the practice of plural marriage. Devastated when Gabe is faced with an order from the Prophet to marry her best friend, Bronwyn, Mary Rose tries to have the faith to carry through with the marriage. But can she really be married to the same man as her very best friend? Can Mary Rose and Bronwyn face betraying both their husband and their God to do what they feel is right?
My Thoughts
I have been wanting to read this book after reading the book description. I would classify this as a historical romance. The book jumps around a bit and for some reason that was a problem for me. There were characters who were minor and I would almost forget about them only to have them reappear. Maybe these characters will play more important roles in the next books in the series. There had to be a reason for them to be mentioned. I felt very disconnected frm the characters yet I wanted to know what was going to happen to them. I am not very familiar with the history of the Mormon Church and polygamy so I cannot say if it is an accurate account. I certainly hope not. I didn't hate the book but didn't love it either. However, I will more than likely read the next installment as it ended as a bit of a cliffhanger. Hopefully when I read the next book it will all make more sense. Until then, I will learn a bit more about this time period and the Mormon Church at the time. If you know of any books that would help in my search to learn more, please feel free to leave them in the comments.
I borrowed this book from the public library to read for the 2011 Just For Fun Challenge
I sometimes have a problem with books that jump around but I find this subject fascinating so I think I'm going to have to give this one a try.
ReplyDeleteHave you read the 19th Wife by David Eberhoff? If you like this kind of storyline, or this time period, I think you would really like it.
ReplyDeleteMartha- the subject matter is very interesting as was the time period in the Mormon church.
ReplyDeleteLisa- I picked up The 19th Wife on sale at Amazon so I will have to pull that out and read it.
Thank you both for visiting and commenting!
I really like books dealing with polygamy so I'd probably really like this one although I don't really enjoy books that jump around a lot.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the above commenter about the 19th Wife.
ReplyDeleteI'd love to know more about the Mormon Church and polygamy. I'll have to keep this one in mind, even though you didn't love it. Thanks for visiting my blog.
ReplyDeleteI struggled with this one too. I thought it was too sweet and the romance part bothered me.
ReplyDeleteIf a book makes you want to look into the story behind it a bit more, then even if it wasn't great, I always think of it as worth the read.
ReplyDeleteDarlene- polygamy makes me curious too. Not that I would want that lifestyle.
ReplyDeleteDCMetroreader- I will pull 19th Wife out of the stacks for sure!
Marie- it isn't an awful read..be sure to check out other reviews-some really loved it. I will more then likely read the next installment.
Bermudaonion- The romance was a bit unrealistic for me too.
Julie- I think the book really has me even more curious than before about polygamy during this time period. I think it was a worthwhile too.
Thanks everyone for visiting and commenting!
I have a friend who grew up in a highly Mormon populated area and I have learned a lot of random information from her (she was a bridesmaid in a few Mormon weddings and had to wait on the steps of the temple because she is not Mormon).
ReplyDeleteI read Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer and it was an incredible story. Although is was based around the worst part of any religion there was a lot of research into the history of it as well. I would definitely recommend checking it out if you are curious about more.
Allison Pitman also has written a novel set in this time period dealing with polygamy in the the Mormon church -- For Time And Eternity. It is also part of a series and has a cliff hanger ending. :) But the sequel will be out this year some time. It was the best book I read last year.
ReplyDelete