19th Wife

This book took me forever to read, yes it had a few hundred pages but it was also slow.  There were a few times where I wanted to quit but then for the rest of my life I will wonder what happen and I’m too young for that.  There were really two different stories in the book.  The main story was about Ann Eliza Young, which was what I signed up to read.  The second story was more current day of a 19^th wife who was going to trail for killing her husband. I felt that this story could have been left out. However I didn’t see the ending coming for the current day 19^th wife.

I picked up this book to read about Ann Eliza Young.  She was one of Brigham Young 50ish wives and helped end polygamy.  The book talks about her early life growing up and how she witnesses her mother struggle with polygamy.  Her mother was a “first” wife where her father took on 4 more wives.  It briefly talks about her first marriage to James Dee. They had shared two sons together. After she divorced James, it never mention if James Dee was a part of the boys life, both boys were still under 5ish (they book didn’t get into actual age of people) 

Brigham Young was the second president of the Mormon Church.  He was great friends with Ann Eliza’s parents was even there at her birth (creepy).  She was pressured to marry Brigham Young from her family; my guess is it was hard to support her and her two sons.  Now the book is fiction, so how true was it that Brigham Young put finical strains on the Webb (Ann Eliza’s maiden name) family? But when I goggle Ann Eliza, it did mention that her family suggested marrying Brigham Young who was 40plus years older than her. Brigham Young already had 50 wives when he married Ann Eliza, that’s just sick I’m sorry.

There were married for about 7 years until she was granted a divorce, then left the older child with her mother and traveled the country with her youngest boy. I don’t think I could ever leave a child behind for that long of a period, even if it was with family.  She held lettuces on how women were treated in the Mormon Church in a polygamist house comparing polygamony to slavery   and wrote a book called the Number 19^th Wife. 

My personal thought on Ann Eliza Young was she didn’t know what the meaning of marriage was.  By the time she passed away she was divorce 3 times. Maybe she was looking for prince charming.  My guess is she didn’t like to comprise or be told what to do, a little hard headed.