Thursday, December 17, 2020

The 19th Wife, by David Ebershoff

 

Wife #19: A Desert Mystery

By Jordan Scott

The 19th Wife, by Ann Eliza Young

Published 1875

BeckyLyn – mother and wife #19

Husband – murdered at computer

Jordan Scott – son, expelled from group at age 14

“Queenie” (Elizabeth the Second) – daughter, Jordan’s sister

 

BeckyLyn’s sister wives:

Sister Rita - #1

Sister Sherry

Sister Kimberly – last wife, Sarah 5’s mother

 

Mr. Heber – BeckyLyn’s lawyer

Maureen – secretary

 

Brother Hiram Alton – Queenie’s husband, police, investigated murder

 

Sarah 5 – waitress, escaped cult, married to Jordan’s dad (page 382)

 

Sister Karen – postmistress, conductor of underground railroad to help girls escape

 

Roland – Jordan’s friend

Elektra – dog

 

Johnny Drury – expelled like Jordan

 

Ann Eliza Young House

Kelly Dee – volunteer, master’s program BYU

Joseph Smith – prophet

 

Brigham Young – carpenter, replaced Smith as head of group

Ann Eliza Young – wife #19, author of book

Mary Ann Angell – wife #1

Amelia – favorite wife, got most of estate

 

Elizabeth Churchill

Chauncey Webb

Ann Eliza – daughter, married to Brigham Young 1868 (2nd husband), author of book

Gilbert – Elizabeth’s son

Lydia Taft – house girl, became 2nd wife

Eleanor and Margaret Oaks- wives #3 and #4

Mrs. Cox – wife #5

 

James Dee – Ann Eliza’s first husband

James and Lorenzo – sons with Dee

 

Boarders – helped with escape:

Major James Burton Pond

Judge and Mrs. Albert Hagan

 

Friends:

Rev. and Mrs. Stratton – Methodist, helped with escape

 

Major Ford – promoter and manager

 

 

For Discussion:

NOTE: Page numbers are from the paperback edition.

1.       How much does appearance factor in to how we think about people?  On page 61, Jordan wrote that Joseph “had a presence unlike most men, with eyes wide and blue, and the stature of a man who knows his place in history.”

2.       The Mormon church banned plural marriages in 1890. In Jordan’s family history, Ann Eliza was despised and referred to as “that woman” (page 131).  Her book, The 19th Wife, was thought to be “Nothing but a pack of lies” (page 131).  Can the church simply ignore their history?  Is this fair to the men and woman who were forced into this practice?

3.       If only wife #1 would spend eternity with her husband (page 119), who would the successive wives spend eternity with?  Knowing that, why would anyone become a second wife?  Were there advantages?

4.       Why did Brigham Young send Chauncey and Gilbert on a Mission to England which cost them their livelihood and business?  Was he jealous of their financial success?

5.       When Elder Joseph Hovey came to Payson, his purpose was to get people to repent of their sins.  After a while, people started to invent sins to confess (page 174-175).  Why?

6.       In the story “A Desert Mystery”, were you surprised that BeckyLyn went back to Mesadale after she was released from prison?  Why do you think she did?

7.       In this story, what part did Sarah 5 play?    Before you read who the real killer was, what did you think had happened?

8.       Discuss your reading experience with this book.  What did you like or not like?  How difficult was it to follow along with the two story lines with close to the same title?

9.       Did you like the combination of the two stories?  Did they complement each other?  Could one or the other have stood on their own?

10.   In the Author’s Notes, the author stated that he wrote all of the sections that appeared to be non-fiction: Wikipedia entry, articles and letters from the LDS Archives, etc.   Also, the web address www.2wives.com is not real.   How did these additions add to or detract from your reading?

11.   How important was it for you to know what was real and what was fiction?

12.   This book was a Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year and a finalist for the Utah Book Award as well as others.  In your opinion, did it deserve these honors?  Why or why not?

*****

First Semester Success: 2nd Edition, by Dr. Arden B. Hamer, is available at amazon.com and wordassociation.com.

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