The 19th Wife

Author: David Ebershoff

Goodreads rating: 3.58

My Rating: 4/5 Stars

Pages: 514 

I'm not too sure why I decided that I wanted to read this book. Part of it probably has to do with the fact that I have a Mormon cousin and the fact that I used to watch Big Love. I think the other part of it was pure curiosity of Polygamy and the relationships. It was a slow, but fascinating read at times, other times I just wanted it to be over.

Synopses from Goodreads.com

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

Sweeping and lyrical, spellbinding and unforgettable, David Ebershoff’sThe 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. 

My review after the jump!

Beautiful Disaster

Author: Jamie MacGuire
Goodreads Rating: 4.24/5
My Rating: 2/5 stars
Pages: 360 pages


This book was the type of book I would have loved in high school, but now I am older and wiser, and I was really displeased with this book. This book is a prime example of everything that is wrong with Young Adult fiction. MacGuire paints this dysfunctional relationship as the most normal thing ever. It took me about a day to devour this whole book, so it is a nice quick read. 


Synopses from Goodreads.com:


The new Abby Abernathy is a good girl. She doesn’t drink or swear, and she has the appropriate percentage of cardigans in her wardrobe. Abby believes she has enough distance between her and the darkness of her past, but when she arrives at college with her best friend America, her path to a new beginning is quickly challenged by Eastern University’s Walking One-Night Stand. 

Travis Maddox, lean, cut, and covered in tattoos, is exactly what Abby needs—and wants—to avoid. He spends his nights winning money in a floating fight ring, and his days as the charming college co-ed. Intrigued by Abby’s resistance to his charms, Travis tricks her into his daily life with a simple bet. If he loses, he must remain abstinent for a month. If Abby loses, she must live in Travis’ apartment for the same amount of time. Either way, Travis has no idea that he has met his match.


My review and spoilers after the jump.