BOOK REVIEW: "The Lonely Polygamist"

The Lonely Polygamist

By Brady Udall

Copyright 2010

W.W Norton & Company, Inc.

Adult Fiction

3.5 Bookmarks

In honor of my recent addiction to Sister Wives on TLC, I read The Lonely Polygamist by Brady Udall. I browsed the jacket description of this book and was fascinated...a polygamist with four wives who has, of all things, an affair. Honestly, I can't even imagine a man having enough time or energy for four women, let alone five (plus the challenges of keeping the 5th one a secret from the other four!!) It sounded hilarious and I thought I'd check it out.

So I started into the book and, frankly, I was a little disappointed. There were a lot of really sad things that had happened to the main character (a death of a child, a stillbirth, a wife who is a bit of a mental case). It didn't turn out to be quite the comedy I was expecting.

The main character, Golden Richards, lives in a somewhat typical polygamist community near Virgin, Utah (as an aside, I have a great photo of one of my husband's buddies standing in front of the Virgin, Utah, sign back when they were teenagers. This poor, teenage boy had lost a bet and had to stand in front of the "Virgin" sign and have his picture taken.....hilarious). Anyway, Golden owns three houses for his four wives and shuffles between them, always spread too thin to really do much good (I imagine this is a fairly accurately painted picture). Golden's construction business isn't doing so well, so he ends up having to take a job outside of town. And that's when the trouble begins.....just up the road a bit.....in Nevada......where prostitution is legal.

I won't spoil the story here, but suffice it to say that Golden's situation reminds me of that old story about how a lie spreads itself around and comes back to haunt you. Golden allows one little inkling of bad thoughts enter his mind. Then another slips in. Then another and another, until he isn't quite sure exactly what kind of person he really is. And those little thoughts definitely come back to haunt him in the end.

I was disappointed with the ending. It was quite sad and depressing. And it sure made me feel sorry for just about anyone who lives this kind of life (even the happy-go-lucky Brown family on Sister Wives). But generally-speaking, it was an enjoyable read. Probably a little higher ranking for someone interested in the topic, and lower ranking for someone who really thinks polygamists are quack jobs.

BOOK REVIEW: "The Mammoth Hunters"

The Mammoth Hunters
Earth's Children Series
By Jean M. Auel
Copyright 1985
Crown Publishers
Adult Fiction/ PaleoFiction
4 Bookmarks

And again we are on to the next book in my favorite book series, Earth's Children, by Jean M. Auel. The Mammoth Hunters, book three of the series, is my least favorite (at least, so far.....I still haven't read book six, but I'm working my way that direction!) The entire storyline of this book always causes me great anxiety and nail-biting suspense whenever I read it (even though I already know how it ends).

In The Mammoth Hunters, the main characters Jondalar and Ayla finally leave their magical valley and go exploring. Lo and behold! They run into other Others, a tribe (or cave or clan or whatever you'd like to call it) of mammoth-hunting humans. They invite the pair to stay with them for the upcoming winter and they agree.

There's a problem, though. Jondalar and Ayla still have a little trouble communicating (in that her first language is the language of The Clan and his first language is of a people who live more than a year away), which leads to problems actually quite typical of those in a relationship defined by poor communication. One thing leads to another, and soon both Jondalar and Ayla think the other one doesn't love them anymore. Of course, this is exacerbated by a handsome member of the mammoth hunters tribe named Ranec who does everything he can to rip the lovers apart so he can have Alya himself.

And so as this yo-yo of Alya being tugged between Jondalar and Ranec continues for page after page after page.....after page......I always get to a point when reading this book where I just want to skip to the end! But not really. Because it is very well-written. And entertaining. And enjoyable. And I do love the full story. And, really, would they have truly known that they loved each other without having this tormented episode right in the middle of the series? Perhaps not. *sigh*

Just a little warning again, though. It does still have some of those "adult-ish" scenes with words like "his manhood" and "her supple flesh", so no, I would not recommend reading this one aloud to the kiddos.

And I can only give it four bookmarks instead of five, just simply because of the torment I felt the entire time I was reading it! (Seriously. I do not do well with suspense novels. I've read this book five times, obviously I know how it ends and yet it still causes me grief!)

BOOK REVIEW: "The Tenant of Wildfell Hall"

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall
By Anne Bronte
Oxford University Press
Copyright 2008 (New Edition)
The Classics
3.75 Bookmarks

Of course, you all know I love Victorian fiction. I had actually read this book a long time ago, but didn't have much recollection of it. So I decided to sit down and read it again. I had to sit a long time, though......I had forgotten that it was a very time-consuming read. Although it is not a thick novel, it is full of "old" English and takes a few extra moments to get through the dialogue and description. However, regardless of the length of time it took me to read it, I did enjoy it yet again!

In The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, Anne Bronte tackles the unpleasant question of "what should happen if you were to marry the wrong person?" In our day and age, obviously, divorce is the answer. But in Victorian England, divorce was still unbelievably taboo and would result only in the complete and utter devastation of the divorcee's character and reputation, not to mention leading to her complete ostracization by all society. Not a pleasant outcome, to be sure, which we learn from a diary that details the events that take place when Lady Helen Huntingdon finds herself in such a situation.

Helen is a willful girl who marries the gentleman she thinks is best for her, although she is warned otherwise by caring (and wiser) relatives and friends. She soon learns the folly of her choice, but is stuck with no way out. As her circumstances become more dire, Helen puts together a plan of escape. She hides away with her young son at Wildfell Hall. Her location is precarious. Her secret is great. And the last thing she expects (or will allow) is to fall in love with a neighboring farmer (ooooooooooo! Exciting!)

The first few chapters of the book were a little confusing; trying to keep everyone straight was a challenge. But 50 pages in the reader will suddenly have a much better grasp of what is going on (and, frankly, the book gets more interesting by the page!) However, I would only recommend this little Victorian treat to other lovers of Victorian literature (i.e. Jane Austen, George Eliot, Charlotte Bronte, Emily Bronte, etc.) If that's not your cup of tea, well, too bad for you!