Lucybird

The 19th Wife- David Ebershoff Synopsis (from Amazon) Jordan returns from California to Utah to visit his mother in jail. As a teenager he was expelled from his family and religious community, a secretive Mormon offshoot sect. Now his father has been found shot dead in front of his computer, and one of his many wives - Jordan's mother - is accused of the crime. Over a century earlier, Ann Eliza Young, the nineteenth wife of Brigham Young, Prophet and Leader of the Mormon Church, tells the sensational story of how her own parents were drawn into plural marriage, and how she herself battled for her freedom and escaped her powerful husband, to lead a crusade to end polygamy in the United States. Bold, shocking and gripping, The 19th Wife expertly weaves together these two narratives: a pageturning literary mystery and an enthralling epic of love and faith. Review Well first of this book wasn't what I really expected from the blurb, although I knew it would have some 'historical' content I expected it to be outweighed by the modern story, which was really the bit that I was most interested in (although I enjoy historical fiction if this had been suggested as such I probably wouldn't have been interested in it). However the historical side of the story outweighed the modern day story- in a way I felt like half of it was added just to bulk out the story. I can't say I was particully rivetted by either side of the story. The story of the modern day 19th Wife had promise but wasn't really explored very well. The background of The 19th Wife herself could have been explored more to give insight into the actions- and in itself could have made a decent story. As for the 'historicall' story, I found the period of the story about the founding of the Mormon church to be quite interesting because I know next to nothing about the Latter Day Saints but in other parts I found the story really dragged, and from about halfway through I felt like Ebershoff was pushing his own agenda into the book. The story of Ann Eliza Young was fairly interesting but I don't think it was very well told, and I would rather read her own autobiography (Wife No. 19) than what Ebershoff claimed was an edited version. I can't say I wish I hadn't wasted the time it took me to read The 19th Wife, because I did find some bits interesting, however I do feel I could have found the interesting bits in a quicker way or through a better written source. 2.5/5

High Fidelity is on my wishlist. I hadn't read any Nick Hornby until this year, and then it was The Polysylabbic Spree which is non-fiction but got me interested.

Oh I'm sorry Chrissy

Wow neat! What are the Nick Hornby's?

My sister lent me: The Help- Kathryn Stockett Living Dolls- Natasha Walters

I expected that title to end with 'is just like an apple advert'

It's a bit more complicated but fairly easy. Go to applications, utilities, grab. Then I would say you want to shoot whole screen, but you could do a selection.

Vanity Fair arrived from Amazon. Am finishing The 19th Wife before I start it though

Vanity Fair is our reading circle book this month so do join in with the discussion when you're done. (I'm waiting for my own copy to arrive)

Australia. Rubbish in comparison to some of Baz Lurhman's other stuff but just ok as a film generally.

I'm glad you liked Middlesex Rose, I loved it too

Started The 19th Wife

Sat for 2 hours reading when I got home and finished The Swan Thieves. Turned out to be a really clever book. Thinking of starting The 19th Wife next

Synopsis (from Amazon) Psychiatrist Andrew Marlowe has a perfectly ordered life ? solitary, perhaps, but full of devotion to his profession and the painting hobby he loves. This order is destroyed when renowned painter Robert Oliver attacks a canvas in the National Gallery of Art and becomes his patient. Desperate to understand the secret that torments this genius, Marlowe embarks on a journey that leads him into the lives of the women closest to Oliver and a tragedy at the heart of French Impressionism. Kostova's masterful new novel travels from American cities to the coast of Normandy; from the late nineteenth century to the late twentieth, from young love to last love. The Swan Thieves is a story of obsession, history's losses, and the power of art to preserve hope. Review. Having read and loved The Historian I was eager to read this one, but trying not to get my hopes up too high. I was not disappointed. Although it doesn't have the same pace and urgency of The Historian it had just as much mystery, and in some places the mystery in the Swan Thieves was, maybe not better, but cleverer. There were so many time when something which had previously seemed to be a throwaway comment of little importance became a great clue, and it wasn't until a mystery was solved that you realised how vital that comment was. At some points you had even forgotten about what was said until it was put into a new context. The Swan Thieves was slower than The Historian, and stuck with me less between reading, (However I didn't miss the funny dreams that The Historian gave me...or the having to get up in the middle of the night to check there was nobody in my cupboards!). At the end though I felt much more satisfied, and kind of thoughtful. I suppose maybe because The Swan Thieves is more realistic, or just because the overwhelming feeling from finishing The Historian was one of safety. I can't say this one hooked me in the same way- most of the way through I had little trouble putting down the book (it was only in the last 100 or so pages that I really felt I couldn't not read The Swan Thieves) whereas I often staying up reading The Historian late into the night. If you've not read an Elizabeth Kostova before I would recommend The Historian over The Swan Thieves but this was still an extremely enjoyable, and very clever book. 4.5/5

I have on TV, although I occasionally see an episode I don't remember. It's shown during the day here though so it's on when I'm at work.

Oh His Dark Material Trilogy is awesome!

You can guess why it's everybodys favourite then?

I've finally goot round to ordering series one of this now

I've ordered Vanity Fair off Amazon so I can read it for the reading circle. I've read a bit of The Swan Thieves too. Yesterday I registered an account on Goodreads.

Australia- not sure what to think yet.

But it's still there...and obviously it will turn people gay.

The Inbetweeners now. Saturday is my harddrive day