Monday, July 20, 2009

review: Sister Wife Shelley Hrdlitschka

genre: ya
rating: 4/5

You can probably guess the plot by the title - Sister Wife is the story of a young teenager who was raised in a polygamist sect, named Unity. 15 year old Celeste has always let her mind wander more than it should. And although she knows that listening to her father and The Prophet, and obeying what they say, is the way to eternal life, she still struggles with what she is asked to do - have pure thoughts and prepare to be a sister wife. Well, she's not really asked to do those things. She's told. And as much as she wants to be free to think her own thoughts, even more she wants to do what God and her father want her to do.

But this story isn't only about Celeste. It's also about other young people that live in Unity - and we even get to read part of the story from their viewpoint, which I really liked. The author does a fine job of helping the reader see what a very structured and conformist society Celeste lived in, and how very, very hard it would be for someone to choose to leave. The conflict these teenagers feel is astounding - love for family, love for God, but a recognition that they are lacking any kind of independence, what teenagers crave the most.

All in all, I really liked it. It wasn't as gripping for me as it maybe could have been and the ending wrapped up a bit too nicely for me to completely believe it, but that doesn't mean I didn't appreciate that things ended the way they did. Certainly, if you are interested in the subject, it shouldn't be missed.

8 comments:

bermudaonion said...

I need to read this one! I just read The Chosen One and really enjoyed it.

Tricia said...

How would you compare this one to The Chosen One? I just finished that one, so I'm not sure I'm totally in the mood for another polygamist book right now. :)

Corinne said...

Tricia - so, I liked The Chosen One better, I think because the plot just grabbed me by the throat. This one was good, but not gripping the way I wanted it to be, does that make sense?

Anna said...

I'll have to keep this one in mind. I haven't read anything on polygamy aside from The 19th Wife, but the subject is fascinating.

--Anna
Diary of an Eccentric

Melissa said...

I have wondered about how this one compares to the other polygamy books out there. I'll probably get to it eventually... thanks for your thoughts, Corinne!

The Reading Momster said...

I have not read even one book on this subject! I hope to get to one soon! This subject is really intriguing.

Beth F said...

Ever since I started watching Big Love on HBO, I've been meaning to read more books about polygamy. I'll add this one to my list.

erin sheely said...

I need to borrow The Chosen One from you!!

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