The multiplicity of perspectives serves to broaden Ebershoff's depiction not only of polygamy, but also of the people whose lives it informs. And this gives his novel a rare sense of moral urgency

A marvellous evocation of pioneer life... But his sympathy is with Eliza Young and other women trapped in what the Mormons termed 'celestial marriages'

Beautifully written... genuinely enthralling

Engrossing... vivid... packed with historical illumination, unforgettable characters... the greatest triumph is the way all this material illuminates the larger landscape of faith

Intelligent, compelling, with several decent twists

Gripping and beautifully written

Delivers a dazzling high wire act between fact and fiction, and shines light from every angle on the divisive topic of American polygamy in a compelling and timely novel

Coming on the heels of the newsmaking raid on the FLDS polygamist sect in Texas, this lyrical yet fact-packed epic about the Mormon practice of plural marriage is both timely and transporting... a literary tour de force

Ebershoff's sensitive and topical tale of hijacked religion and sexual tyranny, true community and freedom, provides much food for thought in the mode of such seriously popular writers as Jodi Picoult

The 19th Wife is a big book, in every sense of the word... it does that thing all good novels do: it entertains us

Employing the dual narrive idea with aplomb... dishes the dirt on what it's really like being one of many wives. Funny, profound and utterly transporting

This exquisite tour de force explores the dark roots of polygamy and its modern-day fruit in a renegade cult... compelling... essential reading

Wonderful... like A.S.Byatt, whose brilliant novel Possession also split the narrative between time periods, Ebershoff uses a series of fictionalized documents to add depth and perspective to his tale... thought-provoking

Fascinating... demonstrates abundant virtuosity, as he convincingly inhabits the voices of both a nineteenth-century Mormon and a contemporary gay youth excommunicated from the church, while also managing to say something about the mysterious power of faith

Both strands of the novel come together to form a fascinating overview of "Mormondom". The day-to-day realities of polygamy are brought home in the small domestic detail

Weaves a surprising amount of information into the dual narratives... [teaches] about Mormonism and the cancer of polygamy at its heart...well crafted to maintain suspense... at its best when he describes the Utah desert and mountains, where he finds brutality, violence and bucolic beauty

A great, compulsive read... the combination of faith, murder, sex, salvation and ultimately, love, is a heady mix

Although disturbing and heart-wrenching in parts, this book is an informative, and engaging whodunnit thriller